Documentation

Connect Claude Desktop to AI Memory via MCP

Quick Start

  1. 0Install Node.js from nodejs.org (includes npm & npx)
  2. 1Create account at persistmemory.com/signup
  3. 2Add basic MCP config to your client (without session ID)
  4. 3Restart your client, type "authenticate" to get session ID
  5. 4Add session ID to config URL, save and restart
  6. 5Type "authenticate" again and complete OAuth login
  7. 6✅ Connected! Session lasts 20 days

MCP requires Node.js and npm to be installed on your system.

⚠️ Don't have Node.js? Install it first:

  1. Go to nodejs.org
  2. Download the LTS version (recommended)
  3. Run the installer (includes npm automatically)
  4. Restart your terminal/command prompt

Verify installation:

node --version

Should show: v18.0.0 or higher

npm --version

Should show: 9.0.0 or higher

✅ Good news: npx comes with npm automatically! You don't need to install mcp-remote separately - npx will handle it.

Before connecting to the MCP server, you need an AI Memory account:

  1. Go to persistmemory.com/signup
  2. Enter your email and password
  3. Check your email for verification link
  4. Click the verification link
  5. ✅ Your account is ready!

💡 Tip: Use the same email when authenticating via MCP client

Claude Desktop

Windows

Config file location:

%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
macOS

Config file location:

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Linux

Config file location:

~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Add this configuration (copy and paste):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ai-memory": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.persistmemory.com/mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

Windows

Config file location:

%APPDATA%\Windsurf\mcp_settings.json
macOS

Config file location:

~/Library/Application Support/Windsurf/mcp_settings.json
Linux

Config file location:

~/.config/Windsurf/mcp_settings.json

Add this configuration (copy and paste):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ai-memory": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.persistmemory.com/mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Windows

Config file location:

%APPDATA%\Cursor\User\globalStorage\mcp-settings.json
macOS

Config file location:

~/Library/Application Support/Cursor/User/globalStorage/mcp-settings.json
Linux

Config file location:

~/.config/Cursor/User/globalStorage/mcp-settings.json

Add this configuration (copy and paste):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ai-memory": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.persistmemory.com/mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

VS Code (with AI Extensions)

Windows

Config file location:

%APPDATA%\Code\User\globalStorage\mcp-settings.json
macOS

Config file location:

~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/mcp-settings.json
Linux

Config file location:

~/.config/Code/User/globalStorage/mcp-settings.json

Add this configuration (copy and paste):

{
  "inputs": [],
  "servers": {
    "ai-memory": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.persistmemory.com/mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

📝 Note: VS Code format uses "inputs" and "servers" keys (slightly different from Claude Desktop)

Other MCP-Compatible Clients

For any other MCP client, try the standard format first. Check your client's documentation for specifics.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ai-memory": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.persistmemory.com/mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

ℹ️ Notice: The config above doesn't have a session ID yet. You'll add that in the next step!

Ready to Get Started?

Create your account and start building your AI memory today