Erkle vs. built-in agent memory
More coding tools now remember things on their own, such as Claude Code's auto memory and GitHub Copilot Memory. That memory belongs to one tool, and usually to one person's machine or one repository. A lesson Priya's Claude Code learned doesn't reach Sam's Cursor.
Erkle is the shared layer: memory that every MCP agent on the team can search, scoped to a team, project, or repository, with a review step so one agent's guess doesn't become the team's rule. Keep built-in memory for personal preferences; put team knowledge in Erkle.
// facts checked
## side-by-side
built-in agent memory and Erkle, compared
| dimension | built-in agent memory | Erkle |
|---|---|---|
| Who writes it | The tool, automatically | Agents and people, on purpose, with a source |
| Who can read it | You, in that tool (or that repo, in that tool) | Your team, in any MCP client, by scope |
| Which agents use it | Only the tool that wrote it | Any MCP client: Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, claude.ai |
| Review | Usually none | Contributor writes wait for approval; edits wait as pending revisions |
| Provenance | Rarely recorded | Author, agent, source URL, and approval on every memory |
| History | Managed by the tool | Every edit is a new immutable version |
| Access control | Tied to your account or the repo | Team, project, and repo scopes; revoking applies on the next request |
| Price | Included with the tool | $5 per user per month or $50 per year, after a 7-day trial |
## use-both
Where each one fits
Leave to built-in memory
- Your personal preferences and style
- Shortcuts for how you like to work
- Notes only you will ever need
Put in Erkle
- Anything a teammate's agent should know
- Constraints, decisions, and contracts
- Lessons that should outlive one person's laptop
- Knowledge that needs an owner and a review
● erkle.write_memory type lesson title Retry the payments webhook with the original idempotency key scope project:Commerce ⎿ proposed · awaiting review
## faq
built-in-memory --help
? Why not rely on each tool's built-in memory?
It belongs to one person in one tool. When a teammate uses a different tool, works in another repo, or joins next quarter, that memory isn't there. Erkle keeps team knowledge in one place every agent can reach, with review and sources.
? Does Erkle conflict with Claude Code's auto memory or Copilot Memory?
No. They keep working as they do. Erkle is a separate MCP server the agent searches for team knowledge, so personal memory and team memory sit side by side.
? Will agents write junk into Erkle?
Contributors' writes arrive as proposals that a maintainer approves or rejects, edits to approved memories wait as pending revisions, and the secret guard rejects writes containing keys or tokens. Only maintainers' writes go live without a review.