Claude-Mem: Persistent Memory Plugin for Claude Code
Claude-Mem captures what Claude does in each session, compresses it into searchable observations and injects relevant context into later sessions.
By Claudekit Team Published 1 min read
- Type
- Plugin
- Pricing
- Open Source
- Repository
- github.com
- GitHub stars
- 102,740
- Website
- github.com
Claude-Mem is a community plugin that gives Claude Code memory across sessions. It records tool usage through lifecycle hooks, turns it into compressed observations and summaries, and feeds relevant context back into new sessions so Claude remembers your project after a restart.
Checked 24 Oct 2026 against the repo README and marketplace.json (plugin version 15.0.2). Licensed Apache 2.0.
Who it is for
Developers who work on the same codebase across many sessions and are tired of re-explaining decisions, past bugs and conventions.
Install
Inside Claude Code, from the README:
/plugin marketplace add thedotmack/claude-mem
/plugin install claude-memOr with the installer:
npx claude-mem installRestart Claude Code afterwards.
What it does
- Hooks into SessionStart, UserPromptSubmit, PreToolUse, PostToolUse, Stop and SessionEnd.
- Stores sessions and observations in SQLite, with hybrid keyword and vector search through Chroma.
- Runs a local worker with a web viewer for memory, sessions and settings.
- Exposes MCP search tools (
search,timeline,get_observations) in a three-step pattern: list compact results first, fetch full details only for the IDs you need. - Supports language modes such as
code--zhandcode--ja.
Pros
- Works automatically once installed.
- Token-aware retrieval instead of dumping full history into context.
- Very widely adopted, with installers for many other coding tools.
Cons and caveats
- More moving parts than most plugins: a worker service, SQLite, a vector database and auto-installed runtimes.
- The installer nudges you toward a hosted observer; read the provider choice carefully.
- Memory can carry stale or wrong assumptions forward; review what gets injected.
Links
- Repo: thedotmack/claude-mem
- npm: claude-mem
- Related: CLAUDE.md guide, CLAUDE.md Management, hooks guide
Frequently asked questions
Can I install it with npm install -g?
No. The README says npm install -g claude-mem installs only the SDK and does not register hooks or the worker. Use npx claude-mem install or the /plugin commands.
Do I need an account?
No. The installer offers a sign-in for a hosted observer with a 30-day free trial, but you can skip it with an explicit --provider flag or CLAUDE_MEM_ONLINE_OPTIN=false.
How do I keep something out of memory?
Wrap it in private tags. The README lists this as its privacy control for excluding sensitive content from storage.
What does it need to run?
Node.js 20 or later. Bun and uv are installed automatically if missing, and SQLite is bundled.