Choose a memory MCP server by how it remembers
A memory tool being available does not establish that the agent writes useful facts or reads them at the right moment. Compare the complete capture-and-recall workflow before comparing storage features.
By OnlyBots · Updated October 17, 2026
Four different approaches
| Approach | Useful for | What you must verify |
|---|---|---|
| Repository instructions and handoff files | Visible, portable conventions and task notes | Someone updates the note and the next host reads it |
| MCP reference memory server | Explicit entities, observations and relationships | The agent makes the required write and search calls |
| Mem0 MCP | A dedicated memory integration | The chosen deployment’s capture, retrieval, storage and client behavior |
| OnlyBots managed adapters | Working state across Claude Code and Codex sessions | Hooks run, the workspace matches and relevant context is delivered |
The MCP reference memory server exposes a knowledge graph. Mem0’s hosted MCP documentation describes tools for adding, searching and updating memory in a Mem0 account. This is a workflow comparison, not a performance ranking; our eval did not run those products.
Ask these questions before installing
- Capture: are facts saved automatically, on a tool call, or only when you ask? Can you see the saved record?
- Recall: is context attached at session start, retrieved for each prompt, or left for the agent to search?
- Corrections: does a new decision replace the old one, or do both return as equally valid?
- Scope: can two repositories, users or agents accidentally share private information?
- Storage: which process reads plaintext, where does it live, and how do you export or delete it?
- Cost: include memory operations, model input, extraction and retrieval, not just the server’s subscription.
“Local server” describes where an MCP process runs. It does not guarantee that memory stays on your machine. The OnlyBots MCP bridge calls the hosted API; read the storage and security explanation.
Run a small test of your own
- Give the agent a precise task constraint and confirm it saved that constraint.
- Correct one detail, then do an unrelated task.
- Start a fresh thread and ask it to continue the original task.
- Check the exact corrected detail, the returned memory and the actual outgoing context where your tooling allows it.
- Repeat with your normal written handoff and native resume, recording success and total API usage.
Use synthetic facts for this first check. A confident answer is not enough: the corrected requirement should affect a deterministic test or another observable result.
Where OnlyBots fits
OnlyBots’ managed adapters use lifecycle hooks for capture and context delivery. Its separate MCP bridge exposes explicit tools and does not give Cursor the same automatic hook behavior. See Cursor setup and current availability.
For the measured Claude Code and Codex workflows, see the continuity benchmark. Native resume was cheaper on the main suite. The benefit demonstrated there is carrying useful task state into fresh sessions and between the tested hosts.