Tau Extension
The Basic Memory extension for Tau gives Tau sessions durable continuity. At startup it recalls the active branch's latest checkpoint, open tasks, and decisions; as work settles it captures what was learned; and before compaction it writes a checkpoint and waits for it to be saved, so a fresh or compacted session picks up where the last one stopped.
The extension is open source and lives in the basic-memory monorepo — browse the source in integrations/tau. New in v0.24.
--sync option sets up an isolated environment with a pinned compatible Tau build and Python 3.13+. It doesn't modify a global Tau install.Installation
You need the Basic Memory CLI (v0.24+), uv, and Python 3.13+ (uv can install it for you).
Preview the install
bm install tau --dry-run
The preview lists every file it would create or replace: the extension in ~/.tau/extensions/basic-memory, the setup skill in ~/.tau/skills, and four prompt templates in ~/.tau/prompts. Skills or templates you already have in another resource root are reused instead of copied.
Install
bm install tau --sync
--sync also installs the pinned Tau environment through uv. The installer asks before applying the plan (--yes skips the prompt). If a file you already have differs from the bundled copy, the install stops; review it and rerun with --replace to approve replacing it. No configuration, credentials, projects, or notes are changed.
Launch Tau
uv run --project ~/.tau/extensions/basic-memory tau
Run setup
In Tau, run /skill:basic-memory-setup to choose the destination project, a coding or general profile, and the capture policy. Then run /bm-status to confirm the connection — a successful install alone doesn't prove Tau can reach Basic Memory.
Configuration
Setup writes ~/.tau/basic-memory.json. Only this user-level file is read — repository files can't choose where Tau writes. A minimal general-profile config:
{
"project": "my-memory-project",
"auto_recall": true,
"capture_knowledge": true,
"checkpoint_on_compact": true,
"summarize_on_shutdown": true,
"capture_transcript": false
}
capture_knowledge to save only at compaction and shutdown, or turn off those settings too to use the tools and recall only. If you choose a cloud or team project, automatic writes go there.| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
project | unset | Destination for automatic memory in the general profile |
read_projects | [] | Up to six read-only projects to recall from |
repositories | [] | Coding profiles keyed by Git checkout root |
auto_recall | true | Restore the branch checkpoint and related context on start, reload, resume, or branch |
capture_knowledge | true | Summarize new conversation when work settles |
checkpoint_on_compact | true | Wait for a checkpoint before compaction |
summarize_on_shutdown | true | Save outstanding work before closing a session |
capture_transcript | false | Also save public messages as transcript notes |
checkpoint_folder | automatic | Coding: tau/<repo name>; general: tau/checkpoints |
Set TAU_BASIC_MEMORY_CONFIG to use a different config file. See the extension README for every setting.
Coding profiles
For coding work, register each checkout explicitly. A coding profile has its own destination and read sources:
{
"project": null,
"repositories": [
{
"kind": "coding",
"root": "/absolute/path/to/checkout",
"repository": "owner/repository",
"project": "my-memory-project",
"read_projects": ["team/shared"],
"placement_conventions": "Decisions in decisions/, tasks in tasks/. Search before creating notes."
}
]
}
Coding sessions are keyed by repository identity, not directory name, so worktrees of the same repository share recall. Checkpoints record the Git root, branch, SHA, and pull request when gh is available.
Shared notes with other agents
Tau writes the same Coding Session, Session, Task, and Decision schemas that the Claude Code and Codex plugins use. Any agent can find Tau's checkpoints, tasks, and decisions with ordinary Basic Memory queries, and Tau's recall can surface notes other agents wrote for the same repository. Setup asks before seeding any missing schema and never overwrites one you've customized. See Schema System.
Commands and tools
Every tool the Basic Memory MCP server advertises is available in Tau as bm_<tool name>. The extension adds:
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
/bm-status | Connection, destination, controls, last checkpoint, and last failure |
/bm-orient [topic] | Retrieve relevant notes into context |
/bm-checkpoint [focus] | Write a checkpoint now |
/bm-remember <text> | Ask the agent to save or update connected knowledge |
The installed prompt templates run as ordinary model turns:
| Template | What it does |
|---|---|
/bm-resume <topic> | Read prior work and check the current repository state |
/bm-plan <goal> | Recall constraints, propose a plan, then save an approved task |
/bm-decide <choice> | Save a decision with alternatives and consequences |
/bm-wrap-up [focus] | Review work and tasks, then prompt you to run /bm-checkpoint |
Privacy
Raw transcripts are off by default. Captures use only public user text and final assistant text — not hidden reasoning or raw tool output. Common credential formats are masked before writing, but this is not a general secret detector: turn off automatic capture for sensitive conversations.
If saving fails, Tau warns and keeps working. A failed save is never reported as saved.