Persistent knowledge graph memory for AI agents and IDEs
Graph-Mem MCP is a universal MCP server that gives any agent or IDE persistent, structured memory through a knowledge graph. It combines graph storage, semantic vector search, and multi-hop traversal in a single package — install it, add it to your MCP config, and your agent gains memory that survives across sessions. It works everywhere MCP does.
| Claude Code | OpenCode | Cursor | Windsurf | Codex CLI | Gemini CLI |
| GitHub Copilot | Amp | Kiro | Roo Code | Trae | Augment |
| Continue | Warp | KiloCode | Qoder | CodeBuddy | Droid (Factory) |
| Antigravity · and any MCP-compatible agent, IDE, or framework | |||||
AI agents forget everything between sessions. They re-read files, re-discover architecture, and repeat mistakes. Graph-Mem MCP solves this by providing persistent, per-project knowledge graphs that any MCP-compatible agent can read and write to. The graph builds organically as the agent works — extracting entities, decisions, and relationships from every conversation. It runs as a standard MCP server with 23 tools that plug into any agent, IDE, or framework that supports the Model Context Protocol.
Vector search finds similar things. Graphs find connected things. When an agent asks "what depends on the auth service?", a vector store returns text that mentions auth. A knowledge graph traverses the actual dependency edges and returns every upstream consumer — even ones that never mention "auth" in their description. Graph-Mem gives you both: vector similarity for fuzzy discovery, graph traversal for structural queries.
- Agent memory — Give any AI coding agent persistent context across sessions
- IDE integration — Add knowledge graph tools to Cursor, Windsurf, Copilot, or any MCP-enabled IDE
- Agent building — Use as the memory layer when building custom AI agents and workflows
- Research & knowledge management — Build structured knowledge bases with semantic search
- Multi-project context — Maintain separate knowledge graphs per project with multi-graph support
1. Install:
pip install graph-mem2. Install the skill for your agent:
graph-mem install opencode # OpenCode
graph-mem install claude # Claude Code
graph-mem install cursor # Cursor
graph-mem install windsurf # Windsurf
graph-mem install codex # Codex CLI
graph-mem install gemini # Gemini CLI
graph-mem install copilot # GitHub Copilot
graph-mem install amp # Amp
graph-mem install kiro # Kiro
graph-mem install roocode # Roo Code
graph-mem install trae # Trae
graph-mem install augment # Augment
graph-mem install continue # Continue
graph-mem install warp # Warp
graph-mem install kilocode # KiloCode
graph-mem install qoder # Qoder
graph-mem install codebuddy # CodeBuddy
graph-mem install droid # Droid (Factory)
graph-mem install antigravity # AntigravityThis writes a skill file that teaches your agent how to use all 23 MCP tools — when to search, when to add entities, naming conventions, and common workflows.
3. Configure MCP by adding this to your agent's MCP config:
{
"mcpServers": {
"graph-mem": {
"command": "graph-mem",
"args": ["server"]
}
}
}With full customization:
{
"mcpServers": {
"graph-mem": {
"command": "graph-mem",
"args": [
"server",
"--project-dir", "/path/to/my/project",
"--embedding-model", "sentence-transformers/all-mpnet-base-v2",
"--use-onnx",
"--cache-size", "20000",
"--log-level", "INFO"
]
}
}
}That's it. Your agent now has persistent memory. Verify by asking it to run read_graph().
Paste this into your agent's chat to get started immediately:
I want you to give yourself persistent memory using graph-mem. Run the following:
pip install graph-mem
graph-mem install opencode # or: claude, cursor, windsurf, codex, gemini, copilot, amp, kiro, roocode, trae, augment, continue, warp, kilocode, qoder, codebuddy, droid, antigravity
This installs a skill file that teaches you how to use all 23 MCP tools.
