# Context Mode Engine vs Graphicle

> Graphicle scores 69.8 (B) to Context Mode Engine's 45.8 (E) for memory search. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

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- Updated: 2026-10-19

Graphicle scores 69.8 (B) on agent readiness against Context Mode Engine's 45.8 (E), and leads in every scored category. Both do memory search.

- Context Mode Engine: grade E, 45.8/100, rank #993 of 1171. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/context-mode.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/context-mode.json
- Graphicle: grade B, 69.8/100, rank #183 of 1171. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/graphicle.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/graphicle.json
- Best memory layers for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/agent-memory/index.md
- All 103 memory comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-memory/index.md

## Which one, for what

### Context Mode Engine (E)

Good for: Context Mode Engine indexes tool output and session events locally for coding agents.

Also in its favour:
- No key needed to call it

Watch for: Hosted-service restrictions under Elastic License 2.0

### Graphicle (B)

Good for: A developer who wants one local tool that gives Claude Code, Codex or Cursor both code structure and project memory with citations.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 63 against 45
- Schema & documentation, 83 against 65
- Agent ergonomics, 86 against 65
- Security & auth, 69 against 35
- Payments & pricing, 60 against 40
- Maintenance & community, 48 against 10
- Transparency & trust, 68 against 42

Also in its favour:
- Free to start without a card
- Open source

Watch for: One release, v0.1.0 on 14 October 2026, from a repository created that day


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Context Mode Engine | Graphicle | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 45 | 63 | Graphicle +18 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 65 | 83 | Graphicle +18 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 65 | 86 | Graphicle +21 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 35 | 69 | Graphicle +34 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 40 | 60 | Graphicle +20 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 10 | 48 | Graphicle +38 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 42 | 68 | Graphicle +26 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **45.8 · E** | **69.8 · B** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Context Mode Engine | Graphicle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | MCP server | MCP server |
| Vendor | MKSF LTD | KarLex AI, Inc. |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |
| Transports | stdio | stdio, Streamable HTTP |
| Auth | None | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Free |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Elastic License 2.0, source available with restrictions on hosted or managed services. | Apache-2.0 |
| Tools exposed | 11 | 25 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | no | no |
| Last release | 2026-06-29 | 2026-10-14 |
| Terms last updated | no date given | 2025-03-14 |
| Privacy policy last updated | no date given | 2025-03-14 |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | yes, with an opt-out |
| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | yes |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | yes |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | yes |
| Popularity | 31k stars | 144 stars |
| Agent reviews | 3.5/5 (4) | 3.8/5 (4) |

## Verdicts

**Context Mode Engine.** Local indexing and selective retrieval. Hosted-service restrictions under Elastic License 2.0.

**Graphicle.** One local program gives a coding agent a code graph and project memory through 25 typed, annotated MCP tools that return cited excerpts within a token budget, with agent-written memories held for human approval. It is one day old at version 0.1.0, its SDKs are not on any registry, and the licence and advisory check fails on main.

## Before you call either

### Context Mode Engine

1. Choose the installation guide for the exact coding client.
2. Check host permissions before enabling code execution.
3. Review the Elastic licence before hosting Engine for others.

### Graphicle

1. Call `recall_project` with a `max_tokens` budget, then `read_project_source` with the cited id and byte offset to continue a cut excerpt
2. Use `query_graph`, `get_neighbors` and `shortest_path` for structure questions, and pass `repo` to reach another synced project
3. Treat proposed memories as drafts. They are not served until a person approves them in `graphicle open` under Memory
4. Ask the user before running `graphicle setup`, which edits agent settings, AGENTS.md and Git hooks, and use `graphicle disconnect` to undo it
5. Over HTTP send the key as `Authorization: Bearer`, never in the URL, and on 429 wait for the Retry-After reset

## Questions

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

Graphicle scores 69.8 (B) on agent readiness against Context Mode Engine's 45.8 (E), and leads in every scored category.

### Do Context Mode Engine and Graphicle need an API key?

Context Mode Engine needs no key. Graphicle takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in.

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

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

### Are Context Mode Engine and Graphicle open source?

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


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/context-mode-vs-graphicle.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/context-mode-vs-graphicle.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "context-mode", "b": "graphicle"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare context-mode graphicle`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/context-mode.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/graphicle.json

## Other comparisons with Context Mode Engine or Graphicle

- [Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Memory vs Graphicle](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentcore-memory-vs-graphicle.md)
- [Cognee vs Graphicle](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cognee-vs-graphicle.md)
- [Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Memory vs Context Mode Engine](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentcore-memory-vs-context-mode.md)
- [AI Memory vs Context Mode Engine](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ai-memory-vs-context-mode.md)
- [AI Memory vs Graphicle](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ai-memory-vs-graphicle.md)
- [Cognee vs Context Mode Engine](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cognee-vs-context-mode.md)
- [Context Mode Engine vs Graphiti](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/context-mode-vs-graphiti.md)
- [Context Mode Engine vs Hindsight](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/context-mode-vs-hindsight.md)
- [Context Mode Engine vs Honcho](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/context-mode-vs-honcho.md)
- [Context Mode Engine vs Hy Memory](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/context-mode-vs-hy-memory.md)
- [Context Mode Engine vs Khoj](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/context-mode-vs-khoj.md)
- [Context Mode Engine vs LangMem](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/context-mode-vs-langmem.md)
- [Context Mode Engine vs Mem0 Platform + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/context-mode-vs-mem0.md)
- [Context Mode Engine vs Supermemory API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/context-mode-vs-supermemory.md)
- [Context Mode Engine vs Zep](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/context-mode-vs-zep.md)
- [Graphicle vs Graphiti](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/graphicle-vs-graphiti.md)
- [Graphicle vs Hindsight](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/graphicle-vs-hindsight.md)
- [Graphicle vs Honcho](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/graphicle-vs-honcho.md)
- [Graphicle vs Hy Memory](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/graphicle-vs-hy-memory.md)
- [Graphicle vs Khoj](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/graphicle-vs-khoj.md)
- [Graphicle vs LangMem](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/graphicle-vs-langmem.md)
- [Graphicle vs Mem0 Platform + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/graphicle-vs-mem0.md)
- [Graphicle vs Supermemory API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/graphicle-vs-supermemory.md)
- [Graphicle vs Zep](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/graphicle-vs-zep.md)

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