Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about how Maindex works, what things cost, and how your data is handled.
Why not use my LLM's built-in memory?
Built-in LLM memory is typically a flat list of text notes with no structure, no search beyond keyword matching, and no way to export or move your data to another service. If you switch providers, your memories stay behind. If your note list grows, discoverability drops because the LLM has no semantic search, no collections, no tags, and no way to surface the right context at the right time.
Maindex gives you a structured, searchable memory graph accessible through both an agent-facing MCP interface and a human-facing dashboard. Your data is portable across every platform that supports MCP, and you can build your own integrations with the REST API.
Why not use markdown or text files with my desktop app?
Local files work okay until the memory pool grows. Basic text search scales poorly; every query has to scan more content, and your agent burns context window and time on retrieval instead of doing real work. There is no semantic understanding, so finding related ideas across files means the agent is guessing at filenames and grepping through directories.
Maindex offers vectorized semantic search that stays fast regardless of how large your memory graph gets. Your data is stored centrally and accessible from any platform. Draft a spec on your phone, then pull those same memories into your IDE to execute the plan. No syncing folders, no copy-pasting between devices.
What is the Smart service?
Smart is the streamlined MCP interface with four tools: keep, recall, update, and forget. It is designed for agents and platforms that prefer a minimal, opinionated tool surface. Behind the scenes, Smart routing handles retrieval strategy, ambiguity resolution, and content shaping so the agent doesn't have to.
Both Smart and Expert are included with every Maindex plan at no additional cost, offering two paths to the same data.
What is the Expert service?
Expert is the full-control MCP interface with 14 tools: granular CRUD, filtered search, collection management, typed associations, bulk operations, and supersession chains. It gives agents direct access to every capability in the memory graph.
When asked, 10 out of 10 LLMs said they prefer the Expert interface over Smart because of the additional control it gives them.
Both services are included with every Maindex plan at no additional cost, offering two helpful paths to the same data.
Should I use the Smart or Expert MCP?
Both are included, both read and write the same memory graph, and you can switch at any time or use both simultaneously. Use Smart when you want the agent to send high-level intents and let the pipeline decide. Use Expert when the agent needs direct, granular control over memory operations.
Some MCP platforms work best with a smaller tool surface, which is why Smart exists. There is no penalty for choosing one over the other, and memories created in one are immediately visible in the other.
What are synapses?
A synapse is a single unit of memory usage. Every time an agent or API call reads from or writes to your memory graph, the processing is measured in syapses. Your plan includes a generous monthly synapse quota that resets each billing period. You can see your current usage and reset date on the Usage & Billing tab in your dashboard.
What is a collection?
A collection is a named group of related memories. Use them to organize your knowledge graph by project, domain, or any structure that makes sense to you. A memory can belong to more than one collection, so you can slice your graph in multiple ways without duplicating anything. Agents can filter recalls to a specific collection so they only see what is relevant.
What are locked collections?
A locked collection is protected by a passphrase. Memories inside a locked collection are hidden from all sessions and API calls until you explicitly unlock them. This lets you compartmentalize information (work vs personal, private notes, client data) in the same memory graph without exposing it to every agent session. You can selectively unlock individual collections when you need them.
The locked collection management page uses an additional authentication layer that prevents agents from attempting to bypass the lock and access protected data without your authorization.
Can I export my data?
Yes. Your dashboard has a Data Portability section under Settings with three export options:
- Full Export (JSON): memories, tags, collections, links, revision history, and conversation references. Everything.
- Memories JSON: just your memories in a clean JSON format.
- Memories CSV: the same data as a spreadsheet-friendly CSV.
You can also import a Full Export JSON back into a new account. Your data is yours and yours alone, today and always.
How does data export work?
You own your thoughts and we honor that with full portability. Export everything (memories, links, collections, tags, revision history) at any time. Import it into a new account or keep a local backup. No walled garden, no gilded cage.
Do you train models on my data?
No. Maindex does not train models on your data. We never use your memories, metadata, tags, links, or any part of your knowledge graph for model training, analytics, advertising, or any purpose other than serving your data back to you.
Is my data private?
Every Maindex account is a fully isolated tenant. Your data is never shared, mixed, or accessible by other users. All data is encrypted at rest with AES-256 and in transit with TLS 1.2+. Locked collections add an additional passphrase-based access control layer on top of that.
Authentication is OAuth-first via WorkOS, so Maindex stores no passwords. API keys with per-key revocation are available for headless environments. Step-up re-authentication is required for destructive operations like account deletion or data export.