---
title: "Beta Features"
description: "Try experimental features like Endless Mode before they're released"
---

# Beta Features

Claude-Mem offers a beta channel for users who want to try experimental features before they're released to the stable channel.

## Version Channel Switching

You can switch between stable and beta versions directly from the web viewer UI at http://localhost:37777.

### How to Access

1. Open the Claude-Mem viewer at http://localhost:37777
2. Click the **Settings** gear icon in the top-right
3. Find the **Version Channel** section
4. Click **Try Beta (Endless Mode)** to switch to beta, or **Switch to Stable** to return

### What Happens When You Switch

When switching versions:

1. **Local changes are discarded** - Any modifications in the plugin directory are reset
2. **Git fetch and checkout** - The installed plugin switches to the target branch
3. **Dependencies reinstall** - `npm install` runs to ensure correct dependencies
4. **Worker restarts automatically** - The background service restarts with the new version

**Your memory data is always preserved.** The database at `~/.claude-mem/claude-mem.db` is not affected by version switching. All your observations, sessions, and summaries remain intact.

### Version Indicators

The Version Channel section shows your current status:

- **Stable** (green badge) - You're running the production release
- **Beta** (orange badge) - You're running the beta with experimental features

You'll also see the exact branch name (e.g., `main` for stable, `beta/7.0` for beta).

## Endless Mode (Beta)

The flagship experimental feature in beta is **Endless Mode** - a biomimetic memory architecture that dramatically extends how long Claude can maintain context in a session.

### The Problem Endless Mode Solves

In standard Claude Code sessions:

- Tool outputs (file reads, bash output, search results) accumulate in the context window
- Each tool can add 1-10k+ tokens to the context
- After ~50 tool uses, the context window fills up (~200k tokens)
- You're forced to start a new session, losing conversational continuity

Worse, Claude **re-synthesizes all previous tool outputs** on every response. This is O(N²) complexity - quadratically growing both in tokens and compute.

### How Endless Mode Works

Endless Mode applies a biomimetic memory architecture inspired by how human memory works:

**Two-Tier Memory System:**

```
Working Memory (Context Window):
  → Compressed observations only (~500 tokens each)
  → Fast, efficient, manageable

Archive Memory (Transcript File):
  → Full tool outputs preserved on disk
  → Perfect recall, searchable
```

**The Key Innovation**: After each tool use, Endless Mode:
1. Waits for the worker to generate a compressed observation (blocking)
2. Transforms the transcript file on disk
3. Replaces the full tool output with the compressed observation
4. Claude resumes with the compressed context

This transforms O(N²) scaling into O(N) - linear instead of quadratic.

### Expected Results

Based on analysis of real sessions:

- **Token savings**: ~95% reduction in context window usage
- **Efficiency gain**: ~20x more tool uses before context exhaustion
- **Quality preservation**: Observations cache the synthesis result, so no information is lost

### Caveats

Endless Mode is experimental:

- **Adds latency** - Blocking hooks wait for observation generation (60-90s per tool use)
- **Requires working database** - Observations must save successfully for transformation
- **New architecture** - Less battle-tested than standard mode

### When to Use Beta

Consider switching to beta if you:

- Frequently hit context window limits
- Work on long, complex sessions with many tool uses
- Want to help test and provide feedback on new features
- Are comfortable with experimental software

### When to Stay on Stable

Stay on stable if you:

- Need maximum reliability for critical work
- Prefer battle-tested, production-ready features
- Don't frequently hit context limits
- Want the smoothest, fastest experience

## Checking for Updates

While on beta (or stable), you can check for updates:

1. Open Settings in the viewer
2. In the Version Channel section, click **Check for Updates**
3. The plugin will pull the latest changes and restart

## Switching Back

If you encounter issues on beta:

1. Open Settings in the viewer
2. Click **Switch to Stable**
3. Wait for the worker to restart

Your memory data is preserved, and you'll be back on the stable release.

## Providing Feedback

If you encounter bugs or have feedback about beta features:

- Open an issue at [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/thedotmack/claude-mem/issues)
- Include your branch (`beta/7.0` etc.) in the report
- Describe what you expected vs. what happened

## Next Steps

- [Configuration](configuration) - Customize other Claude-Mem settings
- [Troubleshooting](troubleshooting) - Common issues and solutions
- [Architecture Overview](architecture/overview) - Understand how Claude-Mem works