The server should already be configured in your MCP config. If not, add it:
{
"mcpServers": {
"graph-mem": {
"command": "graph-mem",
"args": ["server", "--project-dir", "/path/to/your/project"]
}
}
}
Now start using the knowledge graph:
1. read_graph() to see current state
2. search_nodes("relevant topic") to find existing knowledge
3. add_entities, add_relationships, add_observations as you learn things
4. update_observation / update_relationship to fix mistakes in-place
5. open_dashboard() to explore the graph visually in your browser
6. At session end, capture anything important you discovered
Your goal: build a rich knowledge graph of this project so future sessions
start with full context instead of from zero. Search before adding to avoid
duplicates. Be specific with entity names and types.
pip install graph-mem
graph-mem serveruvx graph-mem serveruvx downloads the package into an isolated environment and runs it in one command. Nothing to pre-install beyond uv.
git clone https://github.com/Sathvik-1007/GraphMem-MCP
cd graph-mem
pip install -e ".[full,dev]"
graph-mem serverpip install "graph-mem[embeddings]" # sentence-transformers for local embeddings
pip install "graph-mem[onnx]" # ONNX runtime for ~3x faster inference
pip install "graph-mem[ui]" # aiohttp for interactive graph visualisation
pip install "graph-mem[full]" # all of the aboveGraph-Mem exposes 23 MCP tools — ten for writing, eight for reading, four for multi-graph management, and one utility. Full CRUD on every primitive: entities, relationships, and observations can all be created, read, updated, and deleted.
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
add_entities |
Batch-create entities with optional observations; auto-merges on name conflict |
add_relationships |
Create typed, directed edges between entities; merges duplicates by max weight |
add_observations |
Attach factual statements to entities with optional source provenance |
update_entity |
Modify entity name, description, properties, or type in-place (rename with collision check) |
update_relationship |
Change weight, type, or properties of an existing edge without delete+re-create |
update_observation |
Edit observation text content in-place with automatic embedding recompute |
delete_entities |
Remove entities with cascade to relationships, observations, and embeddings |
delete_relationships |
Remove specific edges between entities, optionally filtered by type |
delete_observations |
Remove specific observations by ID with ownership validation |
merge_entities |
Combine duplicate entities: moves observations and relationships, deduplicates edges |
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
search_nodes |
Hybrid semantic + full-text search with RRF fusion ranking |
search_observations |
Semantic search directly over observation text content |
find_connections |
Multi-hop BFS graph traversal with direction and type filters |
get_entity |
Full entity details with all observations and relationships |
list_entities |
Browse/paginate all entities with optional type filter |
read_graph |
Graph statistics: counts, type distributions, most-connected entities |
get_subgraph |
Extract neighborhood subgraph around seed entities |
find_paths |
Find shortest paths between two entities via BFS |
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
open_dashboard |
Launch interactive graph visualisation UI and return its URL |
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
list_graphs |
List all named graphs in the .graphmem/ directory with entity/relationship/observation counts |
create_graph |
Create a new named graph (.graphmem/<name>.db) |
switch_graph |
Switch the active graph — hot-swaps storage, search, and graph engines |
delete_graph |
Delete a named graph (cannot delete the currently active graph) |
Multi-graph storage: Each named graph is a separate SQLite database in
.graphmem/. The default graph isgraph.db. Use--graph <name>on CLI commands to target a specific graph.
graph TD
Agent[Any MCP-Compatible Agent or IDE] --> Transport
subgraph Transport
STDIO[stdio]
SSE[SSE]
HTTP[streamable-http]
end
Transport --> Tools
subgraph Tools[Graph-Mem MCP Server — 23 MCP Tools]
Write[Write · 10 tools]
Read[Read · 8 tools]
Graph[Multi-Graph · 4 tools]
UI[Dashboard · 1 tool]
end
Write --> Engines
Read --> Engines
subgraph Engines
GE[GraphEngine]
SE[HybridSearch]
EE[EmbeddingEngine]
GT[GraphTraversal]
EM[EntityMerger]
end
Engines --> Storage
subgraph Storage[SQLite Storage]
DB[SQLite WAL]
VEC[sqlite-vec]
FTS[FTS5]
end
UI --> Dashboard[React SPA + aiohttp]
Dashboard --> DB
Everything lives in a single SQLite database per project. The server communicates over MCP's standard stdio transport (SSE and streamable-http also supported) and stores all data in .graphmem/graph.db at your project root. The database file is portable — copy it between machines, check it into version control, or back it up like any other file.
