Add authentication

openmemfs has no login: whoever reaches the server reads and writes everything. On your own machine that is fine. Before it is reachable from anywhere else, close it.

The simplest: keep it private

• Run it on your machine only (docker compose publishes it on 127.0.0.1).
• Or reach it through a private network such as Tailscale, so only your devices see it.

One password for everything

Ask the browser and every agent for the same password with HTTP Basic authentication. Add a middleware to src/start.ts:

const password = createMiddleware().server(async ({ request, next }) => {
  const expected = process.env.OPENMEMFS_PASSWORD
  if (!expected) return next()
  const [, encoded = ''] = (request.headers.get('authorization') ?? '').split(' ')
  const [, given] = Buffer.from(encoded, 'base64').toString().split(':')
  if (given === expected) return next()
  return new Response('Password required', {
    status: 401,
    headers: { 'WWW-Authenticate': 'Basic realm="openmemfs"' },
  })
})

export const startInstance = createStart(() => ({ requestMiddleware: [password, securityHeaders] }))

Set OPENMEMFS_PASSWORD where it runs. The browser asks for it once. Agents send it as a header:

claude mcp add --transport http openmemfs https://memory.example.com/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Basic $(printf 'me:%s' "$OPENMEMFS_PASSWORD" | base64)"

Only use it over HTTPS: Basic authentication sends the password with every request.

More than a password

For a sign-in with Google, per-agent keys or OAuth (which claude.ai connectors need), add an auth library as a module and check the session in the same middleware. Keep it about you and your agents: openmemfs is personal software, not a service for many users.

Next: Deploy it.