How to use MemoFS with Cline
Configure Cline in VS Code to read and write persistent MemoFS memory via MCP stdio tools.
Cline uses project rules (AGENTS.md / .clinerules) and MCP tools to interact with MemoFS memory. You can generate your rules file directly using npx @memofs/cli generate agent-rules agents and register the MemoFS MCP server via Cline's MCP Settings panel.
Prerequisites
- Node.js v22+
- Cline installed as a VS Code extension (or the Cline CLI)
Setup (5 Minutes)
Step 1: Initialize project memory
cd /path/to/your/project
npx @memofs/cli initStep 2: Create a rules file
Generate a starting point using the closest existing target, then adapt it:
npx @memofs/cli generate agent-rules agents --project-name "Your project name"This gives you AGENTS.md with the memofs workflow instructions already written. Cline reads project-level rules from a .clinerules file or .clinerules/ folder — copy AGENTS.md's body into .clinerules (double-check the exact convention against Cline's current docs, since rules-file handling has changed across versions).
Step 3: Register the MCP server
Use Cline's built-in UI rather than hand-editing a config path — Cline's own docs and code have disagreed on the exact file location before, so the UI is the more reliable path:
- Open the Cline panel → click the MCP Servers icon → Configure MCP Servers.
- This opens Cline's MCP settings JSON. Add:
{
"mcpServers": {
"memofs": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@memofs/mcp-server"]
}
}
}- Save and close.
Step 4: Verify
Reload VS Code. Check that memofs shows a green connected indicator in the MCP Servers panel. Ask Cline: "Check your memofs project memory and tell me what's there."
Notes
- No hooks means no compliance summary and no auto re-priming after context gets summarized —
.clinerulesis doing all the work of telling Cline when to reach for memory.