Claude Code

Add persistent memory to Claude Code (CLI) and Claude Cowork (desktop app) with the Mem0 plugin. Your agent forgets everything between sessions. This plugin fixes that by connecting to Mem0’s cloud memory layer via MCP, automatically capturing learnings at key lifecycle points, and retrieving relevant context before every response.

Prerequisites

Before setting up Mem0 with Claude Code, ensure you have:

A Mem0 Platform account and API key:
- Sign up at app.mem0.ai
- Get your API key (starts with m0-)
Claude Code CLI or Claude Cowork desktop app installed
Your API key added to your shell profile (persists across sessions):

echo 'export MEM0_API_KEY="m0-your-api-key"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

echo 'export MEM0_API_KEY="m0-your-api-key"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Confirm it’s set:

echo $MEM0_API_KEY
# Should print: m0-your-api-key

Installation

Option A: Plugin Marketplace (Recommended)

Install the full plugin including MCP server, lifecycle hooks, and SDK skill.

Add the Mem0 marketplace:

claude plugin marketplace add mem0ai/mem0

Install the plugin:

claude plugin install mem0@mem0-plugins

Claude Cowork desktop app: Open the Cowork tab, click Customize in the sidebar, click Browse plugins, and install Mem0.

Option B: MCP Only

Add the Mem0 MCP server directly with a single command:

npx mcp-add \
  --name mem0-mcp \
  --type http \
  --url "https://mcp.mem0.ai/mcp/" \
  --clients "claude code"

This gives you the MCP tools but not the lifecycle hooks or SDK skill.

Option C: Manual MCP Configuration

Add to your Claude Code MCP config (.mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mem0": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.mem0.ai/mcp/",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Token ${MEM0_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Managing the Plugin

claude plugin update mem0@mem0-plugins         # update the plugin to the latest version (restart to apply)
claude plugin marketplace update mem0-plugins  # refresh the marketplace catalog
claude plugin uninstall mem0@mem0-plugins      # uninstall the plugin (keeps the marketplace)
claude plugin marketplace remove mem0-plugins  # unregister the marketplace entirely

Start a new session and ask: “List my mem0 entities” or “Search my memories for hello”. If the mem0 tools appear and respond, you’re all set.

Post-Installation: Run `/mem0:onboard`

After installing the plugin, start a new Claude Code session and run:

/mem0:onboard

This runs the setup wizard which:

Verifies your API key and MCP connection
Detects and imports project files (CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, .cursorrules)
Installs coding-optimized memory categories
Shows your identity (user ID, project scope, branch)

The onboarding is idempotent and safe to re-run anytime. It auto-triggers on first session in a new project, but you can always invoke it manually.

What’s Included

Component	Plugin Install	MCP Only
MCP Server (9 memory tools)	Yes	Yes
Lifecycle Hooks	Yes	No
Mem0 SDK Skill	Yes	No

Available MCP Tools

Once installed, the following tools are available in every Claude Code session:

Tool	Description
`add_memory`	Save text or conversation history for a user/agent
`search_memories`	Semantic search across memories with filters
`get_memories`	List memories with filters and pagination
`get_memory`	Retrieve a specific memory by ID
`update_memory`	Overwrite a memory’s text by ID
`delete_memory`	Delete a single memory by ID
`delete_all_memories`	Bulk delete all memories in scope
`delete_entities`	Delete a user/agent/app/run entity and its memories
`list_entities`	List users/agents/apps/runs stored in Mem0

Lifecycle Hooks

When installed via the plugin marketplace, Mem0 hooks into Claude Code’s lifecycle to automatically manage memory:

Hook	Event	What it does
Setup	`Setup`	Installs the mem0 SDK and dependencies (runs on init and maintenance)
Session start	`SessionStart`	Loads prior memories and displays status banner
User prompt	`UserPromptSubmit`	Searches relevant memories before each message; skips short prompts
Pre-tool (3 handlers)	`PreToolUse`	Blocks MEMORY.md writes; enforces `user_id`/`app_id` on mem0 tool calls; scans files being read for relevant memory context
Post-tool	`PostToolUse`	Tracks stats, scans bash errors for related memories
Stop	`Stop`	Stores a session summary at the end of every assistant turn (not just at session end)
Pre-compact	`PreCompact`	Stores a summary before the context is compacted

What you type is stored as yours. What Claude produces (session summaries and compaction summaries) is stored as the assistant’s, so its suggestions never become your stated preferences.

Example Workflow

# Session 1: Working on a feature
You: Let's refactor the auth module to use JWT tokens instead of sessions.

# Claude searches memories, finds nothing relevant, proceeds with the work.
# Mem0 stores what you said as yours:
#   - Your preference: "Prefers TypeScript, uses ESLint"
# ...and what Claude did as the assistant's, in the session summary:
#   - Decision: "Migrated auth from sessions to JWT tokens"
#   - Files modified: auth/middleware.ts, auth/token.ts

# Session 2 (days later): Related work
You: Add refresh token rotation to the auth system.

# Claude searches memories, retrieves the JWT migration context.
# Knows the file structure, decisions made, and your stated preferences.
# Continues seamlessly without re-explaining the codebase.

Troubleshooting

“Connection failed”: Verify MEM0_API_KEY is set in your shell: echo $MEM0_API_KEY. If empty, add it to your shell profile (see Prerequisites)
No tools appearing: Restart your Claude Code session after installation
Memories not being captured: Ensure you installed via the plugin marketplace (Option A) for lifecycle hooks. MCP-only installs require manual memory operations
“Mem0 Inactive” banner every session: Your API key isn’t persisting. Add export MEM0_API_KEY="m0-..." to your ~/.zshrc (or ~/.bashrc) and run source ~/.zshrc

Mem0 MCP Setup

Detailed MCP configuration for all clients

Codex Integration

Add Mem0 memory to OpenAI Codex workflows

Using Mem0? Star us on GitHub to help more developers discover memory for AI apps.

Coding Agents

Agent Harness

Claude Code

Prerequisites

Installation

Option A: Plugin Marketplace (Recommended)

Option B: MCP Only

Option C: Manual MCP Configuration

Managing the Plugin

Post-Installation: Run `/mem0:onboard`

What’s Included

Available MCP Tools

Lifecycle Hooks

Example Workflow

Troubleshooting

Mem0 MCP Setup

Codex Integration

​Prerequisites

​Installation

​Option A: Plugin Marketplace (Recommended)

​Option B: MCP Only

​Option C: Manual MCP Configuration

​Managing the Plugin

​Post-Installation: Run /mem0:onboard

​What’s Included

​Available MCP Tools

​Lifecycle Hooks

​Example Workflow

​Troubleshooting

Mem0 MCP Setup

Codex Integration

Prerequisites

Installation

Option A: Plugin Marketplace (Recommended)

Option B: MCP Only

Option C: Manual MCP Configuration

Managing the Plugin

Post-Installation: Run `/mem0:onboard`

What’s Included

Available MCP Tools

Lifecycle Hooks

Example Workflow

Troubleshooting