# How claude-mem Works

Explains how claude-mem captures observations and where its data is stored.

- Repository: https://github.com/thedotmack/claude-mem (109099 stars)
- Category: Documents
- License: Apache-2.0
- Last updated: 2026-11-01
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add thedotmack/claude-mem --skill how-it-works -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add thedotmack/claude-mem --skill how-it-works -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add thedotmack/claude-mem --skill how-it-works -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add thedotmack/claude-mem --skill how-it-works -g -a gemini-cli -y`
Claude Code plugin marketplace: `/plugin marketplace add thedotmack/claude-mem`

## Description

Explain how claude-mem captures observations, when memory injection kicks in, and where data lives. Use when the user asks "how does claude-mem work?" or "what is this thing doing?".

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

# How claude-mem works

## What it does

Every Read, Edit, and Bash that Claude makes turns into a compressed observation. Observations get summarized at session end. Relevant ones get auto-injected into future prompts so the next session starts with context from the last one, no re-explaining the codebase, no re-discovering decisions.

## When it kicks in

Memory injection starts on your second session in a project.

The first session in a fresh project seeds memory; subsequent sessions receive auto-injected context for relevant past work. Run `/learn-codebase` if you want to front-load the entire repo into memory in a single pass (~5 minutes, optional).

## Where data lives

Everything stays in ~/.claude-mem on this machine.

Nothing leaves your machine except calls to whichever AI provider you configured for compression (Claude / OpenRouter / Gemini). Local installs contact cmem.ai once, at signup, to create the sign-in link; nothing else is sent to cmem.ai. The SQLite database, vector index, logs, and settings all live under that directory and are removed cleanly on `npx claude-mem uninstall`.