Memory Map

memory-map

A complete memory loop for Claude. Snapshot, recall, and prune project context across sessions.

[](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT) [](https://github.com/shandar/memory-map/releases) [](#install) [](https://docs.claude.com)

Three skills, bundled as one plugin. Works in claude.ai, Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and Codex CLI.

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The problem

Every new Claude conversation starts blank.

You re-explain your project. You re-describe what you are building. You re-state the decisions you already made. Every. Single. Time.

It is a tax on every session. And it gets worse the longer your project runs.

The fix

Three skills that give Claude a working memory across sessions:

| Skill | What it does | When it triggers | |-------|--------------|------------------| | memory-map | Snapshots your session — what was built, decided, pending — to persistent memory | At session close, or when you say "save this" | | memory-recall | Loads stored memory and surfaces what is relevant right now | At session start, or when you ask "what do you remember?" | | memory-prune | Identifies stale entries and proposes a cleanup, with your confirmation | When memory gets cluttered, or on request |

The loop: write → recall → prune. Together they make Claude feel like it actually remembers your work.

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Works everywhere

Same protocol, two storage backends, detected automatically:

| Environment | Storage | |-------------|---------| | claude.ai | Persistent memory API (memory_user_edits) | | Claude Code | Local file at ~/.claude/memory.md |

Compatible with the open SKILL.md format, also works in Cursor, Windsurf, Codex CLI, and any tool that supports Anthropic's Agent Skills spec.

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Install

Claude Code (one line)

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/shandar/memory-map/main/install.sh | bash

The installer clones the repo, copies all three skills to ~/.claude/skills/, initialises ~/.claude/memory.md, and backs up any pre-existing skill folders.

Claude Code (manual)

git clone https://github.com/shandar/memory-map.git
cd memory-map
cp -r skills/* ~/.claude/skills/

Restart Claude Code. The skills load automatically.

claude.ai

Each skill installs separately on claude.ai:

1. Download the latest release
2. Extract the archive
3. Open Settings → Skills → Install from file
4. Upload skills/memory-map/SKILL.md, then memory-recall/SKILL.md, then memory-prune/SKILL.md

After all three are installed, they trigger automatically based on what you say.

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Usage

After install, just talk normally. The skills trigger themselves.

At the start of a session

You: "What do you remember about my dashboard project?"

Claude: Picking up where we left off:

Current state — Auth flow shipped to staging. API rate limiting
implemented with Redis backend. Dashboard refactor in progress.

Pending items:
→ Finish the analytics widget refactor
→ Review PR #142 from Sarah
→ Migrate billing service to new endpoint

Active projects: dashboard refactor, auth flow, billing migration.

At the end of a session

You: "Save this conversation"

Claude: MEMORY MAP — updated April 27 2026

UPDATED  →  Auth flow status (now in staging)
UPDATED  →  Current state snapshot
NEW      →  API rate limiting decisions (Redis backend)
──────────────────────────────────────────────────
UNCHANGED: 8 entries

When memory gets cluttered

You: "Clean up the memory"

Claude: MEMORY PRUNE — proposed changes

REMOVE (stale)
→ Entry 7: "Old auth design (v1)" — superseded by v3 in entry 11
→ Entry 14: "Q1 sprint planning" — quarter is closed

CONSOLIDATE
→ Entries 3 + 9 → single "API conventions" entry

KEEP all 6 operating preference entries

Apply these changes? [yes / modify / cancel]

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Trigger phrases

The skills activate on natural language, no commands to memorise.

| Skill | Trigger phrases | |-------|----------------| | memory-map | save this · snapshot this · memorise this chat · update your memory · store this session · don't lose this context | | memory-recall | what do you remember · what's the context · where did we leave off · catch me up · show me the memory map | | memory-prune | clean up memory · prune memory · consolidate memory · trim the memory map |

All three also fire proactively when conditions are right — at the close of a productive session, at the start of a new one, or when memory is approaching its limits.

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How memory is stored

Claude Code: ~/.claude/memory.md

Plain markdown, readable, editable, version-controllable:

# Claude Memory Map
Last updated: April 27 2026

## 1. CURRENT STATE SNAPSHOT (April 2026)
Auth flow in staging. API rate limiting shipped with Redis. Dashboard refactor
in progress. Next: analytics widget, PR #142 review, billing migration.

## 2. AUTH SERVICE
JWT with refresh tokens. Redis session store. 15-min access, 7-day refresh.
PR: github.com/team/repo/pull/127. Owner: backend team.

## 3. CODING CONVENTIONS
TypeScript strict mode. Vitest for tests. Conventional commits. Trunk-based dev.

You can edit this file directly. memory-prune will respect your edits.

claude.ai: Persistent memory API

Stored via Anthropic's memory_user_edits tool. Visible in Settings → Memory. Works the same way functionally — same category labels, same density rules, just managed via API instead of file.

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Design principles

• Proactive, not reactive — skills run when they should, without being asked
• Replace over accumulate — stale entries are replaced, never stacked
• Density over prose — every entry is scannable, fact-packed, no filler
• One source of truth — CURRENT STATE SNAPSHOT is always exactly one entry
• Confirm before destruction — memory-prune always proposes, never deletes autonomously
• Environment-aware — same skill, right storage for the right tool

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Repository structure

memory-map/
├── README.md                          ← you are here
├── LICENSE                            ← MIT
├── CHANGELOG.md                       ← version history
├── CONTRIBUTING.md                    ← how to contribute
├── marketplace.json                   ← plugin manifest
├── install.sh                         ← one-line installer
└── skills/
    ├── memory-map/
    │   ├── SKILL.md
    │   └── references/
    │       ├── claude-ai.md           ← memory_user_edits API
    │       └── claude-code.md         ← ~/.claude/memory.md file
    ├── memory-recall/
    │   ├── SKILL.md
    │   └── references/
    │       ├── claude-ai.md
    │       └── claude-code.md
    └── memory-prune/
        ├── SKILL.md
        └── references/
            ├── claude-ai.md
            └── claude-code.md

Each skill is self-contained and can be used independently. The plugin bundles them for one-command install.

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Roadmap

• [x] v0.1 — memory-map, memory-recall, memory-prune
• [ ] v0.2 — multi-project memory (separate stores per repo or workspace)
• [ ] v0.3 — memory export/import for sharing project context across teams
• [ ] v0.4 — memory diffing across sessions ("what changed since last week?")

Track progress in issues and discussions.

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Built by

Shandar Junaid — Founder, Affordance Design Studio

If you build on top of this, I would love to see what you make. Tag me on LinkedIn or X.

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License

MIT — use it, fork it, extend it. See [LICENSE](LICENSE).

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Credits

The SKILL.md format and Agent Skills specification are from Anthropic. This plugin is an independent open-source project, not affiliated with Anthropic.

Source & license

This open-source MCP server is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: shandar
• Source: shandar/memory-map
• License: MIT
• Homepage: https://affordance.design

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.