MCP Directory

How to add OpenMemory MCP to Claude Desktop

Mem0's local-first memory layer: a Dockerized MCP server plus dashboard that keeps agent memories on your machine. Paste the config into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json and restart Claude Desktop.

Last updated June 14, 2026 · 60k★ · sse · apikey · official

Claude Desktop config for OpenMemory MCP

curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mem0ai/mem0/main/openmemory/run.sh | OPENAI_API_KEY=your_api_key bash
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openmemory-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "http://localhost:8765/mcp/<client-name>/sse/<user-id>"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop connects to remote servers through the `mcp-remote` proxy (installed on first run via npx). Restart Claude Desktop after saving.

Setup steps

  1. 1Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config (this opens ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json).
  2. 2Paste the OpenMemory MCP config below under the top-level "mcpServers" key.
  3. 3Fill in any placeholder secrets (API keys, paths) in the snippet.
  4. 4Save the file, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.
  5. 5Open a chat and confirm OpenMemory MCP's tools appear under the 🔌 tools menu.

Before you start

  • Docker and Docker Compose
  • An OpenAI API key (default LLM + embedder) — or a running Ollama for the fully local configuration
  • Node.js/npx for the @openmemory/install client-setup helper and for UI development
  • Python 3.9+ only if hacking on the backend outside Docker

What OpenMemory MCP can do in Claude Desktop

add_memories

Store new memories whenever the user shares preferences or facts worth keeping.

search_memory

Semantic search over stored memories; meant to be called before answering personal questions.

list_memories

List everything in the user's memory store.

delete_memories

Delete specific memories by their IDs.

delete_all_memories

Wipe the user's entire memory store.

Security

Memories live locally in Docker volumes (Qdrant + SQLite), but memory text is sent to your configured LLM/embedder — OpenAI by default — unless you switch to Ollama for a fully local pipeline. The SSE endpoint is unauthenticated on localhost, and note the README's sunsetting notice: Mem0 now steers new users to its self-hosted server instead.

OpenMemory MCP + Claude Desktop FAQ

Where is the Claude Desktop config file?

Claude Desktop reads MCP servers from ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. Paste the OpenMemory MCP config there under the "mcpServers" key and restart the client.

Is OpenMemory MCP safe to use with Claude Desktop?

Memories live locally in Docker volumes (Qdrant + SQLite), but memory text is sent to your configured LLM/embedder — OpenAI by default — unless you switch to Ollama for a fully local pipeline. The SSE endpoint is unauthenticated on localhost, and note the README's sunsetting notice: Mem0 now steers new users to its self-hosted server instead.

Is OpenMemory private and free?

Yes — Apache-2.0, self-hosted, and memories are stored locally in Qdrant/SQLite Docker volumes. The one external dependency is the LLM/embedder: the default OpenAI setup sends memory text to OpenAI, so switch both providers to Ollama if you need everything on-device.

Is OpenMemory still maintained?

It works, but the README carries an explicit sunsetting notice: Mem0 directs local self-hosted memory users to the Mem0 self-hosted server (make bootstrap in the monorepo's server/ directory) instead. Existing setups keep running; new deployments should weigh starting on the successor.

How do multiple MCP clients share the same memories?

Each client connects to its own SSE URL — http://localhost:8765/mcp/<client-name>/sse/<user-id> — but the <user-id> is what scopes the data. Use the same user id across Claude, Cursor, and Windsurf and they read and write one shared store, with per-app attribution visible in the dashboard.

View repo Full OpenMemory MCP page