For detailed technical documentation — data model, search pipeline, entity resolution, storage architecture, and request flow diagrams — see How It Works.
Graph-Mem MCP is a standard MCP server. It communicates with your agent over the Model Context Protocol (stdio by default, SSE and streamable-http also supported) and exposes 23 tools that the agent calls directly — the same way it calls any other MCP tool. It works with every MCP-compatible agent, IDE, and framework out of the box.
To verify it's working, ask your agent to run read_graph() — it should return the current graph statistics.
graph-mem ui # open interactive graph explorer
graph-mem ui --no-open # start server without opening browser
graph-mem ui --port 9090 # use a specific port
graph-mem ui --graph harry-potter # open a specific named graphThe open_dashboard MCP tool also starts this UI server and returns the URL directly to your agent.
Dashboard features:
- Force-directed graph canvas with real-time physics simulation
- Entity type filtering — toggle visibility of entity types via sidebar checkboxes
- Click-to-focus — click a node on the graph or sidebar to instantly center and zoom to it
- Inline entity editing — click any field (name, type, description) in the detail panel to edit it in-place
- Property management — add, edit, and delete individual properties per entity with per-row controls
- Observation management — add, edit, and delete observations with confirmation dialogs and inline editing
- Relationship navigation — click related entities to navigate the graph
- Entity creation and deletion — create new entities from the sidebar, delete with confirmation from the detail panel danger zone
- Hybrid search — semantic + keyword search across all entities
- Graph picker — switch between named graphs without restarting the server
- Physics controls — adjust spring, repulsion, damping, and gravity in real-time
- Keyboard shortcuts — Space (reheat), F (fit to view), Escape (deselect)
By default, Graph-Mem stores its database at .graphmem/graph.db relative to the current working directory. You can control this with:
| Method | Example | Result |
|---|---|---|
--project-dir |
--project-dir /home/user/myproject |
Stores at /home/user/myproject/.graphmem/graph.db |
--db |
--db /custom/path/memory.db |
Stores at exactly that path |
GRAPHMEM_DB_PATH env |
export GRAPHMEM_DB_PATH=/tmp/test.db |
Stores at that path |
| Default | (nothing) | .graphmem/graph.db relative to CWD |
Priority order: --db > --project-dir > GRAPHMEM_DB_PATH env var > default.
The .graphmem/ directory is automatically created if it doesn't exist. Add .graphmem/ to your .gitignore if you don't want to track the database in version control.
graph-mem server # stdio transport (default)
graph-mem server --transport sse # SSE transport
graph-mem server --db /path/to/graph.db # custom database path
graph-mem server --project-dir /my/project # store memory in <dir>/.graphmem/
graph-mem server --project-dir /my/project --graph harry-potter # use named graph
# Embedding customization
graph-mem server --embedding-model sentence-transformers/all-mpnet-base-v2
graph-mem server --no-onnx --embedding-device cuda
graph-mem server --cache-size 50000
# Tuning
graph-mem server --search-limit 20 --max-hops 6
graph-mem server --log-level DEBUGAll server options:
| Flag | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
--transport |
stdio, sse, or streamable-http |
stdio |
--db |
Path to SQLite database file | .graphmem/graph.db |
--project-dir |
Project root; DB at <dir>/.graphmem/graph.db |
CWD |
--graph |
Named graph (resolves to <dir>/.graphmem/<name>.db) |
graph |
--host |
Bind address (SSE/HTTP only) | 127.0.0.1 |
--port |
Port (SSE/HTTP only) | 8080 |
--embedding-model |
HuggingFace model ID for embeddings | all-MiniLM-L6-v2 |
--use-onnx / --no-onnx |
Force ONNX runtime on/off | auto-detect |
--embedding-device |
cpu or cuda |
cpu |
--cache-size |
Embedding LRU cache max entries | 10000 |
--search-limit |
Default max results for search_nodes |
10 |
--max-hops |
Default max depth for find_connections |
4 |
--log-level |
DEBUG / INFO / WARNING / ERROR / CRITICAL |
WARNING |
graph-mem install <agent> # project-level install
graph-mem install <agent> --global # global/user-level install
graph-mem install <agent> --domain code # use domain overlay (code, research, general)Supported agents: claude, opencode, cursor, windsurf, codex, gemini, copilot, amp, kiro, roocode, trae, augment, continue, warp, kilocode, qoder, codebuddy, droid, antigravity.
