MCP runtime modes

Where TekMemo memory lives depends on which MCP path you use. The hosted server is cloud-only; the self-hosted stdio server supports all four modes.

At a glance

Path	Available modes	Why
Hosted server (https://mcp.memo.tekbreed.com/)	cloud only	The Worker runs in Cloudflare's edge and cannot read your local filesystem.
Self-hosted stdio (@tekbreed/tekmemo-mcp-server)	local, cloud, hybrid, memory	Runs on your machine, so it can read .tekmemo/ and/or call the cloud.

See Hosted MCP for the hosted endpoint details.

Stdio mode comparison

The stdio binary tekmemo-mcp supports four runtime modes:

Mode	Command	Description
local	tekmemo-mcp --runtime local	Reads and writes directly to a local .tekmemo/ folder via the filesystem store.
memory	tekmemo-mcp --runtime memory	In-memory volatile store for tests and ephemeral sessions. Nothing persists.
cloud	tekmemo-mcp --runtime cloud	Delegates all operations to TekMemo Cloud API (requires API key).
hybrid	tekmemo-mcp --runtime hybrid	Combines local files and cloud calls with configurable read/write policies.

Hybrid policies

When using stdio hybrid mode, you can configure separate read and write policies:

Read policies

Value	Behavior
local-first	Try local storage first, fall back to cloud
cloud-first	Try cloud first, fall back to local
local-only	Only read from local .tekmemo/

Write policies

Value	Behavior
local-first	Write to local first, then replicate to cloud
cloud-first	Write to cloud first, then replicate to local
local-only	Only write to local

Policies only apply to stdio hybrid mode. The hosted server ignores them — it is cloud-only.

Example hybrid configuration

tekmemo-mcp \
  --runtime hybrid \
  --root . \
  --read-policy local-first \
  --write-policy local-first \
  --cloud-url https://memo.tekbreed.com/api/v1 \
  --api-key "$TEKMEMO_API_KEY"

Recommended first setup

For most users starting with local file-first memory:

# Local only - simplest, no cloud dependencies
tekmemo-mcp --runtime local --root .

For teams using TekMemo Cloud:

# Hybrid with local-first for speed, cloud sync for sharing
tekmemo-mcp \
  --runtime hybrid \
  --root . \
  --read-policy local-first \
  --write-policy local-first \
  --cloud-url https://memo.tekbreed.com/api/v1 \
  --api-key "$TEKMEMO_API_KEY"

For zero local setup, skip the stdio server and use the hosted server.

Configuration sources (stdio, in priority order)

1. CLI arguments — Highest priority
2. Environment variables — TEKMEMO_RUNTIME, TEKMEMO_ROOT, TEKMEMO_CLOUD_URL, etc.
3. Local config file — .tekmemo/config.json in the project root
4. Defaults — Local mode, current working directory

Environment variables (stdio)

Variable	Description
TEKMEMO_RUNTIME	local, memory, cloud, or hybrid
TEKMEMO_ROOT	Local workspace root directory
TEKMEMO_CLOUD_URL / TEKMEMO_API_URL	TekMemo Cloud API root
TEKMEMO_API_KEY	TekMemo Cloud API key
TEKMEMO_WORKSPACE_ID	Default cloud workspace ID
TEKMEMO_PROJECT_ID	Default project ID
TEKMEMO_CLOUD_TIMEOUT_MS	Cloud request timeout
TEKMEMO_READ_POLICY	Hybrid read policy
TEKMEMO_WRITE_POLICY	Hybrid write policy
TEKMEMO_MCP_READ_ONLY	Set to true to block write tools

The hosted server uses a separate set of Worker bindings (TEKMEMO_MCP_BEARER_TOKEN, TEKMEMO_MCP_ALLOWED_ORIGINS, etc.) documented in Hosted MCP.