--- title: "TrueMemory vs planning-with-files" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/buildingjoshbetter-truememory-vs-othmanadi-planning-with-files" tools: ["buildingjoshbetter-truememory", "othmanadi-planning-with-files"] --- # TrueMemory vs planning-with-files *GraphCanon updated Aug 23, 2026* ## Verdict Pick TrueMemory if trueMemory is an automatic capture and recall memory system for AI agents using SQLite; pick planning-with-files if a tool designed for providing persistent file-based planning in long-running AI coding tasks. [TrueMemory](https://truememory.net) reports 373 GitHub stars, 47 forks, and 18 open issues, last pushed Jul 29, 2026. [planning-with-files](https://www.skills.sh/othmanadi/planning-with-files/planning-with-files) has 26k stars, 2.2k forks, and 9 open issues, last pushed Aug 19, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [TrueMemory's repository](https://github.com/buildingjoshbetter/TrueMemory) and [planning-with-files's repository](https://github.com/OthmanAdi/planning-with-files). | | [TrueMemory](/tools/buildingjoshbetter-truememory.md) | [planning-with-files](/tools/othmanadi-planning-with-files.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Automatic capture and recall memory system for AI agents | Persistent file-based planning for AI coding agents | | Stars | 373 | 26,250 | | Forks | 47 | 2,199 | | Open issues | 18 | 9 | | Language | Python | Shell | | Adopt for | TrueMemory is an automatic capture and recall memory system for AI agents using SQLite. | A tool designed for providing persistent file-based planning in long-running AI coding tasks. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT | | Categories | AI Agents, Developer Tools | AI Agents, Developer Tools | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [TrueMemory](/tools/buildingjoshbetter-truememory.md) | [planning-with-files](/tools/othmanadi-planning-with-files.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Active (82%) | Very active (96%) | | Days since push | 25d | 0d | | Open issues (now) | 18 | 9 | | Stars delta | +4 (30d) | +691 (30d) | | Open issues delta | +5 (30d) | +4 (30d) | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/buildingjoshbetter-truememory/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/othmanadi-planning-with-files/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: TrueMemory - **Adopt for:** TrueMemory is an automatic capture and recall memory system for AI agents using SQLite. ## Decision facts: planning-with-files - **Pricing:** freemium - Freely available under MIT License; community-supported. - **Adopt for:** A tool designed for providing persistent file-based planning in long-running AI coding tasks. ## Choose when ### Choose TrueMemory if… - TrueMemory is primarily Python; planning-with-files is Shell. - License: TrueMemory is AGPL-3.0, planning-with-files is MIT. - Tags unique to TrueMemory: agent-memory, ai-agent, embeddings, generative-ai. - When you want to ensure your memory storage remains entirely local without depending on cloud services. ### Choose planning-with-files if… - planning-with-files is primarily Shell; TrueMemory is Python. - License: planning-with-files is MIT, TrueMemory is AGPL-3.0. - Pricing: Freely available under MIT License; community-supported.. - Tags unique to planning-with-files: agent-skills, ai-agents, claude-code, codex. - - When your coding agent needs to retain plans across sessions without context loss. ## When NOT to use TrueMemory - If you need extensive scalability features offered by cloud-based memory solutions. - When your project mandates integration exclusively with non-SQLite databases, because TrueMemory is centered around SQLite for its backend. ## When NOT to use planning-with-files - - When you do not need persistent storage for plans, such as short tasks where context is unlikely to be lost. - - For projects that strictly prohibit the use of external file storage for tracking progress due to security concerns. - - If your workflow heavily relies on in-memory planning strategies that are more suitable than disk-based solutions. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between TrueMemory and planning-with-files? TrueMemory: Automatic capture and recall memory system for AI agents. planning-with-files: Persistent file-based planning for AI coding agents. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose TrueMemory over planning-with-files? Choose TrueMemory over planning-with-files when TrueMemory is primarily Python; planning-with-files is Shell; License: TrueMemory is AGPL-3.0, planning-with-files is MIT; Tags unique to TrueMemory: agent-memory, ai-agent, embeddings, generative-ai; When you want to ensure your memory storage remains entirely local without depending on cloud services. ### When should I choose planning-with-files over TrueMemory? Choose planning-with-files over TrueMemory when planning-with-files is primarily Shell; TrueMemory is Python; License: planning-with-files is MIT, TrueMemory is AGPL-3.0; Pricing: Freely available under MIT License; community-supported.; Tags unique to planning-with-files: agent-skills, ai-agents, claude-code, codex; - When your coding agent needs to retain plans across sessions without context loss. ### When should I avoid TrueMemory? If you need extensive scalability features offered by cloud-based memory solutions. When your project mandates integration exclusively with non-SQLite databases, because TrueMemory is centered around SQLite for its backend. ### When should I avoid planning-with-files? - When you do not need persistent storage for plans, such as short tasks where context is unlikely to be lost. - For projects that strictly prohibit the use of external file storage for tracking progress due to security concerns. - If your workflow heavily relies on in-memory planning strategies that are more suitable than disk-based solutions. ### Is TrueMemory or planning-with-files more popular on GitHub? planning-with-files has more GitHub stars (26,250 vs 373). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are TrueMemory and planning-with-files open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (TrueMemory: AGPL-3.0, planning-with-files: MIT). ### Where can I find alternatives to TrueMemory or planning-with-files? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [TrueMemory alternatives](/tools/buildingjoshbetter-truememory/alternatives) and [planning-with-files alternatives](/tools/othmanadi-planning-with-files/alternatives) ([TrueMemory markdown twin](/tools/buildingjoshbetter-truememory/alternatives.md), [planning-with-files markdown twin](/tools/othmanadi-planning-with-files/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/buildingjoshbetter-truememory-vs-othmanadi-planning-with-files.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, TrueMemory or planning-with-files? TrueMemory: Active. planning-with-files: Very active. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for TrueMemory and planning-with-files? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [TrueMemory trust report](/tools/buildingjoshbetter-truememory/trust); [planning-with-files trust report](/tools/othmanadi-planning-with-files/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=buildingjoshbetter-truememory`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=buildingjoshbetter-truememory) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_