Open-source persistent memory system for Claude Code solves context loss between sessions

A developer has created a persistent memory system for Claude Code that addresses the common problem of losing context between conversations. The system runs alongside Claude Code without requiring plugins or API keys.

How it works

The system operates through three main components:

• During conversations, Claude writes one-line notes to memory/inbox.md to capture important decisions, credentials, and lessons learned
• A nightly cron job extracts conversation transcripts (saved as JSONL files at ~/.claude/projects/) and combines them with inbox entries into a daily log
• At the start of each new conversation, Claude reads the last 2 days of logs via CLAUDE.md rules

Setup process

Setup requires minimal steps:

git clone https://github.com/Sunnyztj/claude-code-memory.git
cd claude-code-memory
./setup.sh ~/projects/memory
# Add the memory rules to your CLAUDE.md
# Set up a nightly cron job

What gets remembered automatically

• Architecture decisions (e.g., "switched from MongoDB to PostgreSQL")
• Deployment details (e.g., "VPS IP changed, new Nginx config")
• Lessons learned (e.g., "Docker COPY defaults to root:600, chmod needed")
• Account info, API keys, project milestones

Key design decisions

• File-based approach (not a database) — allows Claude to read/write directly, is git-friendly, and works offline
• Inbox pattern — one line per entry with zero friction for capture
• Incremental JSONL extraction — tracks byte offsets and never re-processes old conversations
• Cron-based (not in-process) — works with vanilla Claude Code without plugins

The system works with any Claude Code setup and includes optional cron job templates for users of ClaudeClaw (daemon mode). The developer reports using it daily in production workflow with significant improvements in context retention.