# Cognee Forget

Use when removing data from cognee memory with forget() in the SDK, HTTP API, or CLI, ...

- Repository: https://github.com/topoteretes/cognee (32985 stars)
- Category: Data and ML
- License: Apache-2.0
- Last updated: 2026-11-01
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add topoteretes/cognee --skill cognee-forget -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add topoteretes/cognee --skill cognee-forget -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add topoteretes/cognee --skill cognee-forget -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add topoteretes/cognee --skill cognee-forget -g -a gemini-cli -y`

## Description

Use when removing data from cognee memory with forget() in the SDK, HTTP API, or CLI, finding which dataset and document hold the content to delete (listing datasets and data items, reading raw content), choosing between deleting one document, a whole dataset, or only the graph/vector memory, and doing it safely.

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

# Remove data with forget()

`forget()` is cognee's one deletion API. It removes one document, a whole
dataset, or only the derived memory (graph + vectors) while keeping the raw
files. Deletion cannot be undone, so the workflow is always **find, read,
confirm, then delete**.

> **Hard limits for agents**
> - Delete only what the user asked to forget. Identify it by reading the
>   content first; never guess from a file name alone.
> - Confirm the exact items with the user before deleting, unless they
>   already named exact ids.
> - The widest deletion you may run is `forget(everything=True)`, and only
>   when the user explicitly asks to wipe all of their memory. Never use any
>   other reset or wipe mechanism to delete data.

## Use it

### 1. Find the dataset

```python
import cognee

datasets = await cognee.datasets.list_datasets()  # datasets the user can read
for ds in datasets:
    print(ds.id, ds.name)
```

HTTP: `GET /api/v1/datasets`. CLI: `cognee-cli datasets list`.

### 2. List its documents

```python
items = await cognee.datasets.list_data(dataset_id)  # all Data rows, oldest first
for item in items:
    print(item.id, item.name, item.extension, item.created_at)
```

HTTP: `GET /api/v1/datasets/{dataset_id}/data?limit=100&offset=0` (limit up
to 1000; `GET .../data/count` for the total; example:
`examples/python/dataset_data_pagination.py`). CLI:
`cognee-cli datasets data <dataset_uuid>`.

Each item has `id`, `name`, `created_at`, `extension`, `mime_type`,
`raw_data_location`, `dataset_id`, `label`, `external_metadata` (including
any `node_set`), and `data_size`.

### 3. Read the content before deciding

Names are often `text_<hash>.txt`, so read the content to find what the user
means.

- HTTP: `GET /api/v1/datasets/{dataset_id}/data/{data_id}/raw` returns the
  stored file (404 if it is gone).
- SDK: there is no "get raw" helper; open the stored location:

```python
from cognee.infrastructure.files.utils.open_data_file import open_data_file

The rest: https://github.com/topoteretes/cognee/blob/HEAD/.agents/skills/cognee-forget/SKILL.md