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Installation Guide

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Quick Start

Install Claude-Mem directly from the plugin marketplace: 
/plugin marketplace add thedotmack/claude-mem
/plugin install claude-mem
That’s it! The plugin will automatically:
  • Download prebuilt binaries (no compilation needed)
  • Install all dependencies (including SQLite binaries)
  • Configure hooks for session lifecycle management
  • Auto-start the worker service on first session
Start a new Claude Code session and you’ll see context from previous sessions automatically loaded.

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System Requirements

  • Node.js: 18.0.0 or higher
  • Claude Code: Latest version with plugin support
  • Bun: JavaScript runtime and process manager (auto-installed if missing)
  • SQLite 3: For persistent storage (bundled)

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Advanced Installation

For development or testing, you can clone and build from source:

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Clone and Build

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/thedotmack/claude-mem.git
cd claude-mem

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build hooks and worker service
npm run build

# Worker service will auto-start on first Claude Code session
# Or manually start with:
npm run worker:start

# Verify worker is running
npm run worker:status

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Post-Installation Verification

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1. Automatic Dependency Installation

Dependencies are installed automatically during plugin installation. The SessionStart hook also ensures dependencies are up-to-date on each session start (this is fast and idempotent). Works cross-platform on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

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2. Verify Plugin Installation

Check that hooks are configured in Claude Code: 
cat plugin/hooks/hooks.json

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3. Data Directory Location

Data is stored in ~/.claude-mem/:
  • Database: ~/.claude-mem/claude-mem.db
  • PID file: ~/.claude-mem/.worker.pid
  • Port file: ~/.claude-mem/.worker.port
  • Logs: ~/.claude-mem/logs/worker-YYYY-MM-DD.log
  • Settings: ~/.claude-mem/settings.json
Override with environment variable: 
export CLAUDE_MEM_DATA_DIR=/custom/path

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4. Check Worker Logs

npm run worker:logs

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5. Test Context Retrieval

npm run test:context

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Upgrading

Upgrades are automatic when updating via the plugin marketplace. Key changes in recent versions: v7.1.0: PM2 replaced with native Bun process management. Migration is automatic on first hook trigger. v7.0.0+: 11 configuration settings, dual-tag privacy system. v5.4.0+: Skill-based search replaces MCP tools, saving ~2,250 tokens per session. See CHANGELOG for complete version history.

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Next Steps