engramTHE PRACTICAL GUIDE · 21 OCTOBER 2026
Give your AI client
something to remember.
Your documents and decisions already contain useful context. Here is how to make a personal Engram project available to an MCP client, starting with read-only retrieval.
01 / PREPARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE
Start with your own server and one small project.
This guide assumes you have deployed Engram and can sign in. The deployment guide covers Linux, Docker Compose, credentials, model downloads and the administrator account. Its recommended baseline is 4 CPU cores and 8 GB RAM, with 16 GB or more preferred.
Create a separate project for your first connection. Add a harmless sample memory through the dashboard, with this title and content:
Personal website backup decision
The personal website database is backed up every night. A restore is tested on the first Sunday of each month. This is sample data for trying Engram.
If you prefer to try document extraction, upload a short note containing the same text and review the resulting candidates in the Memory Inbox. Extraction proposes knowledge for review; it does not prove the proposed facts are correct.
02 / CONNECT A CLIENT
Your endpoint is your Engram address plus /mcp.
Engram exposes HTTP MCP with OAuth. Use the HTTPS address of your own deployment. The hostname below is an example; replace it before running the command. The Engram product website is documentation, not a shared memory endpoint.
For Claude Code, run this from the local folder where you want the connection:
claude mcp add --transport http engram https://YOUR-ENGRAM-HOST/mcpThen start Claude Code and open its MCP panel:
claude
/mcpSelect Engram and follow the OAuth sign-in flow. Check the project named on Engram's consent screen. The grant is bound to that project, so authorizing a different project later requires a new grant. Your browser's current project and a client's existing grant are separate.
For this exercise, use the read-oriented scope set advertised by Engram:
mcp:use memory:read document:readConfirm the requested permissions on the consent screen. You do not need memory:write or memory:delete_request for a first retrieval. See the OAuth reference for registration, scope controls and revocation.
The command shape and MCP panel flow follow the current Claude Code documentation. The add command saves configuration; it does not by itself prove a successful authenticated connection. Other HTTP MCP clients have their own setup interfaces.
03 / RETRIEVE AND INSPECT
Ask for the source, not just an answer.
Try this prompt in your connected client:
Use Engram to find the personal website backup decision. Show the matching memory and its available source information. Do not create, update or delete anything.
Engram's read tools have distinct jobs:
| Tool | What it returns |
|---|---|
memory_search | Matches from active memories using semantic and text retrieval. |
memory_get | One memory by its UUID. |
document_search | Matches from text extracted from uploaded documents. |
memory_context | A compact, source-labelled context preview. This tool does not generate an answer. |
A useful first check is that your sample memory is returned with the expected content, while the memory remains unchanged in the dashboard. If it is absent, check that the memory was added or accepted into the same project you authorized.
Ollama handles Engram's embeddings and extraction on your infrastructure. Your chosen MCP client receives retrieved content and may process it with an external model provider. Choose the client and permissions to match the information you intend to share.
WHEN A CONNECTION NEEDS ATTENTION
Check the boundary that failed.
The website works, but the MCP client cannot connect.
Check that the URL ends in /mcp and that your reverse proxy forwards MCP, OAuth and discovery routes to the API. A working dashboard alone does not verify those routes. Start with the endpoint list.
I see a permission or authentication error.
Finish OAuth sign-in, check the requested read scopes and reconnect after changing or revoking a grant. A project-bound credential cannot be switched to another project by adding an X-Engram-Project header.
The client connected, but my memory is missing.
Confirm the selected project's contents in the dashboard. An extracted candidate still awaiting review is not yet an accepted memory. Document search and memory search also return different kinds of records.
I want to disconnect the client.
Revoke the client's consent in Engram's AI, API & OAuth settings. You can also remove the local Claude Code configuration with claude mcp remove engram. Server-side revocation is the control to use when withdrawing the grant.
Keep the context. Keep the control.
Engram is source-available and free for personal, noncommercial self-hosting. Workplace use, commercial integrations and managed hosting require separate written permission.
Implementation references: MCP tools · project grants and review · license. This is a setup guide, not a claim of qualification for every client version.