Glucksberg
9361e33b6d
* fix(openclaw): inject context via system prompt instead of overwriting MEMORY.md
The OpenClaw plugin was overwriting each agent's MEMORY.md with a large
auto-generated observation dump (~12-15KB) on every before_agent_start
and tool_result_persist event. This conflicts with OpenClaw's design
where MEMORY.md is agent-curated long-term memory.
Migrate context injection from file-based (writeFile MEMORY.md) to
OpenClaw's native before_prompt_build hook, which returns context via
appendSystemContext. This keeps MEMORY.md under agent control while
still providing cross-session observation context to the LLM.
Changes:
- Add before_prompt_build hook that returns { appendSystemContext }
- Remove writeFile/MEMORY.md sync from before_agent_start
- Remove MEMORY.md sync from tool_result_persist (observations still recorded)
- Add 60s TTL cache to avoid re-fetching context on every LLM turn
- Add syncMemoryFileExclude config for per-agent opt-out
- Remove dead workspaceDirsBySessionKey tracking map
- Rewrite test suite to verify prompt injection instead of file writes
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
* fix(ui): align settings defaults with backend and use nullish coalescing
The web UI had two issues causing settings inflation:
1. DEFAULT_SETTINGS in the UI used FULL_COUNT='5' and all token columns
'true', while SettingsDefaultsManager (backend) uses FULL_COUNT='0'
and token columns 'false'. Opening the settings modal and saving
without changes would silently inflate the context.
2. useSettings used || for fallback, which treats '0' and 'false' as
falsy — even when the backend correctly returns these values, the UI
would replace them with inflated defaults. Changed to ?? (nullish
coalescing) so only null/undefined trigger the fallback.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
* docs(openclaw): update integration docs for system prompt injection
Reflect the migration from MEMORY.md file writes to before_prompt_build
hook-based context injection:
- Update architecture diagram and overview to show new hook flow
- Replace "MEMORY.md Live Sync" section with "System Prompt Context Injection"
- Update event lifecycle steps (before_agent_start, tool_result_persist)
- Add before_prompt_build step with TTL cache description
- Document new syncMemoryFileExclude config parameter
- Update session tracking to reflect removed workspaceDirsBySessionKey
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
* docs: fix terminology and update SKILL.md for system prompt injection
Replace "prompt injection" with "context injection" in docs to avoid
confusion with the OWASP security term. Update openclaw/SKILL.md to
reflect the new before_prompt_build hook and remove stale MEMORY.md
references.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
---------
Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Co-authored-by: Alex Newman <thedotmack@gmail.com>
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Persistent memory compression system built for Claude Code.
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Quick Start • How It Works • Search Tools • Documentation • Configuration • Troubleshooting • License
Claude-Mem seamlessly preserves context across sessions by automatically capturing tool usage observations, generating semantic summaries, and making them available to future sessions. This enables Claude to maintain continuity of knowledge about projects even after sessions end or reconnect.
Quick Start
Start a new Claude Code session in the terminal and enter the following commands:
/plugin marketplace add thedotmack/claude-mem
/plugin install claude-mem
Restart Claude Code. Context from previous sessions will automatically appear in new sessions.
Note: Claude-Mem is also published on npm, but
npm install -g claude-meminstalls the SDK/library only — it does not register the plugin hooks or set up the worker service. To use Claude-Mem as a plugin, always install via the/plugincommands above.
🦞 OpenClaw Gateway
Install claude-mem as a persistent memory plugin on OpenClaw gateways with a single command:
curl -fsSL https://install.cmem.ai/openclaw.sh | bash
The installer handles dependencies, plugin setup, AI provider configuration, worker startup, and optional real-time observation feeds to Telegram, Discord, Slack, and more. See the OpenClaw Integration Guide for details.
Key Features:
- 🧠 Persistent Memory - Context survives across sessions
- 📊 Progressive Disclosure - Layered memory retrieval with token cost visibility
- 🔍 Skill-Based Search - Query your project history with mem-search skill
- 🖥️ Web Viewer UI - Real-time memory stream at http://localhost:37777
- 💻 Claude Desktop Skill - Search memory from Claude Desktop conversations
- 🔒 Privacy Control - Use
<private>tags to exclude sensitive content from storage - ⚙️ Context Configuration - Fine-grained control over what context gets injected
- 🤖 Automatic Operation - No manual intervention required
- 🔗 Citations - Reference past observations with IDs (access via http://localhost:37777/api/observation/{id} or view all in the web viewer at http://localhost:37777)
- 🧪 Beta Channel - Try experimental features like Endless Mode via version switching
Documentation
📚 View Full Documentation - Browse on official website
Getting Started
- Installation Guide - Quick start & advanced installation
- Usage Guide - How Claude-Mem works automatically
- Search Tools - Query your project history with natural language
- Beta Features - Try experimental features like Endless Mode
Best Practices
- Context Engineering - AI agent context optimization principles
- Progressive Disclosure - Philosophy behind Claude-Mem's context priming strategy
Architecture
- Overview - System components & data flow
- Architecture Evolution - The journey from v3 to v5
- Hooks Architecture - How Claude-Mem uses lifecycle hooks
- Hooks Reference - 7 hook scripts explained
- Worker Service - HTTP API & Bun management
- Database - SQLite schema & FTS5 search
- Search Architecture - Hybrid search with Chroma vector database
Configuration & Development
- Configuration - Environment variables & settings
- Development - Building, testing, contributing
- Troubleshooting - Common issues & solutions
How It Works
Core Components:
- 5 Lifecycle Hooks - SessionStart, UserPromptSubmit, PostToolUse, Stop, SessionEnd (6 hook scripts)
- Smart Install - Cached dependency checker (pre-hook script, not a lifecycle hook)
- Worker Service - HTTP API on port 37777 with web viewer UI and 10 search endpoints, managed by Bun
- SQLite Database - Stores sessions, observations, summaries
- mem-search Skill - Natural language queries with progressive disclosure
- Chroma Vector Database - Hybrid semantic + keyword search for intelligent context retrieval
See Architecture Overview for details.
