Zen MCP Server (now PAL) vs Graphiti MCP

A side-by-side comparison of two AI, Data & Knowledge servers — tools, transport, auth, maintenance, and copy-paste config for each.

	Zen MCP Server (now PAL) The renamed zen-mcp-server: routes Claude Code, Codex or Cursor to Gemini, GPT, Grok and local models in one context. Unverified stdio (local) API key Python	Graphiti MCP Temporal knowledge-graph memory for agents: add episodes and search facts over FalkorDB or Neo4j, from Zep. Unverified HTTP (remote) API key Python
Category	AI, Data & Knowledge	AI, Data & Knowledge
Language	Python	Python
Transport	stdio (local)	HTTP (remote)
Auth	API key	API key
GitHub stars	12k	28k
Last commit	6 months ago	6 hours ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`git clone https://github.com/BeehiveInnovations/pal-mcp-server.git && cd pal-mcp-server && ./run-server.sh`	`git clone https://github.com/getzep/graphiti.git && cd graphiti/mcp_server && docker compose up`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Zen MCP Server (now PAL) if you want a local (stdio) server that keeps data on your machine, and you need the broadest set of tools.

Pick Graphiti MCP if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Add Zen MCP Server (now PAL)

Install / run

git clone https://github.com/BeehiveInnovations/pal-mcp-server.git && cd pal-mcp-server && ./run-server.sh

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zen-mcp-server-now-pal": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "--from",
        "git+https://github.com/BeehiveInnovations/pal-mcp-server.git",
        "pal-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GEMINI_API_KEY": "<your-gemini-key>",
        "DEFAULT_MODEL": "auto",
        "DISABLED_TOOLS": "analyze,refactor,testgen,secaudit,docgen,tracer"
      }
    }
  }
}

Requires `uv` (the Python package runner). Install it from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/ if `uvx` is not found.

Add Graphiti MCP

Install / run

git clone https://github.com/getzep/graphiti.git && cd graphiti/mcp_server && docker compose up

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "graphiti-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "http://localhost:8000/mcp/"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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

FAQ

Zen MCP Server (now PAL) or Graphiti MCP — which is better?

Pick Zen MCP Server (now PAL) if you want a local (stdio) server that keeps data on your machine, and you need the broadest set of tools. Pick Graphiti MCP if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Can I use both Zen MCP Server (now PAL) and Graphiti MCP?

Yes — MCP clients let you enable multiple servers at once. Add both configs to your client's mcpServers and use whichever tool fits the task.

Do Zen MCP Server (now PAL) and Graphiti MCP work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

Both do. Copy the per-client config below into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf.

View Zen MCP Server (now PAL) →View Graphiti MCP →More comparisons →