graph-mem init # create .graphmem/ directory
graph-mem init --project-dir /my/project # create in specific directory
graph-mem init --graph research # create a named graph
graph-mem status # print graph statistics
graph-mem status --json # graph statistics as JSON
graph-mem status --graph research # status of a named graph
graph-mem export --format json # export entire graph
graph-mem export --output backup.json # export to file
graph-mem import graph.json # import graph from file
graph-mem validate # run integrity checksAll management commands accept --db, --project-dir, and --graph for targeting a specific database.
Multi-graph support: Use --graph <name> to work with named graphs stored as .graphmem/<name>.db. Without --graph, commands target the default graph.db. The MCP tools list_graphs, create_graph, switch_graph, and delete_graph provide runtime graph management for agents.
All settings are optional. Defaults work out of the box. Every setting can be controlled via CLI flags (see graph-mem server --help), environment variables, or both. CLI flags take precedence over environment variables, which take precedence over defaults.
| Environment Variable | CLI Flag | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
GRAPHMEM_DB_PATH |
--db |
.graphmem/graph.db |
Database file path |
GRAPHMEM_BACKEND_TYPE |
-- | sqlite |
Storage backend |
GRAPHMEM_EMBEDDING_MODEL |
--embedding-model |
all-MiniLM-L6-v2 |
HuggingFace model ID |
GRAPHMEM_USE_ONNX |
--use-onnx / --no-onnx |
true |
Use ONNX runtime if available |
GRAPHMEM_EMBEDDING_DEVICE |
--embedding-device |
cpu |
Inference device (cpu or cuda) |
GRAPHMEM_CACHE_SIZE |
--cache-size |
10000 |
Embedding cache max entries |
GRAPHMEM_SEARCH_LIMIT |
--search-limit |
10 |
Default search result limit |
GRAPHMEM_MAX_HOPS |
--max-hops |
4 |
Default max traversal depth |
GRAPHMEM_LOG_LEVEL |
--log-level |
WARNING |
Logging verbosity |
GRAPHMEM_TRANSPORT |
--transport |
stdio |
MCP transport protocol |
- WAL mode + PRAGMA tuning — concurrent reads with fast writes, optimized journal and cache settings
- ONNX-optimized embeddings — ~3x faster inference than default PyTorch, with automatic fallback
- Content-hash embedding cache — identical text is never embedded twice
- Background model pre-warming — embedding model loads in a background thread during startup
- Thread-safe lazy loading — double-check locking for safe concurrent access
- Memory-mapped I/O — large databases stay fast without consuming proportional RAM
- Batch transactions — bulk operations execute in a single transaction
git clone https://github.com/Sathvik-1007/GraphMem-MCP
cd graph-mem
# Using uv (recommended)
uv venv
uv pip install -e ".[full,dev]"
# Or using pip
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -e ".[full,dev]"pytest # all tests (346 pass)
pytest tests/test_graph/ # graph engine tests
pytest tests/test_server/ # MCP server tool tests (all 23 tools)
pytest tests/test_cli/ # CLI command tests
pytest tests/test_models/ # data model tests
pytest tests/test_semantic/ # search + vector tests
pytest tests/test_storage/ # storage backend tests
pytest tests/test_db/ # database + migration tests
pytest tests/test_utils/ # config, logging, ID generation tests
pytest -x -q # stop on first failure, quiet output