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MemCell

Living memory for AI coding agents: recall before acting, report outcomes so confidence is earned.

Analytics & BITypeScriptv0.8.0

Hooks make the loop deterministic. MCP rides beside them as reach.

npm install -g memcell
memcell connect

Run it in a project you code in. It prints a code, one tap in your browser approves it — no account needed, and a guest's memory carries over on sign-in. Wires Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, Copilot CLI, OpenCode, Qwen, Grok, Droid, Kiro, Devin and more: hooks, the memcell mcp bridge, an agent key for this directory, and .memcell.

Installed rather than npxed on purpose: the hooks this writes name memcell, and a runner's cached copy is gone by the next session. npx memcell connect works and will say so if the command will not survive.

Commands

commandwhat it does
memcell connectwire this directory — approves in your browser the first time
memcell recallwhat memory serves before you act
memcell rememberfile one thing this project has established (--at when it applies)
memcell reportwhat happened when something memory served was acted on
memcell statuswho this machine is, and what this directory is linked to
memcell statswhat your agents did, and what it saved in tokens not spent
memcell ingest <f>hand a document to this directory's memory
memcell importbring existing instruction files into memory — bare, it finds them
memcell exportcarry this space out — one document, no account needed
memcell hook removetake memcell's hooks out of this directory
memcell loginsign this machine in
memcell resetforget everything memcell keeps on this machine
resourceacts on
memcell configsettings, per project or per machine
memcell spaceswhat you work on, and which one is active
memcell agentsthe agents wired to this account
memcell memoriesthe commons

memcell --help <name> explains any of them. Ships two binaries: memcell and mem.

Undo pairs: login ⇄ logout (this machine ⇄ an account), connect ⇄ hook remove (this directory ⇄ a space, with an agent key). Revoking a credential never forgets what the agents filed.

How it works

  • Hooks — recall runs at session start and prompt submit; remember and report run at turn end; and a rule that names a moment is served again before the act it bears on, which costs no extra call — the rules come down with the turn's recall and the matching is local. MCP tool calls are model-invoked with no session lifecycle, so they cannot guarantee any of those moments; hooks fire regardless of what the model decides to call. Fails open, always.
  • MCP — wiring also registers memcell mcp, a stdio bridge to the paired instance, so the model can ask memory mid-turn. The committed entry is just that command: no secret in any config file.
  • .memcell — the instance and the space. Project truth, identical for every clone, safe to commit. Keys live in the machine keyring; a teammate who clones runs one memcell connect of their own.

Options

optionwhat it does
--urlwhich memcell to act on, of the ones this directory is wired to
--spacename which of your spaces to wire, by slug
--pair <id>claim a pairing from the connect page instead of the in-terminal flow
--no-browserprint the approval link instead of opening it

MEMCELL_INSTANCE sets the default instance for a shell.

Claude Code plugin

This repo is also a plugin marketplace:

/plugin marketplace add memcell-ai/cli
/plugin install memcell@memcell

The plugin registers the MCP bridge and a skill teaching the four doors (recall, remember, ingest, report). Hooks still come from memcell connect — the plugin is reach, the hooks are the loop.

Links

Apache License 2.0 · © 2026 OpenOri

Installation

Source-derived launch command. Check the maintainer’s required arguments and credentials before running:

bash
npx -y memcell

Set up in your AI client

Merge this template into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. Keep existing servers. Add any arguments, credentials, and permissions required by the maintainer; this template has not been install-tested.

json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ai-memcell-memcell": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "memcell"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop completely for changes to take effect. Confirm the server appears connected in the client’s tool list, then try a read-only example from its documentation.

Claude Desktop setup reference

Package

memcellnpm

Compatible MCP Clients

MemCell works with any MCP-compatible client. Copy the config snippet from the Configuration section above and add it to the file shown for your client, then restart the application.

  • Claude Desktop~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.jsonRestart Claude Desktop completely for changes to take effect.
  • Cursor~/.cursor/mcp.jsonRestart Cursor for changes to take effect.
  • VS Code.vscode/mcp.jsonReload VS Code window for changes to take effect.
  • Windsurf~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.jsonRestart Windsurf for changes to take effect.
  • Claude Code.mcp.jsonSave at the project root, then start Claude Code in that project and review the MCP server approval prompt. Keep real credentials out of shared files.

Learn More