# Memory URLs > Address notes directly with memory:// paths, including project-prefixed routing. Basic Memory is a knowledge base that you and your AI share. Memory URLs are how notes are addressed — by your AI, by CLI commands, and by links between notes. Every note in Basic Memory has an address — a `memory://` URL that works like a web link for your knowledge base. Your AI uses these behind the scenes to read notes, follow connections, and build context. You'll see them in tool output and can use them directly when you want to point your AI at something specific. --- ## Basic forms ### By title/permalink ```text memory://auth-approaches-2024 ``` ### By path ```text memory://docs/authentication memory://docs/authentication.md ``` ### By wildcard ```text memory://docs/* memory://auth* ``` --- ## Project-prefixed URLs With project-prefixed permalink behavior enabled (default), memory URLs can include project scope: ```text memory://main/docs/authentication memory://research/specs/search-ranking ``` This is useful when the same note title exists in multiple projects. --- ## Cross-project references in links Within notes, project namespace syntax is normalized: ```text project::note-path ``` is treated as: ```text project/note-path ``` This improves cross-project resolution and keeps links explicit. --- ## Where Memory URLs are used Your AI uses memory URLs when reading notes, building context, and following links between notes. You can also use them directly in conversation — "read memory://docs/authentication" — or in CLI commands. Behind the scenes, tools like `read_note` and `build_context` accept memory URLs as their primary input, and assistant workflows pass them between calls to maintain stable references. --- ## Resolution behavior At runtime, Basic Memory resolves memory URLs in this order: ### 1. Project constraints If the MCP server was started with `BASIC_MEMORY_MCP_PROJECT=research`, all URLs are resolved within the `research` project regardless of any prefix in the URL: ```text memory://docs/auth → resolves in "research" project only ``` ### 2. Explicit project prefix If no constraint is set, the URL is checked for a project prefix. The first path segment is compared against known project names: ```text memory://main/docs/auth → resolves in "main" project memory://research/specs/api → resolves in "research" project ``` ### 3. Default project fallback If no constraint exists and no project prefix matches, the URL resolves in the default project: ```text memory://docs/auth → resolves in default project (typically "main") ``` ### Project-prefix extraction When `permalinks_include_project` is enabled (the default), Basic Memory checks whether the first path segment of a URL matches a known project name. If it does, that segment is stripped and used as the project context: ```text memory://main/specs/api-design ^^^^ → project = "main" ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ → path = "specs/api-design" ``` If the first segment doesn't match any known project, the entire path is treated as a note path within the default project. --- ## Best practices - Use project-prefixed URLs in multi-project workflows - Prefer permalinks for stability over titles when possible - Use wildcards for discovery, then switch to exact references --- ## Next steps See which tools accept memory URLs. Patterns for memory URL usage in assistant workflows.