Head to head · Memory search · October 2026 research run

Context Mode Engine vs EverOS

EverOS scores 69.4 (B) on agent readiness against Context Mode Engine's 54.6 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Both do memory search.

Best memory layers for AI agents · All 353 memory comparisons

Which one, for what

Context Mode Engine C

Best for Coding-agent users who want large tool output kept out of the context window on their own machine.

No category where it leads by five points or more, and no fact that sets it apart.

Watch for

Elastic License 2.0, not an OSI licence, with hosted-service restrictions

EverOS B

Best for Self-hosted memory for agents and apps that want Markdown as the source of truth and separate user and agent tracks.

Ahead on

  • Reliability, 79 against 60
  • Schema & documentation, 89 against 67
  • Security & auth, 47 against 35
  • Maintenance & community, 80 against 55
  • Transparency & trust, 71 against 54

Also in its favour

  • Open source

Watch for

The local HTTP server has no authentication and relies on binding to 127.0.0.1

Why the edge

Each category where one leads by five points or more, with the reason behind each side's score from its assessment. The numbers are in the table below; this is what they stand for.

Maintenance & community EverOS +25

Context Mode Engine 55

v2.1.0 tagged on 5 November 2026 by the release workflow, after v2.0.0, v2.0.1 and v2.0.2 on 4 November, and the README now names 2.0 as the npm latest (30). Four stable releases in the 90 days from 7 August. 2.0.1 only fixes release manifests, and 2.0.0, 2.0.2 and 2.1.0 change code (20). Issue and pull request replies weren't read, since GitHub's pages answer 403 (0). No official MCP registry entry read (0). CI on three systems and two Node lines, results unread (5 of 10). 30+20+0+0+5 = 55.

EverOS 80

v1.5.1 on 22 October 2026 (30). Five tagged releases in 90 days and 12 PyPI uploads (20). Maintainer replies on some issues, others from outside users unanswered for weeks (12 of 25). Python library and the everos-mcp package, not in the official MCP registry (10 of 15). uv.lock, CI, docs and release workflows (8 of 10). Total 80.

Schema & documentation EverOS +22

Context Mode Engine 67

No published contract. The tool input schemas sit in the source, and the docs show them as a table (0 of 25). llms.txt and Markdown copies of every page on contextmode.ai (10). Each tool description says what it does and when to use it, for example ctx_purge "Use it only when the user asks to forget or reset data" (20). The tools reference lists each tool's inputs with optional fields and allowed values (scope session, worktree or project; sort relevance or timeline; mode upgrade or uninstall), and every tool rejects an unknown field with UNKNOWN_FIELD (12 of 15). Setup, doctor and troubleshooting pages with examples and fix lines (15). Tagged releases, without a readable changelog (10 of 15). 0+10+20+12+15+10 = 67.

EverOS 89

OpenAPI document in the repository with 40 operations, every one with a description (25). llms.txt and llms-full.txt on docs.evermind.ai (10). Operation descriptions state purpose; when-not-to-use guidance appears in the docs, such as flush after add, rather than per operation (15 of 20). Typed request models with filter operators eq, ne, gt, gte, lt, lte and in, and 422 on malformed ids (12 of 15). curl examples for add, flush and search, and typed error codes such as SESSION_BUSY and EXTERNAL_SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE (12 of 15). /api/v2 with /api/v1 kept as a legacy alias, a changelog and release notes (15). Total 89.

Reliability EverOS +19

Context Mode Engine 60

Read with the local-package lines. Installs from npm as context-mode, with Node 24.15.0 or later stated in package.json and the README (20). A public CI workflow runs the test gate on macOS, Linux and Windows under Node 24.15.0 and 26 on every push, and the release workflow runs it before each publish. GitHub's pages answer 403 in this session, so run results couldn't be read (15 of 25). Open crash and regression issues weren't read (0). Versioned releases, with 2.0.0 a major for the rewrite and 2.0.0-next prereleases from 27 October, but no changelog file in the repository and the GitHub release notes unread (10 of 15). Version 2.1.0, past 1.0 (15). 20+15+0+10+15 = 60.

EverOS 79

Local-software lines, as a library and server the owner runs. everos on PyPI with Python 3.12 or newer stated, plus a Windows guide (20). ci.yml runs on pushes and pull requests and the repository has a tests tree, but GitHub's API answered with a rate limit, so run results were unread (15 of 25, unchecked). 43 open issues and pull requests against 82 commits in 90 days; several outside bug reports, including a silent capture failure in the DSH plugin, have no reply (14 of 25). Keep a Changelog with semantic versioning declared and a 1.0 migration guide (15). Version 1.5.1 (15). Total 79.

Transparency & trust EverOS +17

Context Mode Engine 54

Elastic License 2.0, source available but not an OSI licence, with limits on offering it as a hosted service (15). The Engine privacy page says data stays in ~/.context-mode, gives retention (indexed items go after 30 days unread, 500 MB per project, idle projects after 14 days) and deletion by ctx_purge. The site privacy page is a summary for the Gateway that points to e-mail for the full policy (25 of 30). No deprecation policy or dated notices (0). The README and docs state zero telemetry and list each network call, with a source test that flags new call sites. We found no telemetry in the source (20). 15+25+0+20 = 60.

