Claude Code

Claude Code is powerful, but every session starts from zero. Basic Memory gives it a persistent knowledge base -- so your AI remembers project decisions, code patterns, and context across every session.

New to this setup? Basic Memory for Claude Code has a two-minute overview of what persistent memory changes.

Cloud Setup

claude mcp add -s user -t http basic-memory-cloud https://cloud.basicmemory.com/mcp

Local Setup

Install Basic Memory locally (Quickstart: Local), then add it to Claude Code:

claude mcp add basic-memory basic-memory mcp

Run /mcp in Claude Code to confirm the tools are available.

Try It

Once connected, try these prompts in Claude Code:

"Create a note about our authentication strategy -- we're using JWT with
refresh tokens, and here's why..."

"Search my notes for anything related to database migration patterns"

"What do my notes say about the API rate limiting decision we made last week?"

Basic Memory supports semantic search, so your queries don't need to match exact keywords -- it finds notes by meaning.

For the full list of tools Claude Code can use, see the MCP Tools Reference.

CLAUDE.md and Basic Memory

Claude Code uses CLAUDE.md files for project-level instructions. Basic Memory complements this nicely: CLAUDE.md tells Claude Code how to work in a project, while Basic Memory stores the knowledge -- decisions, architecture notes, research, context -- that doesn't belong in a static instruction file.

Agent Skills

Install agent skills to teach Claude Code best practices for writing well-structured notes. Skills give your AI reusable patterns so notes are consistent and useful from the start.

Troubleshooting

Tools not showing up in /mcp?

• For local: verify Basic Memory is installed (basic-memory --version) and re-add the server: claude mcp remove basic-memory && claude mcp add basic-memory basic-memory mcp
• For cloud: re-run the claude mcp add command and complete the OAuth flow again

Notes not syncing?

• Check sync status: basic-memory status
• Look for errors in ~/.basic-memory/basic-memory.log

FAQ

Claude Code already has CLAUDE.md and auto memory. Why add Basic Memory?

Claude Code's built-in memory is great for project instructions and short learnings. Basic Memory adds a full knowledge base on top — searchable notes with semantic connections, observations, and relations that span across projects and AI tools. Think of CLAUDE.md as "how to work here" and Basic Memory as "everything we know." See Using Basic Memory with Built-in AI Memory for a deeper comparison.

Next Steps