USRAt a glance
| Claude Memory | USRKey | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it works | Claude only (claude.ai; CLAUDE.md for Claude Code repos) | Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot — plus Claude Code and any MCP-aware tool |
| Who stores it | Anthropic, on their servers | You, on your own device. Talks to no server |
| Account needed | Anthropic account; features have varied by plan | None |
| How it learns | From your Claude conversations; project instructions are manual | Never automatically. You write it; nothing is shared that you didn't choose |
| Portability | Stays inside Claude | Plaintext, exportable, public-domain format |
| Leaving | Context stays behind with your account | Export everything in one click |
| Cost | Tied to your Claude plan | Free. No tier, no ads |
| Setup effort | Low to zero inside Claude | About 60 seconds, once |
The real difference: one house vs the whole street
Claude's memory is well-built — inside Claude. The limit isn't quality, it's jurisdiction: what Claude knows about you belongs to Claude's product, and it stops at Claude's door. ChatGPT can't see it, Gemini can't see it, the next tool you try can't see it. Every vendor memory works this way, and always will — no platform has a business reason to build the memory that follows you to a competitor.
If Claude is genuinely your only AI, that limit never bites. But most people mix tools — Claude for writing and code, ChatGPT for quick questions, Gemini or Perplexity for search. Each one re-interviews you from scratch. USRKey sits underneath all of them: write down who you are once, keep it on your own device, and attach it wherever you're working. It's "Sign in with Google," except for your context instead of your login — and you hold the key.
For Claude Code users: CLAUDE.md is a different scope
If you live in Claude Code, you already have a memory mechanism: CLAUDE.md. It works well, and we're not asking you to replace it. But notice what it holds — project instructions, scoped to one repo, readable by one tool. It doesn't carry who you are across repos, and it does nothing when you open Cursor, Cline, ChatGPT, or claude.ai itself.
USRKey covers the layer above the project: your identity, how you like to work, what you're focused on this month. Through the MCP connector, Claude Code, Cursor, and Cline can all read the same key — next to whatever CLAUDE.md each repo already has.
Who each is for
- Claude is the only AI you use, and that's not changing
- Your context needs are project-scoped (CLAUDE.md territory)
- You're comfortable with Anthropic holding the record
- Claude is one of several AI tools in your week
- You want to read — and edit — exactly what an AI knows about you
- You work across Claude Code, Cursor, and chat apps and want one context everywhere
- You'd rather your key live on your device than on a vendor's server
Using both
No migration needed — USRKey attaches to Claude, it doesn't compete for Claude's job. Three steps:
- Write your keyFour quick questions at usrkey.com — who you are, what you're working toward, how you like to work, what it can take off your plate. Sixty seconds, no account.
- Attach it to ClaudeGet the extension — a USRKey button appears on claude.ai. Or paste your key into a Project's custom instructions. Or point Claude Code's MCP config at the connector.
- Take it everywhere else tooThe same key attaches to ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Copilot. Edit it once and every tool follows — that's the part no vendor memory can do.
Fair questions
Yes — claude.ai via the extension, Projects via paste, and Claude Code via the MCP connector. Claude is one of the tools USRKey is built to travel between, not one it replaces.
Does USRKey learn from my conversations?No, deliberately. It shares nothing you didn't write. That costs a minute of setup and buys a record you can fully read, edit, and delete — stored on your device. We couldn't read your key if we wanted to; it never reaches us. Details in the privacy policy.
I already maintain CLAUDE.md files. Why add this?Keep them — they're project instructions, and they're good at it. Your key is the layer above: you, not the repo. It also means the parts of CLAUDE.md that are really about you stop being copy-pasted into every project.
Is this a pitch to leave Claude?No. Claude is one of the tools USRKey works with, and plenty of USRKey users will keep it as their main AI. The comparison is about where your context should live: inside one app, or with you.