Memory and knowledge · MCP server
Honcho: MCP server, setup and security
Honcho is an open-source MCP server published on GitHub that lets an AI agent use reasoning memory and continual learning for stateful AI agents. Its repository has 7,759 stars and its last commit is from October 23, 2026 and it is licensed under AGPL-3.0.
What Honcho does
According to its repository: “Memory that reasons: continual learning for stateful agents. Better context, fewer tokens.”
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a standard plug between an AI agent and an outside service: once the server is connected, its tools show up in the agent, which decides when to call them. Honcho is listed under Memory and knowledge, a category of 250 servers in the directory, where it ranks #5 by stars.
Topics declared by the repository: memory, agent-memory, ai-agents, ai-memory, context-engineering, continual-learning.
Installing and connecting Honcho
Distribution modes declared in the official MCP registry:
- remote server (streamable-http): you connect to it by URL, with nothing to install locally
It works with any MCP-compatible client (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Codex and most recent agents). You add one entry to the client's MCP configuration: server name, start command or URL, environment variables. Project language: Python.
Security: what to check
Connecting an MCP server means installing software that talks straight to your agent: it runs with your rights and the model trusts its tool descriptions. The risk therefore depends on what it can touch and how far its code can be trusted.
None of the risk signals we track (system access, secrets, missing licence, abandonment) applies to Honcho. That does not replace reading the code.
Good practice: grant only the rights needed (least privilege), require human approval for irreversible actions, and run the AI agent security check.
Project activity and maintenance
Created on September 10, 2023, the plastic-labs/honcho repository has 7,759 stars and 954 forks, with 100 open issues. It has more stars than 98% of the servers in the directory. It received changes this month. Version published in the registry: 3.0.0 (August 12, 2026).
Stars measure attention, not quality: a recent, heavily promoted project can collect them fast, while a useful but niche server will have few.
Verdict
Honcho is one of the most solid servers in its category: followed, maintained and well framed.
Strengths
- Active project: recent commit
- Widely followed: 7.8K stars
- Listed in the official MCP registry
- Usable remotely, without installation
Alternatives
- Context763.6K ★
- Basic memory4.3K ★
- Hindsight53.4K ★
- Cognee32.7K ★
- Skill Seekers15.2K ★
- Memanto2.3K ★
Learn more
Frequently asked questions
How do I install Honcho?
Honcho is distributed as a remote server. Add it to your client's MCP configuration (Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code…) following the README of plastic-labs/honcho.
Is Honcho free?
The code is published under the AGPL-3.0 licence and can be used free of charge.
Is Honcho safe?
No risk signal found (system access, secrets, licence, abandonment). As with any MCP server, keep rights minimal and read the code before sensitive use.
Is it an official server?
Nothing says so: it is a project published by plastic-labs on GitHub. Check who maintains it before giving it access.
What are the alternatives to Honcho?
In the same category: Context7, Basic memory, Hindsight, and Cognee.
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Neutrality. No affiliate links. No vendor pays to be reviewed, rated or ranked. Reviews are directed by François Chollet, neutral and factual, and every data point is dated and sourced. How we score