FRENES

Memory and knowledge · MCP server

Tela: MCP server, setup and security

Tela is an open-source MCP server that lets an AI agent search and edit team wikis and generate cited documentation from repositories. Its repository has 85 stars and its last commit is from October 15, 2026 and it is licensed under AGPL-3.0.

Score
69/100
Adoption (stars) 19/40
Maintenance 30/30
Framework (licence, registry, official) 20/30
Actively maintainedNeeds secretsRemote server

What Tela does

According to its repository: “Self-hostable Markdown team wiki that agents can search, read and write, plus Atlas, which generates a cited wiki from git repos and Jira.”

An MCP server gives an AI agent extra tools it calls during the conversation: the agent reads their description, decides to use them and gets the result back. Tela is listed under Memory and knowledge, a category of 250 servers in the directory, where it ranks #84 by stars.

Topics declared by the repository: ai-agents, confluence-alternative, documentation, golang, knowledge-base, markdown.

Installing and connecting Tela

Distribution modes declared in the official MCP registry:

  • npm package (Node.js, usually started with npx)
  • remote server (streamable-http): you connect to it by URL, with nothing to install locally

Like any MCP server, you declare it in your client's configuration (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Codex…): a name, the command that starts it or its URL, and any environment variables. The client then starts it and lists its tools. Project language: Go.

The registry lists one secret variable to provide (API key, access token). Keep them in the client's environment variables, never in a shared file or a repository.

Security: what to check

An MCP server runs code with the rights you give it, and the model reads its tool descriptions: a malicious or compromised server can hijack the agent. Read the code, or pick a maintained and widely used server, before connecting it.

Points found for Tela:

  • Secrets: the server acts with your credentials. Create a dedicated key with minimum rights and an expiry date.

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 May 18, 2026, the zcag/tela repository has 85 stars and 10 forks, with 1 open issues. It has more stars than 63% of the servers in the directory. It received changes this month. Version published in the registry: 0.7.5 (June 30, 2026).

Stars measure attention, not quality: a recent, heavily promoted project can collect them fast, while a useful but niche server will have few.

Context7Context7 : 63.6K63.6KHindsightHindsight : 53.4K53.4KCogneeCognee : 32.7K32.7KSkill SeekersSkill Seekers : 15.2K15.2KHonchoHoncho : 7.8K7.8KBasic memoryBasic memory : 4.3K4.3KNoteDiscoveryNoteDiscovery : 2.8K2.8KMemantoMemanto : 2.3K2.3KTelaTela : 8585
GitHub stars of the most followed servers in the category (log scale); Tela in orange. Checked October 25, 2026.

Verdict

Tela is a reasonable choice; check the points below before connecting it.

Strengths

  • Active project: recent commit
  • Listed in the official MCP registry
  • Usable remotely, without installation

Limitations

  • Requires an API key or token

Avoid if…

  • You do not want to give credentials to an agent

Frequently asked questions

How do I install Tela?

Tela is distributed as npm package (Node.js, usually started with npx) and a remote server. Add it to your client's MCP configuration (Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code…) following the README of zcag/tela.

Is Tela free?

The code is published under the AGPL-3.0 licence and can be used free of charge. It needs an API key: the service it connects to may be paid.

Is Tela safe?

Points to watch: secrets. Give it minimum rights and approve sensitive actions.

Is it an official server?

Nothing says so: it is a project published by zcag on GitHub. Check who maintains it before giving it access.

What are the alternatives to Tela?

In the same category: Context7, Basic memory, Hindsight, and Cognee. Context7 and Basic memory score higher on our grid.

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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