---
name: memory-management
description: How Claude Memory manages persistent memory across sessions and compactions
---

# Memory Management

## Available MCP Tools
- `memory_store`: Save facts, preferences, decisions
- `memory_recall`: Retrieve relevant memories by context
- `memory_list`: List recent memories
- `memory_delete`: Delete a memory by ID
- `secret_get`: Retrieve decrypted content of a sensitive memory

## When to Store Memories
- User says "remember X" -> store immediately
- User shares preferences -> store with category "preferences"
- Important project context -> store with category "projects"
- Key decisions -> store with category "decisions"
- People details -> store with category "people"

## When to Recall Memories
- Before answering preference questions ("how do I like X?")
- When user references past conversations
- At session start (memories are injected via compaction recovery)

## Compaction Survival
Memory survives context compactions via:
1. PreCompact hook saves key memories to a marker file
2. UserPromptSubmit hook detects the marker and injects recovery context
3. SQLite database persists across all sessions