Comparison
planning-with-files vs claude-mem
Verdict
Pick planning-with-files if a tool designed for providing persistent file-based planning in long-running AI coding tasks; pick claude-mem if claude-mem provides persistent context across sessions, leveraging AI to capture and compress agent activity.
Markdown twin · planning-with-files alternatives · claude-mem alternatives
GraphCanon updated 1d
vs
Trust & integrity
| Signal | planning-with-files | claude-mem |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Very active (2d since push) As of 4w · github_public_v1 | Very active (0d since push) As of 1d · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Personal account As of 4w · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Personal account As of 1d · github_public_v1 |
| OSV dependency advisories | No lockfile (source not queried) As of 1mo · osv@v1 | No lockfile (source not queried) As of 1mo · osv@v1 |
| deps.dev advisories | Not queried deps.dev@v1 | Not queried deps.dev@v1 |
| OpenSSF Scorecard | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 |
Tagline
- planning-with-files
- Persistent file-based planning for AI coding agents
- claude-mem
- Persistent Context Across Sessions for Every Agent
Stars
- planning-with-files
- 26k
- claude-mem
- 91k
Forks
- planning-with-files
- 2.2k
- claude-mem
- 8.0k
Open issues
- planning-with-files
- 5
- claude-mem
- 200
Language
- planning-with-files
- Python
- claude-mem
- JavaScript
Adopt for
- planning-with-files
- A tool designed for providing persistent file-based planning in long-running AI coding tasks.
- claude-mem
- claude-mem provides persistent context across sessions, leveraging AI to capture and compress agent activity.
Persona
- planning-with-files
- -
- claude-mem
- -
Runtime
- planning-with-files
- -
- claude-mem
- -
License
- planning-with-files
- MIT
- claude-mem
- 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.
Last pushed
- planning-with-files
- Jul 18, 2026
- claude-mem
- Aug 17, 2026
Categories
- planning-with-files
- AI Agents, Developer Tools
- claude-mem
- AI Agents, Inference & Serving
Trust and health
Days since push
- planning-with-files
- 2d
- claude-mem
- 0d
Open issues (now)
- planning-with-files
- 5
- claude-mem
- 200
Stars delta
- planning-with-files
- Unknown
- claude-mem
- +3.3k (30d)
Open issues delta
- planning-with-files
- Unknown
- claude-mem
- -116 (30d)
Full report
- planning-with-files
- Trust report
- claude-mem
- Trust report
Typed relationship
planning-with-files alternative claude-memBoth planning-with-files and claude-mem provide persistent context solutions for AI agents. However, they do so in different ways: claude-mem offers a general persistent memory layer whereas planning-with-files uses file-based plans.
Shared compatibility
- Node.js · planning-with-files: Node.js runtime · claude-mem: Node.js runtime
Choose planning-with-files if…
- planning-with-files is primarily Python; claude-mem is JavaScript.
- License: planning-with-files is MIT, claude-mem is Apache-2.0.
- Pricing: Freely available under MIT License; community-supported..
- Both planning-with-files and claude-mem provide persistent context solutions for AI agents. However, they do so in different ways: claude-mem offers a general persistent memory layer whereas planning-with-files uses file-based plans.
- Tags unique to planning-with-files: agent-skills, claude-code, codex, coding-agent.
- Also covers Developer Tools.
- - When your coding agent needs to retain plans across sessions without context loss.
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.
Choose claude-mem if…
- claude-mem is primarily JavaScript; planning-with-files is Python.
- License: claude-mem is Apache-2.0, planning-with-files is MIT.
- 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..
- Both planning-with-files and claude-mem provide persistent context solutions for AI agents. However, they do so in different ways: claude-mem offers a general persistent memory layer whereas planning-with-files uses file-based plans.
- Tags unique to claude-mem: ai-memory, chromadb, claude, long-term-memory.
- Also covers Inference & Serving.
- claude-mem ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment.
- claude-mem ships an MCP server manifest.
- When you require seamless and persistent context continuity between different session interactions with Claude Code or other supported agents.
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.
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (OthmanAdi/planning-with-files) · observed Jul 20, 2026
- GitHub forks (OthmanAdi/planning-with-files) · observed Jul 20, 2026
- Last push (OthmanAdi/planning-with-files) · observed Jul 18, 2026
- License file (MIT) · observed Jul 20, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub stars (thedotmack/claude-mem) · observed Aug 18, 2026
- GitHub forks (thedotmack/claude-mem) · observed Aug 18, 2026
- Last push (thedotmack/claude-mem) · observed Aug 17, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Aug 18, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: planning-with-files 26k · claude-mem 91k (synced Jul 20, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between planning-with-files and claude-mem?
- planning-with-files: Persistent file-based planning for AI coding agents. claude-mem: Persistent Context Across Sessions for Every Agent. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose planning-with-files over claude-mem?
- Choose planning-with-files over claude-mem when planning-with-files is primarily Python; claude-mem is JavaScript; License: planning-with-files is MIT, claude-mem is Apache-2.0; Pricing: Freely available under MIT License; community-supported.; Both planning-with-files and claude-mem provide persistent context solutions for AI agents. However, they do so in different ways: claude-mem offers a general persistent memory layer whereas planning-with-files uses file-based plans; Tags unique to planning-with-files: agent-skills, claude-code, codex, coding-agent; Also covers Developer Tools; - When your coding agent needs to retain plans across sessions without context loss.
- When should I choose claude-mem over planning-with-files?
- Choose claude-mem over planning-with-files when claude-mem is primarily JavaScript; planning-with-files is Python; License: claude-mem is Apache-2.0, planning-with-files is MIT; 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.; Both planning-with-files and claude-mem provide persistent context solutions for AI agents. However, they do so in different ways: claude-mem offers a general persistent memory layer whereas planning-with-files uses file-based plans; Tags unique to claude-mem: ai-memory, chromadb, claude, long-term-memory; Also covers Inference & Serving; claude-mem ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; claude-mem ships an MCP server manifest; When you require seamless and persistent context continuity between different session interactions with Claude Code or other supported agents.
- 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.
- 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 planning-with-files or claude-mem more popular on GitHub?
- claude-mem has more GitHub stars (91,018 vs 25,559). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are planning-with-files and claude-mem open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (planning-with-files: MIT, claude-mem: Apache-2.0).
- Where can I find alternatives to planning-with-files or claude-mem?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at planning-with-files alternatives and claude-mem alternatives (planning-with-files markdown twin, claude-mem markdown twin), 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 mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers.
- Which is better maintained, planning-with-files or claude-mem?
- planning-with-files: 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 planning-with-files and claude-mem?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: planning-with-files trust report; claude-mem trust report.