# Memory Capture

Capture a working thread's current state into one coherent Basic Memory note; on...

- Repository: https://github.com/basicmachines-co/basic-memory (4440 stars)
- Category: Engineering
- License: AGPL-3.0
- Last updated: 2026-11-01
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add basicmachines-co/basic-memory --skill memory-capture -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add basicmachines-co/basic-memory --skill memory-capture -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add basicmachines-co/basic-memory --skill memory-capture -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add basicmachines-co/basic-memory --skill memory-capture -g -a gemini-cli -y`
Claude Code plugin marketplace: `/plugin marketplace add basicmachines-co/basic-memory`

## Description

Capture a working thread's current state into one coherent Basic Memory note; on re-capture, rewrite it in place. Use mid- or end-of-thread when decisions, insights, or context are worth keeping.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# Memory Capture

Capture the gist of a working thread, the decisions made, insights surfaced, and context built, into a single coherent Basic Memory note that reflects where the thread has landed.

## Project scope

If the project is unknown, discover it with `bm_project(command="list")`.
Pass a nonempty `project` on every note, folder, context and schema call, even
with one project or a qualified `memory://` URL. Use the chosen project's name,
`workspace/project`, or external ID; `<project>` below is a placeholder for it.
Recent activity also requires `project`. Search accepts `project` for one
project, `projects` for selected projects, or `all_projects=True` explicitly.
Discovery and bundled manuals need no project. Keep the same scope when following
returned paths, paginating, or recovering from a refusal.

## Purpose

A thread has a beginning, middle, and end. Things change as the conversation progresses: an early decision gets revised, a problem looks different in light of new information, a trade-off is settled differently than it first seemed. When this skill is invoked, capture the **current state of understanding**, not the history of how it got there.

If the skill is invoked more than once in the same thread, the **same note is rewritten** so it stays coherent, not appended to. The result should read top-to-bottom as a single document about the thread's outcome, with brief prose where a meaningful change is worth acknowledging.

## When to Use

Typical timing is **mid-thread or end-of-thread**, after enough has been settled to be worth preserving.

Use this skill when:
- Key decisions have been made and shouldn't evaporate when the thread closes
- A design, debugging, or planning discussion has produced something concrete
- The user explicitly asks to capture, save, or remember what's been discussed
- Toward the end of a session, to summarize the outcome

The rest: https://github.com/basicmachines-co/basic-memory/blob/HEAD/skills/memory-capture/SKILL.md