Cortex Memory Engine MCP Server

_Private. Free. Local. - a memory engine for personal AI agents._

People who need memory tools inside Claude, Cursor, VS Code, or another MCP client. The project is written in Rust.

VERIFIED ACTIVE

LAST COMMIT 2026-06-29 · ★ 30 · #218 OF 259 MAINTAINED MEMORY · VERIFIED 2026-08-25

MIT · Rust servers · how we verify → /methodology

01 · Install Cortex Memory Engine

before you install - you'll need

Set CORTEX_BIN, CORTEX_DB before connecting.

Docker

docker run -i --rm ghcr.io/gambletan/cortex:v1.8.0

Claude Desktop - add to config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gambletan-cortex": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "ghcr.io/gambletan/cortex:v1.8.0"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Using another client? Same JSON, different key

Claude Desktop · mcpServers

Cursor · mcpServers

VS Code · servers

Windsurf · mcpServers

Zed · context_servers

Cline · mcpServers

Roo Code · mcpServers

Continue · mcpServers

LibreChat · mcpServers

Gemini CLI · mcpServers

Codex CLI · mcp_servers

Full setup guides: every client.

02 · Evidence

Security posture

What to check before giving this server access to your agent - from the registry, GitHub, and our own probes. We don't score safety; we show what's verifiable.

runs as container (OCI image) - can be sandboxed away from your filesystem

license MIT - declared in the repository

registry namespace io.github.gambletan is GitHub-verified and matches the repo owner

03 · What Cortex Memory Engine can do

Prose above is summarized from the project's README and registry record - no invented capabilities.

Latest releases

v2.2.0 · 2026-06-13

The biggest cycle since 2.0 - a security-hardening series, per-memory privacy with encrypted cross-device sync, and a large retrieval-quality jump. All local-first, zero telemetry. · Highlights · Security & crypto…

v2.0.0 · 2026-03-25

v1.8.0 · 2026-03-25

04 · Who maintains Cortex Memory Engine

Cortex Memory Engine is maintained by gambletan. It's the only MCP server we track from this author; the repo dates to Mar 2026.

05 · Facts

repository: github.com/gambletan/cortex
category: memory - ranked #218 of 259 actively-maintained memory servers as of 2026-08-25.
release cadence: 1 release in the last 90 days (latest 2026-06-13)
registry: io.github.gambletan/cortex (active, first published 2026-03-25)
packages: oci:ghcr.io/gambletan/cortex:v1.8.0

06 · Cortex Memory Engine FAQ

What is Cortex Memory Engine?

_Private. Free. Local. - a memory engine for personal AI agents._

Is Cortex Memory Engine still maintained?

Yes - as of 2026-08-25, its last commit was 2026-06-29 and it shipped 1 release in the last 90 days. We re-verify nightly.

How do I install Cortex Memory Engine?

Run `docker run -i --rm ghcr.io/gambletan/cortex:v1.8.0`. The README documents 2 environment variables (CORTEX_BIN, CORTEX_DB) to set first. Set CORTEX_BIN, CORTEX_DB before connecting. You can also paste the ready-made client config above.

07 · Alternatives to Cortex Memory Engine

Alternatives to Cortex Memory Engine

Maintained memory servers if Cortex Memory Engine isn't the fit.

Pairs well with

Servers that cover what Cortex Memory Engine doesn't - only shown when the pairing reason fits the companion.

More memory MCP servers · Gctrl · Surf · Gitmem · Agent Recall · Gossipcat

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