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mem-search (Cross-Session Memory Search)

Token-efficient search over claude-mem's persistent memory so Claude can recall work from earlier sessions.

UtilitiesIntermediate★ 90,139⑂ 7,846AI score 7/10Last updated: Aug 9, 2026

What it does

It queries the persistent memory database that claude-mem builds across sessions, using a strict three-layer workflow:

  1. search — keyword, date, type, and project filters return a compact index of IDs, timestamps and titles (~50–100 tokens per hit).
  2. timeline — expand context before and after an anchor item, interleaving observations, sessions and prompts chronologically.
  3. get_observations — batch-fetch full narratives, facts, concepts and files only for the IDs you actually kept.

Because filtering happens before fetching, the doc claims roughly 10x token savings versus pulling full records. Observation types (bugfix, feature, decision, discovery, change), date ranges, offsets and ordering are all documented.

Who it's for

  • Developers running long projects across many sessions who keep asking "how did we fix this last time?"
  • Existing claude-mem users who want disciplined, cheap memory retrieval
  • Anyone doing retrospectives, changelogs, or reconstructing past decisions

Examples

  • "Did we already fix the token expiration bug?" → search(query="authentication", obs_type="bugfix"), then fetch only the matching IDs.
  • "Summarize last week's work" → search(type="observations", dateStart="2025-11-11", limit=20).
  • "What led up to this architecture decision?" → timeline(anchor=11131, depth_before=5, depth_after=5).

· · · Install guide · · ·

Install in the Claude app (no terminal)
  1. Download the ZIP with the button below.
  2. In Claude, open Settings → Capabilities and turn on 'Code execution and file creation'. (one time)
  3. Go to Customize → Skills → + → 'Upload a skill' and upload the ZIP.
↓ Download ZIP
Install in Claude Code

Let Claude do it — paste this into Claude Code

Install the skill I found on Claude Skill Mart.
Copy the plugin/skills/mem-search folder from the GitHub repo thedotmack/claude-mem into my ~/.claude/skills/mem-search/.
When it's done, tell me in one line what this skill can do.

Install with a command instead

git clone https://github.com/thedotmack/claude-mem.git && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r claude-mem/plugin/skills/mem-search ~/.claude/skills/

⚠ This is a third-party skill. Check the source repository before installing.

  1. You need claude-mem itself first. Clone the repo: git clone https://github.com/thedotmack/claude-mem.git
  2. Follow the repo README to install the claude-mem plugin/MCP server and connect it to Claude Code. The search, timeline, and get_observations MCP tools are required.
  3. Copy the skill folder: mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r claude-mem/plugin/skills/mem-search ~/.claude/skills/
  4. Restart Claude Code and check /mcp (or the tool list) to confirm the claude-mem tools are available.
  5. Test it by asking about a past session, e.g. "did we already solve this?", and confirm the skill activates.
  6. Empty results usually mean no observations have been recorded yet — work a few sessions with claude-mem enabled, then retry.
View source on GitHub ↗License: Apache-2.0