Local install

Local mode runs the MCP server on your machine and stores notes in local folders you control.

Install the CLI

uv tool install basic-memory

brew tap basicmachines-co/basic-memory
brew install basic-memory

Start the MCP server

Configure your MCP client to run the server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "basic-memory": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["basic-memory", "mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Restart your MCP client after editing the config.

Choose where notes live

By default, notes are stored in a main project under ~/basic-memory. You can point Basic Memory to any folder by creating a project and setting it as default.

bm project add "work" ~/Documents/work-notes
bm project default "work"

Next steps