---
title: Claude Desktop Skill
description: Use claude-mem memory search in Claude Desktop with the mem-search skill
icon: desktop
---

<Note>
**Availability:** The mem-search skill works with Claude Desktop on macOS and Windows.
</Note>

## Overview

Claude Desktop can access your claude-mem memory database through the **mem-search** skill. This allows you to search past sessions, decisions, and observations directly from Claude Desktop conversations.

## Prerequisites

Before installing the skill, ensure:

1. **claude-mem is installed** and the worker service is running
2. **MCP server is configured** in Claude Desktop (the skill uses the `mem-search` MCP server)

### Verify Worker is Running

```bash
curl http://localhost:37777/api/health
# Should return: {"status":"ok"}
```

## Installation

### Step 1: Download the Skill

Download the skill package from the repository:

<Card title="mem-search.zip" icon="download" href="https://github.com/thedotmack/claude-mem/raw/main/desktop-skill/mem-search.zip">
  Download the mem-search skill for Claude Desktop
</Card>

Or build from source:

```bash
cd desktop-skill
zip -r mem-search.zip Skill.md
```

### Step 2: Install in Claude Desktop

1. Open **Claude Desktop**
2. Go to **Settings** (gear icon)
3. Navigate to **Skills**
4. Click **Install Skill** or drag the `mem-search.zip` file
5. Confirm installation

### Step 3: Configure MCP Server

The skill requires the `mem-search` MCP server. Add this to your Claude Desktop configuration:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="macOS">
    Edit `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`:

    ```json
    {
      "mcpServers": {
        "mem-search": {
          "command": "node",
          "args": [
            "/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/.claude/plugins/marketplaces/thedotmack/plugin/scripts/mcp-server.cjs"
          ]
        }
      }
    }
    ```
  </Tab>
  <Tab title="Windows">
    Edit `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json`:

    ```json
    {
      "mcpServers": {
        "mem-search": {
          "command": "node",
          "args": [
            "C:\\Users\\YOUR_USERNAME\\.claude\\plugins\\marketplaces\\thedotmack\\plugin\\scripts\\mcp-server.cjs"
          ]
        }
      }
    }
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Warning>
Replace `YOUR_USERNAME` with your actual username. Restart Claude Desktop after editing the configuration.
</Warning>

### Step 4: Restart Claude Desktop

Close and reopen Claude Desktop for the MCP server configuration to take effect.

## Usage

Once installed, the skill auto-activates when you ask about past work:

```
"What did we do last session?"
"Did we fix this bug before?"
"How did we implement authentication?"
"What decisions did we make about the API?"
"Show me changes to worker-service.ts"
```

## Available Search Tools

The skill provides access to these MCP tools:

| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `search` | Unified search across all memory types |
| `decisions` | Find architectural/design decisions |
| `changes` | Find code changes and refactorings |
| `timeline` | Get observations around a specific point in time |
| `find_by_file` | Find observations for specific files |
| `find_by_type` | Filter by type (decision, bugfix, feature, refactor, discovery, change) |
| `find_by_concept` | Find by concept tags |
| `how_it_works` | Understand system architecture and design patterns |

## Troubleshooting

### Skill Not Appearing

1. Verify the zip file was properly installed
2. Check Claude Desktop's skill installation logs
3. Restart Claude Desktop

### MCP Server Connection Failed

1. Verify the worker is running: `curl http://localhost:37777/api/health`
2. Check the MCP server path in configuration
3. Look for errors in Claude Desktop logs

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="macOS">
    ```bash
    # View Claude Desktop logs
    tail -f ~/Library/Logs/Claude/claude.log
    ```
  </Tab>
  <Tab title="Windows">
    Check `%APPDATA%\Claude\logs\`
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### Search Returns No Results

1. Ensure claude-mem has recorded sessions (check http://localhost:37777)
2. Verify the database exists: `ls ~/.claude-mem/claude-mem.db`
3. Test the API directly: `curl "http://localhost:37777/api/search?query=test"`

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Search Tools" icon="magnifying-glass" href="/usage/search-tools">
    Complete search API reference
  </Card>
  <Card title="Platform Integration" icon="plug" href="/platform-integration">
    Build custom integrations
  </Card>
</CardGroup>