Local-first persistent memory MCP server. One shared SQLite store any MCP-speaking agent (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Hermes, OpenClaw, Codex) can read and write — so context survives across sessions AND across tools.

Why

Every chat client has its own ephemeral context. Quit the tab → preferences gone. Switch from Claude Desktop to Cursor → starting from scratch. Pin a side project in Hermes → invisible to the next agent.

delx-memory is a tiny MCP server that exposes a single shared SQLite file as a key/value memory layer. Any client that speaks MCP can read and write the same memory file → real continuity, real cross-tool context.

8 MCP tools — 4 read-only, 4 mutating.
SQLite at ~/.delx-memory/db.sqlite (0700 dir, 0600 file).
Secret-blocking: refuses to store credential-shaped keys or values.
TTL support (lazy expiry on read).
Tags + prefix filters + keyword search.
Mutations require explicit_user_intent: true so over-eager agents can't silently rewrite your context.
Zero telemetry. Zero phone-home. The file is yours.

Install + run

# Run once (npx will download + boot)
npx -y delx-memory doctor

# Or install globally
npm install -g delx-memory
delx-memory doctor

The doctor command checks Node version, DB writability, and file permissions, then prints next steps.

Wire it into your MCP client

Claude Desktop

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "delx-memory": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "delx-memory"]
    }
  }
}

Then restart Claude Desktop. See examples/claude-desktop.json.

Cursor

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json. See examples/cursor.json.

The 8 tools

Reads (always safe — call without confirmation)

Tool	Purpose
`memory_stats`	High-level: total keys, DB size, oldest entry, DB path. Start here on any session.
`memory_list`	List keys (not values) with optional prefix or tag filter.
`memory_get`	Exact key lookup. Returns value + timestamps + tags + metadata.
`memory_search`	Substring search across keys and values, with snippets.

Mutations (require `explicit_user_intent: true`)

Tool	Purpose
`memory_set`	Upsert a key. Rejects credential-shaped keys/values.
`memory_forget`	Delete one key. Idempotent.
`memory_forget_by_tag`	Bulk-delete every entry carrying a given tag.
`memory_export`	Dump store as JSON / JSONL / Markdown, with optional `since` / `until` window.

Every mutation refuses to run unless the caller passes explicit_user_intent: true. The intent: an agent that decides on its own to update memory must show its work. The user can see the flag in the tool call and reject it if they didn't ask.

Privacy contract (read this)

delx-memory is NOT a secrets manager. Use macOS Keychain / gnome-keyring / Windows Credential Manager for those.

What we refuse to store:

Keys matching: oauth, token, secret, password, cookie, refresh, api_key, api-key, apikey, bearer, credential, session_id (case-insensitive).
Values matching credential shapes:
- JWT tokens (eyJ…)
- Bearer <token> headers
- Stripe sk_live_… / sk_test_…
- Slack xoxb-… / xoxp-… / etc.
- GitHub github_pat_… / ghp_… / gho_… / ghs_… / ghr_…
- OpenAI / Anthropic sk-… (with realistic length)
- AWS access keys AKIA…
- Authorization: <scheme> <token> strings
Nested objects are walked recursively — a nested field named refresh_token (even with an empty value) is rejected.

What stays local:

The DB file lives at ~/.delx-memory/db.sqlite.
Directory is created with mode 0700; file with mode 0600. (Best effort on Windows / WSL / non-POSIX filesystems.)
Nothing is uploaded. No telemetry. No phone-home.

What we do NOT promise:

Other users of the same machine (root, your sudo-using housemate) can read the file. Use full-disk encryption (FileVault, BitLocker, LUKS) if that matters.
TTL is best-effort. Expired rows are deleted lazily on next read; SQLite doesn't VACUUM automatically, so freed pages may sit on disk. For sensitive ephemera, treat the DB file like any other unencrypted dotfile.
No durability promise. Back up ~/.delx-memory/db.sqlite like any other dotfile if you care about losing it.

Example session

agent> memory_stats({})
→ { total_keys: 0, db_path: "/Users/me/.delx-memory/db.sqlite", … }

user> Remember that I prefer concise responses in pt-BR.

agent> memory_set({
  key: "user_preferences",
  value: { language: "pt-BR", verbosity: "concise" },
  tags: ["profile", "preferences"],
  explicit_user_intent: true
})
→ { action: "created", key: "user_preferences", … }

# … new chat, possibly different tool …

agent> memory_list({ tag: "preferences" })
→ [{ key: "user_preferences", updated_at: … }]

agent> memory_get({ key: "user_preferences" })
→ { found: true, value: { language: "pt-BR", verbosity: "concise" } }

Storage layout


Default path	`~/.delx-memory/db.sqlite`
Override	`DELX_MEMORY_PATH` env var
Directory mode	`0700`
File mode	`0600`
Schema	`memory(key PRIMARY KEY, value, created_at, updated_at, ttl_expires_at, tags, metadata)`
Indexes	partial index on `ttl_expires_at`, plus `tags`, `updated_at`
Per-value cap	64 KB (JSON-serialized)
Per-key cap	512 chars

CLI

delx-memory                Start MCP stdio server
delx-memory --http         Start local HTTP MCP server (127.0.0.1:3030)
delx-memory setup          Print MCP client config snippets
delx-memory setup --json   Print as JSON
delx-memory doctor         Health check + next steps
delx-memory doctor --json  Health check as JSON
delx-memory version        Print version

Environment

Var	Default	Purpose
`DELX_MEMORY_PATH`	`~/.delx-memory/db.sqlite`	DB file location
`DELX_MEMORY_TRANSPORT`	`stdio`	`stdio` or `http`
`DELX_MEMORY_HOST`	`127.0.0.1`	HTTP host
`DELX_MEMORY_PORT`	`3030`	HTTP port
`DELX_MEMORY_ALLOWED_ORIGIN`	`http://HOST:PORT`	CORS origin

Development

git clone https://github.com/davidmosiah/delx-memory
cd delx-memory
npm install
npm test         # typecheck + build + smoke + secret-detector + ttl + tag-delete + metadata

See AGENTS.md for repo conventions, SECURITY.md for the security model and reporting policy, and CONTRIBUTING.md for PR rules.