Memory Management

Persistent memory system that ensures Claude never repeats mistakes and always applies learned patterns across conversations.

When to Use This Skill

Invoke memory search in these situations:

• Starting any task - Check for existing patterns, preferences, past failures
• Before writing/editing code - Apply learned conventions and avoid past mistakes
• Before making architectural decisions - Check for established patterns
• When user mentions preferences - Store for future sessions
• When user corrects your work - Store correction with highest priority
• After overcoming a challenge - Store the learning cycle (fail → fix → success)

Key Directives

1. ALWAYS search before acting - Call mcp__claude-recall__search before Write, Edit, or significant Bash operations
2. Apply what you find - Use retrieved preferences, patterns, and corrections
3. Capture corrections immediately - User fixes are highest priority
4. Store learning cycles - When you fail then succeed, that's valuable knowledge
5. Never store secrets - No API keys, passwords, tokens, or PII

Quick Reference

Search (Before Every Task)

mcp__claude-recall__search({ "query": "[task] [domain] preferences patterns" })

Examples:

• Before tests: "testing tdd framework location"
• Before git: "git commit branch workflow"
• Before deploy: "deploy docker build ci/cd"
• Before coding: "[language] style conventions preferences"

Store (When Something Important Happens)

mcp__claude-recall__store_memory({
  "content": "Description of what to remember",
  "metadata": { "type": "preference|correction|devops|success|failure" }
})

What Gets Stored

Automatic Capture (You Don't Need to Store)

The system auto-captures when users say:

• "I prefer X" / "Always use X" / "Never do X" → Preferences
• "We use X for Y" / "Tests go in X" → Project conventions
• "This is a [type] project" → Project context

Manual Storage Required

Store these explicitly:

Corrections (highest priority):

User: "No, put tests in __tests__/ not tests/"
→ Store: "CORRECTION: Test files go in __tests__/ directory, not tests/"

Complex workflows:

→ Store: "Deploy process: 1) npm test 2) docker build 3) push to ECR 4) kubectl apply"

Learning cycles (fail → fix → success):

→ Store: "REST API failed due to CORS. Solution: Use GraphQL endpoint instead."

Memory Priority Order

1. Corrections - User explicitly fixed a mistake (HIGHEST)
2. DevOps - Git, testing, deploy, architecture patterns
3. Preferences - Code style, tool choices, conventions
4. Success/Failure - Learning cycles and past mistakes

What NOT to Store

Never store:

• API keys, tokens, passwords, secrets
• Personal emails, phone numbers, addresses
• Database connection strings with credentials
• Any sensitive configuration values

Safe to store:

• "We use JWT for auth" (pattern, not credentials)
• "API base URL is https://api.example.com" (non-sensitive)
• "PostgreSQL for production, SQLite for tests" (tool choice)

Example Workflows

Starting a New Task

1. User: "Add user authentication"

2. Search first:
   mcp__claude-recall__search({ "query": "authentication auth jwt session preferences" })

3. Found: "We use JWT for auth, store tokens in httpOnly cookies"

4. Implement using JWT + httpOnly cookies (not sessions)

5. User approves → Done (no need to store, just applied existing knowledge)

User Corrects Your Work

1. You: Created auth with localStorage tokens

2. User: "No, we always use httpOnly cookies for security"

3. Fix the code

4. Store the correction:
   mcp__claude-recall__store_memory({
     "content": "CORRECTION: Always use httpOnly cookies for auth tokens, never localStorage",
     "metadata": { "type": "correction" }
   })

Overcoming a Challenge

1. Tried: Redis sessions for auth
   Failed: "Session sync issues in k8s cluster"

2. User suggested: "Try stateless JWT"

3. Implemented JWT → Works!

4. Store the learning:
   mcp__claude-recall__store_memory({
     "content": "Auth in k8s: Redis sessions failed (sync issues). JWT stateless tokens work correctly.",
     "metadata": { "type": "success", "learning_cycle": true }
   })

Troubleshooting

Search returns nothing relevant:

• Broaden keywords: include domain + task + "preferences patterns"
• This may be a new project with no history yet

Automatic capture missed something:

• Store it manually with appropriate type
• Future searches will find it

Check what's been captured:

mcp__claude-recall__get_recent_captures({ "limit": 10 })

---

The Learning Loop: Search → Apply → Execute → Capture outcomes → Better next time