Setup Memory

ClaudeMemory Setup & Upgrade

This skill automatically sets up or upgrades ClaudeMemory based on your current state.

What This Skill Does

When invoked, it will:

1. Check current installation status

   • Detect installed gem version
   • Check database existence and health
   • Verify configuration files

2. Determine required action

   • Fresh install (no databases)
   • Upgrade (version mismatch)
   • Verification (already up to date)

3. Execute setup/upgrade automatically

   • Run claude-memory doctor for health check
   • Add version markers to .claude/CLAUDE.md
   • Run smoke tests
   • Report results

4. Provide next steps

   • Restart recommendations if needed
   • Usage guidance

Instructions

IMPORTANT: This skill should take action, not just provide instructions.

Step 1: Check Installation Status

gem list claude_memory
claude-memory --version
claude-memory doctor

Analyze the output to determine current state.

• If gem list shows no claude_memory entry, the gem is not installed. Guide the user: gem install claude_memory
• If running in plugin mode (CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT is set), hooks and MCP are managed by the plugin — only databases and memory instructions need setup.

Step 2: Determine Action Required

• Not installed: Databases don't exist
  • Action: Run claude-memory init (ask user for --global flag preference)
• Installed but outdated: Version marker missing or old
  • Action: Run upgrade steps (doctor, add version marker, verify)
• Up to date: All healthy
  • Action: Report status only

Step 3: Execute Required Actions

For Fresh Install:

1. Ask user: "Install globally only or with project memory? [project/global]"
2. Run claude-memory init (with --global if selected)
3. Run claude-memory doctor to verify
4. Add version marker to .claude/CLAUDE.md
5. Report success

For Upgrade:

1. Run claude-memory doctor (auto-runs migrations)
2. Add/update version marker in .claude/CLAUDE.md
3. Run claude-memory stats for smoke test
4. Report upgrade complete

For Verification:

1. Run claude-memory doctor
2. Confirm version in .claude/CLAUDE.md
3. Report all healthy

Step 4: Report Results

Provide a clear summary:

• ✅ What was done
• 📊 Current status (facts, schema version, etc.)
• 🔄 Next steps (if any)

After Setup/Upgrade

Always remind the user:

1. Restart Claude Code if configuration files were modified
2. Test memory tools: Try memory.status or memory.recall "<topic>"
3. Use memory-first workflow: Check memory before reading files

What Gets Created

Databases

• ~/.claude/memory.sqlite3 - Global knowledge (preferences, conventions)
• .claude/memory.sqlite3 - Project-specific facts and decisions

Configuration Files

• .claude/CLAUDE.md - Workflow instructions for memory-first usage
• .claude/settings.json - Hooks for automatic ingestion
• .claude.json - MCP server configuration
• .claude/rules/claude_memory.generated.md - Published snapshot

Hooks

ClaudeMemory automatically ingests transcripts on these events:

• SessionStart - Catch up on previous session
• Stop - After each response
• SessionEnd - Final ingestion before closing
• PreCompact - Before context summarization

Common Scenarios

Fresh Install

User has never installed ClaudeMemory:

1. Ask installation preference (project vs global)
2. Run claude-memory init with appropriate flags
3. Verify with doctor
4. Add version marker
5. Report success and next steps

Upgrade After Gem Update

User updated gem but not configuration:

1. Run claude-memory doctor (auto-migrates schema)
2. Update version marker in .claude/CLAUDE.md
3. Verify with smoke tests
4. Report upgrade complete

Verification

User wants to check current status:

1. Run claude-memory doctor
2. Run claude-memory stats
3. Check version marker in .claude/CLAUDE.md
4. Report all findings

Troubleshooting Guide

If automatic setup fails, provide these solutions:

Permission Denied

chmod +x $(which claude-memory)

Database Locked

• Close other Claude sessions
• Run claude-memory recover

Missing Ruby ClaudeMemory requires Ruby 3.2.0+. Check with:

ruby --version

Hooks Not Working Re-run setup:

claude-memory init

Memory-First Workflow

After successful setup, always remind users:

1. Query memory first: memory.recall "<topic>"
2. Use semantic shortcuts: memory.decisions, memory.conventions, memory.architecture
3. Check before exploring: Memory saves time vs reading files
4. Combine knowledge: Merge recalled facts with code exploration

This workflow leverages distilled knowledge from previous sessions.