Memory Bank MCP Server 2.2.1: Crisp Data, Zero Downtime

Memory Bank MCP Server 2.2.1

A Memory Bank implementation for managing project documentation and context across sessions. This server helps Claude maintain consistent project knowledge through global and branch-specific memory banks. Version 2.2.1 enhances JSON Patch support and adds workspace options along with numerous improvements.

This project is inspired by Cline Memory Bank from the nickbaumann98/cline_docs repository, which provides an excellent foundation for managing Claude's memory in software projects.

What's New in 2.2.1

Enhanced JSON Patch Implementation

• Updated Implementation : Improved JSON Patch adapter and operation handling
• Better Error Codes : Enhanced error reporting for patch operations
• Comprehensive Documentation : Added detailed templates and examples
• Event Handling : Improved document event handling with patch operations

CLI Workspace Option Enhancement

• Direct Root Directory Specification : Command line now supports specifying the project root directory directly
• Flexible Project Management : Work with different projects more seamlessly

Template System Integration

• Template Loading Support : ReadRulesUseCase now supports template loading
• Improved Error Handling : Better error codes and handling throughout the system

Testing Improvements

• Test Framework Migration : Replaced ts-mockito with jest.fn() for better testing
• Simplified Testing Setup : Removed E2E test setup for more streamlined testing

Logging Enhancements

• Logger Replacement : Replaced console.log with logger across all files (except CLI)
• Logging Adjustments : Improved handling of empty code changes

Usage

MCP Server

NPX (Recommended)

npx memory-bank-mcp-server

With options:

npx memory-bank-mcp-server --language ja --verbose

Installation (Optional)

If you prefer to install globally:

npm install -g memory-bank-mcp-server
memory-bank-mcp-server --help

CLI Tool

The package also includes a CLI tool for direct memory bank operations from your terminal.

NPX Usage

npx memory-bank read-global architecture.md
npx memory-bank write-global tech-stack.md -f ./tech-stack.md
npx memory-bank read-branch feature/login activeContext.md
npx memory-bank recent-branches

Installation

npm install -g memory-bank-mcp-server
memory-bank --help

Available Commands

• read-global <path>: Read a document from the global memory bank
• write-global <path> [content]: Write a document to the global memory bank
• read-branch <branch> <path>: Read a document from a branch memory bank
• write-branch <branch> <path> [content]: Write a document to a branch memory bank
• read-core-files <branch>: Read all core files from a branch memory bank
• recent-branches [limit]: Get recent branches

Options

• --docs, -d : Path to docs directory (default: './docs')
• --verbose, -v : Run with verbose logging (default: false)
• --language, -l : Language for templates ('en', 'ja' or 'zh', default: 'en')
• --file, -f : Read content from file (for write commands)
• --format : Output format for read-core-files ('json' or 'pretty', default: 'pretty')

What's New in 2.0

JSON-based Document Structure

Memory Bank 2.0 introduces a new JSON-based architecture for all documents, providing:

• Better structure and validation through schema-based documents
• Enhanced programmatic accessibility
• Improved search and filtering capabilities
• Future-proof design for database integration

JSON documents follow this structure:

{
  "schema": "memory_document_v2",
  "metadata": {
    "id": "unique-id",
    "title": "Document Title",
    "documentType": "document_type",
    "path": "relative/path.json",
    "tags": ["tag1", "tag2"],
    "lastModified": "2025-03-17T00:00:00Z",
    "createdAt": "2025-03-17T00:00:00Z",
    "version": 1
  },
  "content": {
    // Document type-specific content
  }
}

Enhanced API

• New read_context command for fetching combined information
• Multilingual support (English, Japanese, Chinese)
• Template-based document initialization
• Improved error handling and validation

Clean Architecture Implementation

The codebase has been refactored to follow clean architecture principles:

• Domain-centric design with explicit layers
• Separation of concerns for better testability
• Framework-agnostic core business logic
• Improved maintainability and extensibility

Core Concepts

Global Memory Bank

The Global Memory Bank manages project-wide knowledge that persists across all branches:

• Architecture documentation
• Coding standards
• Domain models
• Project glossary
• Technical stack information
• User documentation

Example structure:

docs/global-memory-bank/
  ├── architecture.json      # System architecture
  ├── coding-standards.json  # Coding conventions
  ├── domain-models.json     # Domain model definitions
  ├── glossary.json         # Terminology
  ├── tech-stack.json       # Technology stack
  ├── user-guide.json       # User guide
  └── tags/                 # Information organization

Note: Only .json format is supported.

Branch Memory Bank

Branch Memory Banks store context specific to feature or fix branches:

• Branch context and purpose
• Active development state
• System patterns and decisions
• Implementation progress

Example structure:

docs/branch-memory-bank/feature-login/
  ├── branchContext.json   # Branch purpose and stories
  ├── activeContext.json   # Current work state
  ├── systemPatterns.json  # Technical decisions
  └── progress.json        # Implementation status

Note: Only .json format is supported.