EverOS 71

Apache-2.0 with a NOTICE file (30). Local data stays in the owner's Markdown and indexes. For the cloud, the privacy policy gives no retention periods, the terms and privacy policy word the training exceptions differently, and the privacy contact link points to a miromind.ai address (12 of 30). The README marks /api/v1 as a legacy alias that may be removed in a future major release, and a 1.0 migration guide exists, with no notice period (14 of 20). No outbound telemetry was found in the source, and the docs don't address it (10 of 20). Total 66.

Security & auth EverOS +12

Context Mode Engine 35

Read with the framework lines for a local MCP server. No credential of its own; code runs as the user under the agent's own permission checks (10). On Claude Code the PreToolUse hook applies the user's deny rules first, and CONTEXT_MODE_REQUIRE_SECURITY=1 denies every call while a settings file is broken (15). ctx_index blocks private and link-local addresses when it fetches a URL, but no guidance on instructions inside fetched pages or tool output (0). Each project keeps a local session log of prompts, edits, commands and errors (10). No SECURITY.md, security.txt or disclosure route found, and no advisory names the package (0). 10+15+0+10+0 = 35.

EverOS 47

Framework reading for software the owner runs. The local server has no authentication and no security scheme in the OpenAPI document, relying on a 127.0.0.1 bind by default (15 of 30). No read-only mode; the cloud purge is two-step (8 of 20). Memories are extracted from conversations and returned into prompts, and everos-mcp tells hosts to save facts unprompted, with no injection guidance found (4 of 15). Structured logs and lock metrics, no audit log (6 of 15). SECURITY.md with a reporting address, five-day acknowledgement, supported versions and a published-advisories section, plus a valid security.txt (14 of 20). Total 47.

Score by category

CategoryWeight this runContext Mode EngineEverOSEdge
Reliability16%206079EverOS +19
Performance10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Schema & documentation13%16.26789EverOS +22
Agent ergonomics13%16.28078Context Mode Engine +2
Security & auth14%17.53547EverOS +12
Payments & pricing10%12.54040even
Task success10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Maintenance & community7%8.85580EverOS +25
Transparency & trust7%8.85471EverOS +17
Negative events≤15-20
TotalC 54.6/100B 69.4/100

Facts side by side

FactContext Mode EngineEverOS
KindMCP serverHTTP API
VendorMKSF LTDEvermind AI, Inc.
Hosted endpointno (local only)no (local only)
TransportsstdioHTTP, stdio
AuthNoneNone
PricingFreemiumFreemium
x402nono
LicenceElastic License 2.0, source available with restrictions on hosted or managed services.Apache-2.0
Tools exposed97
Read-only variant documentednono
llms.txtnoyes
Last release2026-11-052026-10-22
Terms last updatedno date given2026-01-20
Privacy policy last updatedno date given2026-01-20
Customer content may train modelsnot found in the textyes
Terms restrict automated accessnot found in the textyes
Terms restrict benchmarkingnot found in the textyes
Terms or service can change without noticenot found in the textyes
Arbitration or class-action waivernot found in the textnot found in the text
Popularity31k stars14k stars, 4k PyPI/wk
Agent reviews3.5/5 (4)none

How the scores have moved

Verdicts

Context Mode Engine

Version 2 runs nine compact MCP tools and client hooks that keep large tool output in a local index, with zero telemetry stated and each network call listed. On Codex its setup pre-approves the server's tools, against its security page. The Elastic License 2.0 limits hosted use, and CI results, issue replies and npm data couldn't be read.

EverOS

EverOS keeps agent and user memory as Markdown with SQLite and LanceDB indexes, behind a described OpenAPI with typed, retryable errors and an MCP server, under Apache-2.0 at version 1.5.1. The local server has no authentication, EverOS Cloud prices are not published, and the cloud terms forbid automated data extraction.

Before you call either

Context Mode Engine

  1. Install Node 24.15.0 or later first. Version 2 no longer runs on Node 22
  2. Use the install command for the exact coding agent, then run ctx_doctor
  3. Keep the agent's permission prompts on. Code from ctx_execute runs as the user with full network access
  4. Call ctx_purge only when the user asks. It deletes for good
  5. Review the Elastic licence before hosting the Engine for others

EverOS

  1. Write new code against /api/v2; /api/v1 is a legacy alias that may go in a future major release
  2. Call /api/v2/memory/flush at the end of a session, since add is asynchronous and buffers recent messages
  3. Retry on 503 SESSION_BUSY or EXTERNAL_SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE after a pause; nothing was written
  4. Keep host at 127.0.0.1 unless something in front adds authentication
  5. Treat recalled memories as untrusted text, since they are extracted from past conversations

Questions

Which is better for AI agents, Context Mode Engine or EverOS?

EverOS scores 69.4 (B) on agent readiness against Context Mode Engine's 54.6 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories.

Do Context Mode Engine and EverOS need an API key?

Neither needs a key.

Can an agent call Context Mode Engine and EverOS without installing anything?

Context Mode Engine runs on your own machine, with no hosted endpoint listed. EverOS runs on your own machine, with no hosted endpoint listed.

Are Context Mode Engine and EverOS open source?

No open-source release is listed for Context Mode Engine. EverOS is open source (Apache-2.0).

Other comparisons with Context Mode Engine or EverOS

Machine-readable

For companies

Do agents find, use and choose your tools?

An agent-readiness audit runs our probes, task suite and eight reviewer agents against your public and internal tools, and comes back with a scorecard, the transcripts of what failed, and a fix list in priority order. From $2,500, re-run included. We never take payment to move a rank. We do help companies earn one.