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Cursor’s AI-powered development environment integrates natively with Basic Memory through the Model Context Protocol (MCP), enabling persistent context across coding sessions.

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Setup

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Configure MCP in Cursor

Cursor supports MCP natively! Configure Basic Memory following the Cursor MCP documentation. Add to Cursor’s MCP configuration: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "basic-memory": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["basic-memory", "mcp"]
    }
  }
}

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Install Basic Memory (optional)

# Install Basic Memory
uv tool install basic-memory

# Or with pip
pip install basic-memory

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Verify Installation

In Cursor, check that Basic Memory tools are available by asking the AI: 
You: "What tools do you have access to?"
You should see Basic Memory tools listed, including note creation, search, and project management.

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Quick Start

Once configured, you can immediately start using Basic Memory in your Cursor conversations: 
You: "Create a Basic Memory project for this codebase in the docs folder"
Cursor: [Creates project configuration and folder structure]

You: "Document our architecture decisions as we make them"
Cursor: [Creates structured notes with observations and relations]

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MCP Integration Benefits

Cursor’s native MCP support enables seamless Basic Memory integration with:
  • Direct tool access in AI conversations
  • Real-time knowledge base queries
  • Persistent context across coding sessions
  • No manual content transfer needed

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Available Tools

Through MCP, Cursor can access all Basic Memory tools:
  • write_note - Create structured documentation
  • read_note - Access existing knowledge
  • search_notes - Find relevant information
  • edit_note - Update documentation incrementally
  • recent_activity - Check what you’ve been working on
  • project management - Switch between different knowledge bases

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Troubleshooting

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Common Issues

Solutions:
  • Verify Basic Memory is installed: basic-memory --version
  • Check MCP configuration syntax in Cursor settings
  • Restart Cursor after configuration changes
  • Try absolute path to uvx if needed
Solutions:
  • Check Basic Memory sync status: basic-memory status
  • Verify project directory permissions
  • Ensure uvx can find basic-memory: which basic-memory
Solutions:
  • Large knowledge bases may slow responses
  • Consider splitting into multiple projects
  • Check available disk space

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Alternative Integration

If MCP setup doesn’t work immediately, you can also:

File-Based Editing

Edit Basic Memory notes directly in Cursor with full IDE features

CLI Integration

Use Basic Memory CLI tools from Cursor’s integrated terminal

Parallel Usage

Use Claude Desktop alongside Cursor for knowledge management

Manual Sync

Manually sync changes using basic-memory sync

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Next Steps

Project Documentation

Learn how to document your development projects

Architecture Decisions

Record and track technical decisions

CLI Reference

Master command line tools for development

Knowledge Format

Structure your development documentation