claude-mem
thedotmack/claude-memReviewed by AI
What it does
Claude-Mem is a plugin for AI coding assistants (Claude Code, OpenCode, Codex, Gemini, Copilot, OpenClaw and others). While you work it captures what the assistant did, has an AI model compress that into short observations stored in a local SQLite database, and puts the relevant parts back into the next session, so the assistant does not start from zero. It adds search tools, a local web viewer, optional cloud backup and an optional shared team workspace. You install it with one npx command; it needs Node 20 or newer and a model provider.
How easy it is to install
C · install 1 or 2 tools · Windows
- Windows C
- macOS C
- Linux C
On all three systems you need Node.js 20 or newer and an AI coding assistant already installed, then run npx claude-mem install (or two /plugin commands inside Claude Code) and restart the assistant; the installer also pulls in Bun and uv by itself. Windows needs Node and npm on your PATH and a terminal restart. Docker is only for the optional self-hosted server stack.
Numbers on GitHub
- Stars
- 107,881on Oct 31, 2026
- Downloads
- —all releases
- Growth
- +4,448stars in 5 days
Stars over time
History starts on Oct 31, 2026.
Facts
- Runs on
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- You need to install
- Node.js, Docker
- To build from source
- Node.js, Docker
- Disk space
- 150 MB–650 MB · estimate
- Accounts or keys
- A model provider for generating the memories (the claude-mem observer, your own OpenRouter or Gemini key, or your Anthropic plan), claude-mem account sign-in by email magic link, which provisions a memory key (skippable with an explicit --provider flag or CLAUDE_MEM_ONLINE_OPTIN=false)
- Cost
- Freemium · The code is free (Apache-2.0). The README describes the claude-mem observer as a paid hosted service with a 30-day free trial that "automatically falls back to your Anthropic plan unless you subscribe", plus optional Cloud Sync and TeamBrain; you can instead use your own OpenRouter, Gemini or Anthropic plan and pay that provider.
- License
- Apache-2.0 (Permissive)
- Can replace
- Mem0, Zep, Supermemory
- Last update
- Oct 30, 2026
Risk signals (7)
- AttentionInstall command runs a script from the internet
Install command pipes a remote script into a shell: curl -fsSL https://install.cmem.ai/openclaw.sh | bash
automatic check
- Attentionreadme promotes a crypto token
README.md, final section "What About CMEM?": "CMEM is a token created by a 3rd party but officially embraced by the creator of Claude-Mem (Alex Newman, @thedotmack). The token acts as a community catalyst for growth" followed by "Official BASE CA: 0x76b1967eec0ccaeb001bbbb2b40dc4badba31ba3". A developer tool's README endorsing a cryptocurrency contract address is worth knowing about before installing.
AI review
- Attentionrecords everything your assistant does
Repository description: "Captures everything your agent does during sessions, compresses it with AI, and injects relevant context back into future sessions." README.md lists "Privacy Control - Use <private> tags to exclude sensitive content from storage", screenshots "opt-in, off by default" kept under ~/.claude-mem/media-v1/ and uploaded to cmem.ai "only when Cloud Sync is on". The compression step sends your session content to whichever model provider you pick, and the Grok Bot install says "Default is CMEM Pro, the hosted memory. Local observer is opt-in: --provider host."
AI review
- Infoinstaller adds other runtimes by itself
README.md System Requirements: "Bun: JavaScript runtime and process manager (auto-installed if missing)" and "uv: Python package manager for vector search (auto-installed if missing)". The installer also puts a launcher on your PATH (on Windows at %LOCALAPPDATA%\claude-mem\bin\claude-mem.exe) and registers lifecycle hooks that run on every session event.
AI review
- Infoproduct analytics library bundled
package.json notes that posthog-node is "esbuild-inlined into the worker/server/npx bundles", and the repository root contains posthog-self-driving-report.md. The README does not say what is reported or how to turn it off.
AI review
- Infoself hosted stack not for the open internet
docker-compose.yml: "SECURITY: This file MUST NOT be deployed unmodified to any environment that is reachable from the public internet, including staging behind a VPN where lateral movement is possible." It also warns that API-key auth generation "bills per token and can be EXPENSIVE at high observation volume".
AI review
- Infovery fast release churn
GitHub facts: 381 releases since 2025-08-31, version 15.7.0, with three releases on 2026-10-29 and 2026-10-30 alone, and 139 open issues. The README also warns that npm install -g claude-mem installs "the SDK/library only" and does not set the plugin up.
AI review
Evidence is shown in its original language.
What Radar could not check
- How much the hosted observer costs after the 30-day trial, and what happens to memories if you stop paying.
- What the bundled analytics library sends and whether it can be turned off.
- How much extra model usage the compression step adds to a working day.
- Real disk use of the memory database, vectors and converted screenshots over months of use.
- Whether the <private> tags keep every piece of sensitive content out of storage.
- What the remote install script for OpenClaw gateways does on your machine.