AgentIndex icon
AgentIndex
iai-mcp logo
iai-mcp
★ 911
vs
rtfm logo
rtfm
★ 26

iai-mcp vs rtfm

iai-mcp: IAI-MCP is a local memory layer for MCP-compatible AI assistants. It captures every conversation turn verbatim, organizes them over time, and serves relevant memories at the start of new sessions. All data is encrypted locally with AES-256-GCM and never leaves your machine.; rtfm: RTFM is a local, open-source retrieval layer that indexes everything in a project (code, docs, PDFs, etc.) so that AI agents can find the right context instantly without hallucinations or cloud costs. It integrates with Claude Code and other MCP clients, supports multiple formats, and provides fast search with progressive disclosure.

01

TL;DR

iai-mcp logo
iai-mcpRAG / Knowledge Base · ★ 911

Provide long-term memory for Claude Code, Codex CLI, and other MCP assistants

Read iai-mcp full review →
rtfm logo
rtfmRAG / Knowledge Base · ★ 26

Legal and regulatory document retrieval with support for specialized formats

Read rtfm full review →
02

Side-by-Side Comparison

Field
iai-mcp logoiai-mcp
rtfm logortfm
Category
RAG / Knowledge Base
RAG / Knowledge Base
Stars
★ 911
★ 26
License
MIT
MIT
Install Command
git clone https://github.com/CodeAbra/iai-mcp.git && cd iai-mcp && bash scripts/install.sh
pip install rtfm-ai && cd your-project && rtfm init
Updated
1d ago
1d ago
Open Source
Yes
Yes
Website
↗ Visit
↗ Visit
GitHub
↗ GitHub
↗ GitHub
Tags
ai-agents, ai-memory, claude
ai-agents, claude, claude-code
03

Features

iai-mcp logoiai-mcp
01Ambient capture of all conversation turns with timestamps and metadata
02Automatic recall of relevant memories at session start
03Fully local, no telemetry or cloud dependency
04Encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM
05Verbatim recall >=99% at 10k episodes
rtfm logortfm
01Full-text, semantic, and hybrid search with progressive disclosure
02Multi-format indexing with 22 built-in parsers (code, docs, PDFs, etc.)
03Local, free, and open-source (MIT license)
04Knowledge graph with wikilinks and import edges, plus version history
05Seamless MCP integration (native Claude Code plugin and manual install)
04

Use Cases

iai-mcp logoiai-mcp
↳Provide long-term memory for Claude Code, Codex CLI, and other MCP assistants
↳Eliminate the need to repeat context across sessions
↳Personalize AI assistant behavior over time based on past interactions
rtfm logortfm
↳Legal and regulatory document retrieval with support for specialized formats
↳Research projects combining code, papers, and datasets
↳Any project mixing code with domain-specific documents (FinTech, HealthTech, etc.)
05

Best For

iai-mcp logoiai-mcp
Trending
rtfm logortfm
—
FAQ

FAQ

What is the difference between iai-mcp and rtfm?
Both iai-mcp and rtfm are in the RAG / Knowledge Base category. iai-mcp has 911 stars, while rtfm has 26 stars.
Which is better, iai-mcp or rtfm?
The best choice depends on your use case. Choose iai-mcp if Provide long-term memory for Claude Code, Codex CLI, and other MCP assistants, and rtfm if Legal and regulatory document retrieval with support for specialized formats.
Is iai-mcp free or open source?
Yes, iai-mcp is open source on GitHub (MIT).
Is rtfm free or open source?
Yes, rtfm is open source on GitHub (MIT).
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Related

Alternatives to iai-mcp →Alternatives to rtfm →iai-mcp details →rtfm details →