API

Tools

• write_branch_memory_bank

  • Write a document to the current branch's memory bank
  • Input:
    • path (string): Document path
    • content (string, optional): Document content (full replacement)
    • patches (array, optional): JSON Patch operations to apply (cannot be used with content)
    • branch (string, required): Branch name
    • docs (string, optional): Path to docs directory
  • Creates directories as needed
  • Initializes with templates if content is empty
  • Supports partial updates with JSON Patch
  • Can work with different workspace/docs locations than the server default

• read_branch_memory_bank

  • Read a document from the current branch's memory bank
  • Input:
    • path (string): Document path
    • branch (string, required): Branch name
    • docs (string, optional): Path to docs directory
  • Returns document content and metadata
  • Can work with different workspace/docs locations than the server default

• write_global_memory_bank

  • Write a document to the global memory bank
  • Input:
    • path (string): Document path
    • content (string, optional): Document content (full replacement)
    • patches (array, optional): JSON Patch operations to apply (cannot be used with content)
    • docs (string, optional): Path to docs directory
  • Creates directories as needed
  • Updates tags index automatically
  • Supports partial updates with JSON Patch
  • Can work with different workspace/docs locations than the server default

• read_global_memory_bank

  • Read a document from the global memory bank
  • Input:
    • path (string): Document path
    • docs (string, optional): Path to docs directory
  • Returns document content and metadata

• read_context

  • Read all context information (rules, branch memory bank, global memory bank) at once
  • Input:
    • branch (string): Branch name (required)
    • language (string): Language code ('en', 'ja', or 'zh', default: 'ja')
    • docs (string, optional): Path to docs directory
  • Returns combined context information (rules, branch memory, and global memory)
  • Note: As of version 2.2.1, all context components (rules, branch memory, global memory) are always included

• read_rules

  • Read the memory bank rules in specified language
  • Input:
    • language (string): Language code ("en", "ja", or "zh")
  • Returns rules documentation

Usage with Claude Desktop

Setup

Add one of these configurations to your claude_desktop_config.json:

NPX (Recommended)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "memory-bank": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "memory-bank-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "MEMORY_BANK_ROOT": "/path/to/docs",
        "MEMORY_BANK_LANGUAGE": "ja"
      }
    }
  }
}

Global Installation

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "memory-bank": {
      "command": "memory-bank-mcp-server",
      "env": {
        "MEMORY_BANK_ROOT": "/path/to/docs",
        "MEMORY_BANK_LANGUAGE": "ja"
      }
    }
  }
}

Configuration options:

• WORKSPACE_ROOT: Root directory for the project workspace (default: current directory)
• MEMORY_BANK_ROOT: Root directory for memory bank storage (default: docs in workspace)
• MEMORY_BANK_LANGUAGE: Default language for templates ("en", "ja", or "zh", default: "en")

Working with Multiple Projects

You can specify the docs directory when starting the server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "memory-bank": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "memory-bank-mcp-server", "--docs", "/path/to/docs"],
      "env": {
        "MEMORY_BANK_LANGUAGE": "ja"
      }
    }
  }
}

Alternatively, with the read_context and other MCP tools, you can work with different projects in the same session:

read_context(branch: "feature/my-branch", docs: "/path/to/other/docs")

Path resolution follows this priority order:

1. Tool parameters (highest priority)
2. Command-line options
3. Environment variables
4. Default values (current directory and ./docs)

System Prompt

Here's a recommended system prompt for utilizing the memory bank:

Follow these steps for each interaction:

1. Branch Context:
   - Always begin by checking the current git branch
   - For feature/ or fix/ branches, load the branch memory bank
   - Initialize memory bank with templates if not present

2. Memory Bank Access:
   - Read relevant documentation from global and branch memory banks
   - Keep context of project-wide standards and branch-specific work
   - Maintain documentation structure and organization

3. Documentation Updates:
   - Update branch memory bank when:
     a) Making code changes
     b) Adding new features
     c) Making technical decisions
     d) Discovering new patterns
   - Update global memory bank for project-wide changes
   - Use JSON Patch for targeted updates when appropriate

4. Memory Bank Maintenance:
   - Keep documentation organized and up-to-date
   - Use proper templates and structures
   - Tag documents appropriately
   - Maintain clear hierarchies

Development

Clone and install dependencies:

git clone <repository-url>
cd memory-bank-mcp-server
npm install

Run in development mode:

npm run dev

Build:

npm run build

CI/CD Pipeline

This project uses GitHub Actions for continuous integration and deployment:

Automated Testing

Tests are automatically run on:

• Pull requests to develop and master branches
• Direct pushes to develop and master branches

The test workflow runs against multiple Node.js versions (16.x, 18.x, 20.x) to ensure compatibility.

Automated Release

When code is merged to the master branch:

1. Tests are run to verify the build
2. A git tag is created based on the version in package.json
3. A GitHub Release is created with release notes
4. The package is published to npm

Manual Version Bumping

To bump the version before a release:

1. Go to the Actions tab in GitHub
2. Select the "Version Bump" workflow
3. Click "Run workflow"
4. Choose the version bump type (patch, minor, or major)
5. Select the branch to bump the version on (typically develop)

This will create a commit with the updated version number in package.json.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.