Basic Memory is an AGPL-3.0 local-first knowledge base for AI agents: a Python MCP server that reads and writes markdown notes on your disk, links them into a knowledge graph through observations and wikilinks, and layers semantic search on top, with an optional paid cloud.

**Its bet is that the files remain the source of truth and everything else, the graph, the search, the sync, is a view over them, so the human and the agent edit the same notes.**

## What it is

A Python MCP server from Basic Machines (PyPI basic-memory 0.23.2, Python 3.12+), usable from any MCP client: Claude, Codex, Cursor, ChatGPT.
Notes are Obsidian-compatible markdown with observations and wikilinks that compound into a knowledge graph.
Search is semantic with optional cross-encoder reranking for hybrid and vector results.
Every tool is tagged with behavior hints (read-only, destructive, idempotent) for progressive tool discovery, so agents pick the right tool without probing.
The cloud adds cross-device sync, browser and mobile access, and a shared Teams workspace; the local server stays free and air-gapped.

## Status

**Active and mid-scale, with a thin public-discussion footprint.**
4,104 stars with the repository pushed 2026-10-06, created 2024-12-02, as of 2026-10-06 (GitHub API).
The PyPI release (0.23.2) dates to 2026-08-25, so the registry lags the active repository.
The Hacker News record is a 4-point Show HN in March 2025 (0 comments) and a 2-point third-party story in February 2026, so the 4.1k stars came through the MCP-ecosystem channels (registry listings, Discord) rather than public debate.

## Strengths

- **Plain markdown on your disk is the canonical store**, so exit is git and the human side already has a mature editor in Obsidian.
- The agent and the human write to the same files with sync keeping them in step, which most agent-memory products only pretend to offer.
- Semantic search with optional reranking is a step past the FTS-only local stores in this category.
- Behavior-tagged tools (read-only, destructive, idempotent) cut the wasted context of agents probing what tools do.

## Cautions

- **AGPL-3.0 is the only non-permissive local license in this category**: fine to use, restrictive if you embed the server in a product.
- The $15/month cloud rate is a "locked for life" beta offer, a sign-up-now deal that invites later repricing for anyone joining after the beta.
- PyPI lags the repository by weeks, so current fixes mean installing from source.
- The knowledge graph is only as good as the agent's linking discipline, the same statistical-adherence problem the file conventions have, with a graph view added.
- Public scrutiny is thin: two threads totaling 6 points, no independent reviews found.

## Pricing

Local server: free, AGPL-3.0, all data on your disk.
Cloud: $15/month (beta rate locked for life; $12.50/month billed yearly), 7-day free trial; Teams at the same per-user price with a shared workspace.

## Price history

| Date | Plan | Change | Source |
| ---- | ---- | ------ | ------ |
| 2026-10-06 | Cloud, Teams | Baseline: local free (AGPL-3.0), Cloud $15/mo beta locked ($12.50/mo yearly), 7-day trial, Teams same per-user price. | [basicmemory.com](https://basicmemory.com) |

## Compared to

- [Cabinet](../cabinet/index.md): both are markdown knowledge bases; Cabinet brings its own onboarded agent team and scheduler, Basic Memory is a server your existing agent talks to through MCP.
- [File-based agent memory](../file-based-agent-memory/index.md): the raw convention costs nothing and lives in the repo; Basic Memory adds the graph, semantic search, and cross-machine sync on top.
- [Memoryfields](../memoryfields/index.md): a portable format spec with minimal tooling, where Basic Memory is a working server; Memoryfields for transport between parties, Basic Memory for daily use on one disk.

## Bottom line

**Recommended for solo Claude or Codex users who want durable, Obsidian-editable agent memory without running a graph stack.**
Not for products embedding a memory engine (AGPL), or teams needing multi-user governance today (Teams is early and thin).

## Changes

- 2026-10-06 - Created from the 2026-10-06 entrant scan, with six fetched sources and the thin-discussion footprint plus the beta-pricing terms recorded as the critical angles.

## See also

- [Memory Feature Matrix](../memory-feature-matrix/index.md) - the category comparison this note joins
- [Cabinet](../cabinet/index.md) - the markdown knowledge base with its own agent team
- [File-based agent memory](../file-based-agent-memory/index.md) - the convention this productizes with a server
- [Memoryfields](../memoryfields/index.md) - the portable-format sibling

## References

- https://github.com/basicmachines-co/basic-memory - repository, 4,104 stars, activity, AGPL-3.0, as of 2026-10-06
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/basicmachines-co/basic-memory/main/README.md - architecture, features, the cloud pricing banner, and the Teams announcement
- https://basicmemory.com - product site and cloud offering
- https://pypi.org/pypi/basic-memory/json - basic-memory 0.23.2 (2026-08-25), the registry lag record
- https://hn.algolia.com/api/v1/items/43374258 - the March 2025 Show HN (4 points, 0 comments)
- https://hn.algolia.com/api/v1/items/47091810 - the February 2026 third-party story (2 points), the thin-discussion record