--- title: "zero-plugins vs claude-mem" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/officialzeroxyz-zero-plugins-vs-thedotmack-claude-mem" tools: ["officialzeroxyz-zero-plugins", "thedotmack-claude-mem"] --- # zero-plugins vs claude-mem *GraphCanon updated Jul 11, 2026* ## Verdict Pick zero-plugins when zero-plugins is primarily Shell; claude-mem is JavaScript; pick claude-mem when claude-mem is primarily JavaScript; zero-plugins is Shell. [zero-plugins](https://github.com/officialzeroxyz/zero-plugins) reports 18 GitHub stars, 2 forks, and 1 open issues, last pushed Jul 8, 2026. [claude-mem](https://claude-mem.ai) has 87k stars, 7.5k forks, and 252 open issues, last pushed Jul 9, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [zero-plugins's repository](https://github.com/officialzeroxyz/zero-plugins) and [claude-mem's repository](https://github.com/thedotmack/claude-mem). | | [zero-plugins](/tools/officialzeroxyz-zero-plugins.md) | [claude-mem](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | zero-plugins | Persistent Context Across Sessions for Every Agent | | Stars | 18 | 86,816 | | Forks | 2 | 7,500 | | Open issues | 1 | 252 | | Language | Shell | JavaScript | | Adopt for | - | claude-mem provides persistent context across sessions, leveraging AI to capture and compress agent activity. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | - | Claude-Mem is distributed under the Apache License 2.0, allowing it to be freely used in a variety of development and production environments while maintaining clear licensing terms. | | Categories | AI Agents, Inference & Serving, Developer Tools | AI Agents, Inference & Serving | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [zero-plugins](/tools/officialzeroxyz-zero-plugins.md) | [claude-mem](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Days since push | 3d | 1d | | Open issues (now) | 1 | 252 | | Owner type | Organization | User | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/officialzeroxyz-zero-plugins/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: claude-mem - **Requirements:** Requires Node.js v20.0.0 or higher.; Must have the latest version of Claude Code with plugin support.; Auto-installs Bun (JavaScript runtime and process manager) if not already present.; Requires uv (Python package for vector search), auto-installation supported. - **Adopt for:** claude-mem provides persistent context across sessions, leveraging AI to capture and compress agent activity. - **License detail:** Claude-Mem is distributed under the Apache License 2.0, allowing it to be freely used in a variety of development and production environments while maintaining clear licensing terms. ## Choose when ### Choose zero-plugins if… - zero-plugins is primarily Shell; claude-mem is JavaScript. - Tags unique to zero-plugins: shell. - Also covers Developer Tools. ### Choose claude-mem if… - claude-mem is primarily JavaScript; zero-plugins is Shell. - Requirements: Requires Node.js v20.0.0 or higher.; Must have the latest version of Claude Code with plugin support.; Auto-installs Bun (JavaScript runtime and process manager) if not already present.; Requires uv (Python package for vector search), auto-installation supported.. - Tags unique to claude-mem: chromadb, ai-memory, claude, long-term-memory. - When you require seamless and persistent context continuity between different session interactions with Claude Code or other supported agents. ## When NOT to use zero-plugins - AI Agents: Don't use an agent loop when a deterministic workflow would do; agents add latency, cost, and non-determinism. - Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic. - Developer Tools: A gateway is overkill when you're pinned to a single provider and model. ## When NOT to use claude-mem - When working in environments where Node.js v20.0.0 or higher cannot be installed, as claude-mem requires this version to operate. - If your specific AI agent or tool does not integrate with the supported frameworks listed (e.g., Claude Code, OpenClaw), making context persistence ineffective for your workflow. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between zero-plugins and claude-mem? zero-plugins: zero-plugins. claude-mem: Persistent Context Across Sessions for Every Agent. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose zero-plugins over claude-mem? Choose zero-plugins over claude-mem when zero-plugins is primarily Shell; claude-mem is JavaScript; Tags unique to zero-plugins: shell; Also covers Developer Tools. ### When should I choose claude-mem over zero-plugins? Choose claude-mem over zero-plugins when claude-mem is primarily JavaScript; zero-plugins is Shell; Requirements: Requires Node.js v20.0.0 or higher.; Must have the latest version of Claude Code with plugin support.; Auto-installs Bun (JavaScript runtime and process manager) if not already present.; Requires uv (Python package for vector search), auto-installation supported.; Tags unique to claude-mem: chromadb, ai-memory, claude, long-term-memory; When you require seamless and persistent context continuity between different session interactions with Claude Code or other supported agents. ### When should I avoid zero-plugins? AI Agents: Don't use an agent loop when a deterministic workflow would do; agents add latency, cost, and non-determinism. Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic. Developer Tools: A gateway is overkill when you're pinned to a single provider and model. ### When should I avoid claude-mem? When working in environments where Node.js v20.0.0 or higher cannot be installed, as claude-mem requires this version to operate. If your specific AI agent or tool does not integrate with the supported frameworks listed (e.g., Claude Code, OpenClaw), making context persistence ineffective for your workflow. ### Is zero-plugins or claude-mem more popular on GitHub? claude-mem has more GitHub stars (86,816 vs 18). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are zero-plugins and claude-mem open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub. ### Where can I find alternatives to zero-plugins or claude-mem? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [zero-plugins alternatives](/tools/officialzeroxyz-zero-plugins/alternatives) and [claude-mem alternatives](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem/alternatives) ([zero-plugins markdown twin](/tools/officialzeroxyz-zero-plugins/alternatives.md), [claude-mem markdown twin](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem/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/officialzeroxyz-zero-plugins-vs-thedotmack-claude-mem.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, zero-plugins or claude-mem? zero-plugins: Very active. claude-mem: 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 zero-plugins and claude-mem? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [zero-plugins trust report](/tools/officialzeroxyz-zero-plugins/trust); [claude-mem trust report](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=officialzeroxyz-zero-plugins`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=officialzeroxyz-zero-plugins) - 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/_