# Honcho Memory

Persistent cross-session memory via Honcho, recall what you know about the user before...

- Repository: https://github.com/plastic-labs/honcho (7877 stars)
- Category: Engineering
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-11-01
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add plastic-labs/honcho --skill honcho-memory -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add plastic-labs/honcho --skill honcho-memory -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add plastic-labs/honcho --skill honcho-memory -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add plastic-labs/honcho --skill honcho-memory -g -a gemini-cli -y`

## Description

Persistent cross-session memory via Honcho, recall what you know about the user before working, and save durable insights after.

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

# Honcho memory

You have a persistent memory of this user that survives across sessions, backed by Honcho. In `hybrid` or `context` recall mode the Kilo plugin's hooks inject relevant context each turn; in `tools` mode this skill is how memory reaches you. The hooks record the conversation in every mode. This skill is for the times you should reach for memory *actively*.

## When to pull memory

Before non-trivial work, query memory instead of guessing:

- The task touches the user's preferences, conventions, or past decisions
- You're about to make an assumption you could instead verify ("which package manager?", "how is auth done here?")
- The user references something from "before" or "last time"

Use the Honcho tools:

- `honcho_search`, semantic lookup over the messages in this Honcho session only; it does not reach other chats or sessions
- `honcho_chat`, ask a natural-language question about the user or project ("what's their testing style?"); this is the tool for what Honcho knows across sessions

## When to save memory

After you learn something durable, persist it with `honcho_create_conclusion`:

- A decision with rationale ("chose SQLite over Postgres, embedded, zero-setup")
- A stable preference ("prefers small, focused PRs")
- A non-obvious gotcha or root cause worth remembering
- A convention specific to this codebase

Keep each conclusion to one concise statement with the *why*. Review before adding near-duplicates.

## When not to bother

Skip memory for throwaway or purely mechanical tasks, running a build, answering a general knowledge question, trivial edits. Don't narrate that you checked memory; just use it.

## Honcho's own files

Never read, print or edit `~/.honcho/config.json`, and never run Honcho setup commands in a shell. The file holds the user's API key. Call `honcho_status` to see Honcho's settings, and `honcho_setup` to set Honcho up; it asks for the key in a window, never in chat. The user can also type `/honcho`.