Basic Memory

MCP Tools Reference

Complete reference of all Basic Memory MCP tools and prompts available to AI assistants

Basic Memory provides a comprehensive suite of MCP (Model Context Protocol) tools and prompts that enable AI assistants to work directly with your knowledge base. This reference catalogs all available tools and where to find detailed examples.

MCP Tools

Knowledge Management Tools

write_note

Create or update notes

  • Parameters: title, content, folder, tags
  • Creates semantic observations and relations
  • Detailed examples →

read_note

Read existing notes with context

edit_note

Edit notes incrementally

  • Operations: append, prepend, find_replace, replace_section
  • Preserves existing content structure
  • Detailed examples →

view_note

Display notes as formatted artifacts

  • Shows notes with proper formatting in Claude Desktop
  • Enhanced readability and navigation
  • Detailed examples →

delete_note

Remove notes from knowledge base

  • Parameters: identifier
  • Removes from database and file system
  • Updates search index and relations

move_note

Move and rename notes

Search and Discovery Tools

search_notes

Full-text search across knowledge

  • Parameters: query, page, page_size, after_date
  • Searches content, titles, and frontmatter tags
  • Detailed examples →

recent_activity

Show recently modified content

  • Parameters: timeframe, type, depth
  • Natural language timeframes (“2 days ago”, “last week”)
  • Detailed examples →

build_context

Load context from memory:// URLs

  • Navigate knowledge graph relationships
  • Build conversation context from previous work
  • Detailed examples →

list_directory

Browse knowledge base structure

  • Parameters: dir_name, depth, file_name_glob
  • Explore folder organization
  • Filter by file patterns

Project Management Tools

list_projects

Show all available projects

switch_project

Change active project context

get_current_project

Show current project information

  • Project name and statistics
  • Last updated information
  • Entity and relation counts

create_project

Create new knowledge projects

  • Parameters: project_name, project_path, set_default
  • Initialize new knowledge bases
  • Set up folder structures

delete_project

Remove projects from configuration

  • Removes from Basic Memory configuration
  • Does not delete actual files
  • Clean up unused project references

set_default_project

Set default project for new sessions

  • Updates configuration file
  • Requires restart to take effect
  • Sets startup project context

Utility Tools

read_content

Read raw file content

  • Access files without knowledge graph processing
  • Support for text, images, and binary files
  • Direct file system access

canvas

Create Obsidian canvas visualizations

sync_status

Check file synchronization status

  • Show sync progress and background operations
  • Identify any sync issues or conflicts
  • Detailed examples →

MCP Prompts

Basic Memory includes specialized prompts that provide enhanced AI interactions with formatted responses and guided workflows.

Interactive Prompts

ai_assistant_guide

Comprehensive usage guide for AI assistants

  • Best practices for using Basic Memory tools
  • Workflow recommendations and patterns
  • View guide →

continue_conversation

Load context for conversation continuity

  • Parameters: topic, timeframe
  • Intelligent context loading from knowledge base
  • Natural conversation resumption

search_notes

Enhanced search with formatted results

  • Parameters: query, after_date
  • Structured search results with context
  • Better than raw search tool for conversations

recent_activity

Formatted recent activity display

  • Parameters: timeframe
  • Clean presentation of recent changes
  • Contextual information for follow-up

sync_status

Detailed sync status information

  • Comprehensive sync progress reporting
  • Background operation status
  • Troubleshooting guidance

Tool Usage Patterns

Common Workflows

Knowledge Creation Flow:

write_note → edit_note (append/prepend) → move_note → view_note

Start with basic note, enhance incrementally, organize, then review

Example conversation
You: "I want to document my thoughts on the new API design"
Claude: I'll create a note for your API design thoughts.
[Uses write_note to create initial note]

You: "Add a section about authentication concerns"
Claude: I'll append an authentication section to your API design note.
[Uses edit_note with append operation]

You: "This should go in my architecture folder"
Claude: I'll move the API design note to your architecture folder.
[Uses move_note to relocate the file]

You: "Show me the final note"
Claude: Here's your complete API design note formatted for easy reading.
[Uses view_note to display formatted artifact]

Research and Discovery Flow:

search_notes → read_note → build_context → write_note

Find existing knowledge, explore context, create new insights

Example conversation
You: "I'm working on database optimization, what have I learned before?"
Claude: Let me search your knowledge base for database optimization content.
[Uses search_notes to find relevant notes]

