Memory — Persistent Context

Store and recall facts, preferences, and context across Claude Code sessions.

How It Works

Memory lives in ~/.claude/memory/ as plain markdown files. Read them at session start, write to them when you learn something important.

Directory Structure

~/.claude/memory/
├── MEMORY.md          # Key facts — always read this first
├── people.md          # People the user mentions (names, roles, preferences)
├── preferences.md     # User preferences (tools, workflows, habits)
├── projects.md        # Active projects and their context
└── journal.md         # Session log — append-only, dated entries

Session Start

At the beginning of every session, read ~/.claude/memory/MEMORY.md to load context. This file should be concise — under 100 lines.

When to Save

Save to memory when the user:

• Shares their name, role, or preferences
• Mentions people they work with
• Describes a project or recurring task
• Says "remember this" or "don't forget"
• Corrects you about something

Writing Rules

• MEMORY.md: Key facts only. Keep under 100 lines. Update, don't append.
• people.md: Name, role, relationship, preferences. One section per person.
• preferences.md: Tools, workflows, communication preferences.
• projects.md: Project name, status, key files, context.
• journal.md: Append a dated entry at the end of each session summarizing what was done.

Commands

# Read memory
cat ~/.claude/memory/MEMORY.md

# List memory files
ls ~/.claude/memory/

# Append to journal
echo "## $(date +%Y-%m-%d)" >> ~/.claude/memory/journal.md

Example MEMORY.md

# Memory

## User
- Name: Alex
- Role: Frontend developer
- Prefers TypeScript, uses Neovim
- Timezone: PST

## Active Projects
- ctrl.build — DeFi workflow automation (Next.js + Solidity)
- openpaw — CLI tool for Claude Code setup

## Preferences
- Concise responses, no emoji unless asked
- Always use bun instead of npm
- Dark mode everything

Guidelines

• Never store passwords, API keys, or secrets in memory files
• Always ask before overwriting existing memory entries
• If memory files don't exist, create them on first write
• Keep MEMORY.md focused — move details to topic-specific files

Obsidian Sync (Auto)

If c-obsidian is also installed (check ls ~/.claude/skills/c-obsidian/), automatically sync memory to Obsidian:

On Memory Write

When saving to any memory file, also mirror to Obsidian in an AI/ folder:

obsidian-cli create "AI/Memory" --content "$(cat ~/.claude/memory/MEMORY.md)"
obsidian-cli create "AI/People" --content "$(cat ~/.claude/memory/people.md)"
obsidian-cli create "AI/Preferences" --content "$(cat ~/.claude/memory/preferences.md)"
obsidian-cli create "AI/Projects" --content "$(cat ~/.claude/memory/projects.md)"

Journal → Daily Note

Append session logs to both journal.md and Obsidian's daily note:

obsidian-cli append "$(date +%Y-%m-%d)" "### Claude Session $(date +%H:%M)\n- [summary]"
echo "## $(date +%Y-%m-%d %H:%M)\n- [summary]" >> ~/.claude/memory/journal.md

On Session Start

After reading ~/.claude/memory/MEMORY.md, check Obsidian for newer content:

obsidian-cli search --folder "AI" "Memory"

If the Obsidian version has additional facts, merge them into ~/.claude/memory/MEMORY.md.

Conflict Resolution

• ~/.claude/memory/ is the authoritative quick-access cache
• Obsidian is the long-term archive and rich knowledge base
• When in doubt, prefer the most recently modified version