--- title: "claude-mem vs commands" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/thedotmack-claude-mem-vs-wshobson-commands" tools: ["thedotmack-claude-mem", "wshobson-commands"] --- # claude-mem vs commands *GraphCanon updated Jul 15, 2026* ## Verdict Pick claude-mem when license: claude-mem is Apache-2.0, commands is MIT; pick commands when license: commands is MIT, claude-mem is Apache-2.0. [claude-mem](https://claude-mem.ai) reports 87k GitHub stars, 7.5k forks, and 252 open issues, last pushed Jul 9, 2026. [commands](https://sethhobson.com) has 2.6k stars, 291 forks, and 3 open issues, last pushed Oct 12, 2025. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [claude-mem's repository](https://github.com/thedotmack/claude-mem) and [commands's repository](https://github.com/wshobson/commands). | | [claude-mem](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem.md) | [commands](/tools/wshobson-commands.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Persistent Context Across Sessions for Every Agent | A collection of production-ready slash commands for Claude Code | | Stars | 86,816 | 2,564 | | Forks | 7,500 | 291 | | Open issues | 252 | 3 | | Language | 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. | MIT | | Categories | AI Agents, Inference & Serving | AI Agents, Inference & Serving, Vector Databases | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [claude-mem](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem.md) | [commands](/tools/wshobson-commands.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Very active (96%) | Slowing (36%) | | Days since push | 1d | 276d | | Open issues (now) | 252 | 3 | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/wshobson-commands/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 claude-mem if… - License: claude-mem is Apache-2.0, commands 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.. - Tags unique to claude-mem: ai-memory, chromadb, long-term-memory. - When you require seamless and persistent context continuity between different session interactions with Claude Code or other supported agents. ### Choose commands if… - License: commands is MIT, claude-mem is Apache-2.0. - Tags unique to commands: ai, anthropic, automation, claude code. - Also covers Vector Databases. ## 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. ## When NOT to use commands - Last GitHub push was 276 days ago (slowing maintenance, Oct 12, 2025). Validate activity before betting a new project on commands. - 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. - Vector Databases: Don't reach for a dedicated vector DB under ~100k vectors; pgvector on your existing Postgres is simpler to operate. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between claude-mem and commands? claude-mem: Persistent Context Across Sessions for Every Agent. commands: A collection of production-ready slash commands for Claude Code. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose claude-mem over commands? Choose claude-mem over commands when License: claude-mem is Apache-2.0, commands 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.; Tags unique to claude-mem: ai-memory, chromadb, 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 choose commands over claude-mem? Choose commands over claude-mem when License: commands is MIT, claude-mem is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to commands: ai, anthropic, automation, claude code; Also covers Vector Databases. ### 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. ### When should I avoid commands? Last GitHub push was 276 days ago (slowing maintenance, Oct 12, 2025). Validate activity before betting a new project on commands. 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. Vector Databases: Don't reach for a dedicated vector DB under ~100k vectors; pgvector on your existing Postgres is simpler to operate. ### Is claude-mem or commands more popular on GitHub? claude-mem has more GitHub stars (86,816 vs 2,564). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are claude-mem and commands open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (claude-mem: Apache-2.0, commands: MIT). ### Where can I find alternatives to claude-mem or commands? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [claude-mem alternatives](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem/alternatives) and [commands alternatives](/tools/wshobson-commands/alternatives) ([claude-mem markdown twin](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem/alternatives.md), [commands markdown twin](/tools/wshobson-commands/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/thedotmack-claude-mem-vs-wshobson-commands.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, claude-mem or commands? claude-mem: Very active. commands: Slowing. 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 claude-mem and commands? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [claude-mem trust report](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem/trust); [commands trust report](/tools/wshobson-commands/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=thedotmack-claude-mem`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=thedotmack-claude-mem) - 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/_