You: "Tell me more about that PostgreSQL indexing note"
Claude: I'll read the full PostgreSQL indexing note for you.
[Uses read_note to load complete content and context]

You: "Load the context from my database performance work"
Claude: I'll gather related notes about database performance to build context.
[Uses build_context with memory:// URLs to load related content]

You: "Create a new note combining these insights for my current project"
Claude: I'll create a comprehensive note that synthesizes your database optimization knowledge.
[Uses write_note to capture new insights with full context]

Project Management Flow:

list_projects → switch_project → recent_activity → get_current_project

Discover projects, switch context, check status, confirm active project

Example conversation
You: "What projects do I have available?"
Claude: Here are all your Basic Memory projects with their current status.
[Uses list_projects to show available projects]

You: "Switch to my work project"
Claude: I've switched to your work project context.
[Uses switch_project to change active project]

You: "What have I been working on recently in this project?"
Claude: Here's your recent activity in the work project.
[Uses recent_activity to show recent changes]

You: "Confirm I'm in the right project"
Claude: You're currently in the 'work' project with 145 notes and 28 recent updates.
[Uses get_current_project to verify active context]

Content Organization Flow:

list_directory → search_notes → move_note → list_directory

Explore structure, find content, reorganize, verify changes

Example conversation
You: "Show me what's in my projects folder"
Claude: Here's the structure of your projects folder.
[Uses list_directory to explore folder contents]

You: "Find all notes about the mobile app project"
Claude: I found several notes related to your mobile app project.
[Uses search_notes to locate relevant content]

You: "Move the mobile app notes to a dedicated folder"
Claude: I'll move all mobile app notes to a new 'mobile-app' folder.
[Uses move_note to reorganize content]

You: "Show me the updated folder structure"
Claude: Here's your reorganized projects folder with the new mobile-app directory.
[Uses list_directory to verify the changes]

Integration Examples

In Claude Desktop:

You: "What have I been working on lately?"
Claude: [Uses recent_activity prompt for formatted response]

You: "Create a note about today's meeting"
Claude: [Uses write_note tool with semantic structure]

You: "Show me my project documentation as a formatted view"
Claude: [Uses view_note tool to display artifact]

In Development Workflows:

You: "Switch to my work project and document today's architecture decisions"
Claude: [Uses switch_project, then write_note with technical context]

You: "Find all my API documentation and update the authentication section"
Claude: [Uses search_notes, then edit_note with section replacement]

Error Handling and Best Practices

Common Tool Parameters

Identifiers: Most tools accept flexible identifiers:

  • Note titles: "My Important Note"
  • Permalinks: "my-important-note"
  • Memory URLs: "memory://folder/note"
  • File paths: "folder/note.md"

Timeframes: Natural language supported:

  • "2 days ago", "last week", "today"
  • "3 months ago", "yesterday"
  • Standard formats: "7d", "24h"

Project Context: All tools respect current project context:

  • Operations stay within active project boundaries
  • Project switching affects all subsequent tool calls
  • Use get_current_project() to verify context

Advanced Features

Memory URLs

Use memory:// URLs with build_context for intelligent navigation:

memory://project-planning          # Load specific note
memory://architecture/*           # Load all architecture notes  
memory://decisions/database-choice # Load specific decision document

Cross-Project Operations

Some operations work across project boundaries:

# Project management tools work globally
list_projects()           # Shows all projects
create_project(...)      # Creates new project
set_default_project(...)  # Updates global default

# Other tools respect current project context
search_notes(...)        # Searches current project only
write_note(...)          # Creates note in current project
write_note(..., project="other")   # Creates note in another project

Resources and Examples

Where to Find More

Quick Reference

Most Common Tools:

  • write_note - Create knowledge
  • search_notes - Find information
  • edit_note - Update incrementally
  • switch_project - Change context
  • recent_activity - Check progress

Most Useful Prompts:

  • continue_conversation - Resume discussions
  • ai_assistant_guide - Get usage help
  • search_notes - Formatted search results

This reference provides the complete catalog of Basic Memory’s MCP capabilities. For detailed examples and real-world usage patterns, explore the guides and how-to sections linked throughout this page.

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