Memory Init

Initialize the Engram memory system for the current project.

When to Use

This skill is auto-triggered by the Engram hook when no .claude/memory-settings.json is found. Do NOT wait for the user to ask — when the hook says "Not initialized", immediately begin this workflow.

Workflow

1. Ask Preset Choice

Ask the user which preset they want:

personal-assistant — Daily life, preferences, habits, personal interactions
project-assistant — Codebase, architecture, tech decisions, team workflow
character-companion — Persona, relationship, story progression, emotional bonds
pair-programmer — AI self-learning, mistake tracking, user preference rules, collaboration patterns

Or offer custom configuration.

2. Ask File Name Customization

Show the default file names and ask if the user wants to change them:

memory_preferences.md    (User/Project/Character preferences)
memory_conversations.md  (Conversation history)
memory_longterm.md       (Long-term memories)

3. Ask Language Preference

en — English instructions injected by hook (default)
zh — Chinese instructions injected by hook

3.5 Ask Search Mode

strong — 每次回覆前都先搜尋記憶 / Search memories before EVERY response (no exceptions)
weak — 僅在判斷需要時搜尋 / Only search when context suggests it's relevant (default)

4. Create Configuration

Create .claude/memory-settings.json with the chosen settings:

{
  "enabled": true,
  "preset": "<chosen-preset>",
  "files": {
    "preferences": "<preferences-filename>",
    "conversations": "<conversations-filename>",
    "longterm": "<longterm-filename>"
  },
  "reload_interval": 10,
  "language": "<en|zh>",
  "search_mode": "<strong|weak>",
  "reminder_file": ".claude/memory-reminder.md"
}

5. Copy Preset Templates

Copy the template files from the plugin's templates/presets/<preset>/ directory to the project root. The plugin root is available via ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT} or can be found by locating the engram plugin directory.

Read each template file and write it to the project root with the configured file names.

Replace {DATE} placeholders with the current date (YYYY-MM-DD format).

5b. Create Reminder File

Copy the reminder template from the plugin's templates/ directory to .claude/memory-reminder.md:

If language is zh: copy from templates/memory-reminder-zh.md
If language is en: copy from templates/memory-reminder-en.md

The reminder file uses {{PREFS_FILE}}, {{CONVOS_FILE}}, {{LONGTERM_FILE}}, {{RELOAD_INTERVAL}}, and {{SEARCH_MODE_INSTRUCTION}} placeholders — these are automatically substituted at runtime by the hook script. Do NOT replace them during init.

Tell the user: "The reminder instructions are stored in .claude/memory-reminder.md. This is the legacy fallback — the main instructions are now in CLAUDE.md."

5c. Append Engram Section to CLAUDE.md

Read the CLAUDE.md section template from the plugin's templates/ directory:

If language is zh: read from templates/claude-md-section-zh.md
If language is en: read from templates/claude-md-section-en.md

Replace the following placeholders with the actual configured values:

{PREFS_FILE} → preferences file name
{CONVOS_FILE} → conversations file name
{LONGTERM_FILE} → longterm file name
{RELOAD_INTERVAL} → reload interval number
{PRESET} → chosen preset name
{VERSION} → plugin version from .claude-plugin/plugin.json
{SEARCH_MODE_INSTRUCTION} → resolved based on search_mode and language:
- strong + en: 7. **MANDATORY pre-response search**: Before EVERY response, first analyze the user's intent and use the \memory-recall` skill to search memories. No exceptions — always search first, respond second.`
- weak + en: 7. **Uncertainty about current topic**: If the conversation could possibly relate to past context, you MUST use the \memory-recall` skill to search memories before responding`
- strong + zh: 7. **強制預搜尋**：每次回覆前，必須先分析使用者意圖，然後使用 \memory-recall` skill 搜尋記憶。沒有例外 — 永遠先搜尋再回覆。`
- weak + zh: 7. **對當前話題不確定**：如果對話有可能涉及過去的上下文，必須先使用 \memory-recall` skill 搜尋記憶再回覆`

Then apply to CLAUDE.md in the project root:

If CLAUDE.md exists and contains : Replace everything between  and  (inclusive) with the new resolved content
If CLAUDE.md exists but has no markers: Append the resolved content to the end of the file (with a blank line separator)
If CLAUDE.md does not exist: Create a new CLAUDE.md with only the resolved content

Tell the user: "Memory instructions have been added to CLAUDE.md for high-priority instruction following. The hook will now only inject lightweight datetime/turn signals."

6. Initialize Counter

Create .claude/memory_counter.txt with content 0.

7. Optional Customization

Ask the user: "Would you like to add or modify any sections in the preferences template?"

If yes, guide through customization — adding new sections, renaming existing ones, or removing irrelevant ones.

8. Optional Initial Fill

Ask the user: "Would you like to fill in your initial preferences now?"

If yes, walk through each section and populate the preferences file with the user's answers.

8.5 Upgrade Path (Re-running Init)

If .claude/memory-settings.json already exists but search_mode is not set:

Skip steps 1–3 (preset, file names, language are already configured)
Ask: "search_mode is not configured yet — would you like to enable strong search mode?"
Update memory-settings.json with the chosen search_mode value
Re-generate the reminder file (Step 5b) and CLAUDE.md section (Step 5c) with the new search mode instruction
Do NOT reset other settings (preset, files, language, etc.)

9. Output Summary

Display a summary of what was created:

Engram Memory System Initialized!

Preset: <preset>
Language: <language>

Files created/updated:
  - <preferences-file> (preferences)
  - <conversations-file> (conversation history)
  - <longterm-file> (long-term memories)
  - .claude/memory-settings.json (configuration)
  - .claude/memory-reminder.md (legacy hook instructions)
  - .claude/memory_counter.txt (turn counter)
  - CLAUDE.md (memory instructions — high priority)

The memory system is now active. I will automatically:
  - Load your preferences on turn 1 and every N turns
  - Save new preferences and decisions as I discover them
  - Record conversation summaries
  - Search past conversations when relevant

memory-init