MCP Search Tools
Claude-Mem provides intelligent memory search through 4 MCP tools following a token-efficient 3-layer workflow pattern:
The 3-Layer Workflow:
search- Get compact index with IDs (~50-100 tokens/result)timeline- Get chronological context around interesting resultsget_observations- Fetch full details ONLY for filtered IDs (~500-1,000 tokens/result)
How It Works:
- Claude uses MCP tools to search your memory
- Start with
searchto get an index of results - Use
timelineto see what was happening around specific observations - Use
get_observationsto fetch full details for relevant IDs - ~10x token savings by filtering before fetching details
Available MCP Tools:
search- Search memory index with full-text queries, filters by type/date/projecttimeline- Get chronological context around a specific observation or queryget_observations- Fetch full observation details by IDs (always batch multiple IDs)
Example Usage:
// Step 1: Search for index
search(query="authentication bug", type="bugfix", limit=10)
// Step 2: Review index, identify relevant IDs (e.g., #123, #456)
// Step 3: Fetch full details
get_observations(ids=[123, 456])
See Search Tools Guide for detailed examples.
Beta Features
Claude-Mem offers a beta channel with experimental features like Endless Mode (biomimetic memory architecture for extended sessions). Switch between stable and beta versions from the web viewer UI at http://localhost:37777 → Settings.
See Beta Features Documentation for details on Endless Mode and how to try it.
System Requirements
- Node.js: 18.0.0 or higher
- Claude Code: Latest version with plugin support
- Bun: JavaScript runtime and process manager (auto-installed if missing)
- uv: Python package manager for vector search (auto-installed if missing)
- SQLite 3: For persistent storage (bundled)
Windows Setup Notes
If you see an error like:
npm : The term 'npm' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet
Make sure Node.js and npm are installed and added to your PATH. Download the latest Node.js installer from https://nodejs.org and restart your terminal after installation.
Configuration
Settings are managed in ~/.claude-mem/settings.json (auto-created with defaults on first run). Configure AI model, worker port, data directory, log level, and context injection settings.
See the Configuration Guide for all available settings and examples.
Development
See the Development Guide for build instructions, testing, and contribution workflow.
Troubleshooting
If experiencing issues, describe the problem to Claude and the troubleshoot skill will automatically diagnose and provide fixes.
See the Troubleshooting Guide for common issues and solutions.
Bug Reports
Create comprehensive bug reports with the automated generator:
cd ~/.claude/plugins/marketplaces/thedotmack
npm run bug-report
Contributing
Contributions are welcome! Please:
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch
- Make your changes with tests
- Update documentation
- Submit a Pull Request
See Development Guide for contribution workflow.
License
This project is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPL-3.0).
Copyright (C) 2025 Alex Newman (@thedotmack). All rights reserved.
See the LICENSE file for full details.
What This Means:
- You can use, modify, and distribute this software freely
- If you modify and deploy on a network server, you must make your source code available
- Derivative works must also be licensed under AGPL-3.0
- There is NO WARRANTY for this software
Note on Ragtime: The ragtime/ directory is licensed separately under the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0. See ragtime/LICENSE for details.
Support
- Documentation: docs/
- Issues: GitHub Issues
- Repository: github.com/thedotmack/claude-mem
- Official X Account: @Claude_Memory
- Official Discord: Join Discord
- Author: Alex Newman (@thedotmack)
Built with Claude Agent SDK | Powered by Claude Code | Made with TypeScript
What About $CMEM?
$CMEM is a solana token created by a 3rd party without Claude-Mem's prior consent, but officially embraced by the creator of Claude-Mem (Alex Newman, @thedotmack). The token acts as a community catalyst for growth and a vehicle for bringing real-time agent data to the developers and knowledge workers that need it most. $CMEM: 2TsmuYUrsctE57VLckZBYEEzdokUF8j8e1GavekWBAGS