Memory Kernel is a small local memory layer for AI agents.
It helps you save useful things such as decisions, constraints, tasks, facts, and notes in a local SQLite database, then pull back only the few memories that matter for the current task.
Published package name on PyPI: amormorri-memory-kernel
CLI command after install: memory-kernel
Local-first memory for AI agents: SQLite FTS5, deterministic recall, no vector DB, no cloud.
Add --interactive for a guided flow that prompts for scope, source, tags, and the text itself, then shows a preview and asks for confirmation before saving. Helpful for first-time users or for ad-hoc captures from the terminal without remembering the flag names.
memory-kernel ingest --interactive
search
Use search when you want a few relevant exact memories for a query.
memory-kernel search "context budget"
context
Use context when you want a compact pack for an agent prompt.
memory-kernel context "How do we keep memory cheap?" --budget-chars 700
wake-up
Use wake-up when you want a small "hot memory" pack before a task starts.
memory-kernel wake-up --budget-chars 500
stats
Use stats when you want to see database size and whether the native accelerator is active.
--since adds recent-activity counts (created and updated since the cutoff) plus a per-kind breakdown for the window. Accepts either a relative form like 7d or an ISO date.
list
Use list to browse recent memories (most recently updated first) with optional filters.
memory-kernel list
memory-kernel list --scope project.alpha --limit 50
memory-kernel list --kind decision --tags rust memory
memory-kernel list --json
Default limit is 20. The output shows id, kind/scope, title, and the timestamps so you can pipe ids into show/update/delete.
show
Use show when you have a memory id (printed by search, remember --json, or export) and want the full record.
memory-kernel show --id 9f1e8c0a4b2d4e7f8a1b2c3d4e5f6a7b
memory-kernel show --id 9f1e8c0a4b2d4e7f8a1b2c3d4e5f6a7b --json
update
Use update to fix specific fields on an existing memory without re-importing the whole database.
Only the fields you pass change. Pass --tags with no values to clear tags. Pass --kind, --importance, or --certainty to revise validation-bound fields.
delete
Use delete to drop a memory you saved by mistake or that no longer applies.
The command exits non-zero if the id does not exist, so wrap it in shell logic if you script around it.
forget / restore
delete removes a memory permanently. When you only want it out of recall but kept for safety, use forget — a soft-archive. Archived memories disappear from search, context, wake-up, and list, but the data stays and restore brings it back.
memory-kernel forget --id 9f1e...
memory-kernel restore --id 9f1e...
memory-kernel list --include-archived # see archived/superseded memories
Re-saving the same memory with remember/ingest also resurrects it automatically.
revise
When a new memory replaces an old one, record the relationship with revise: the old memory is marked superseded (hidden from recall, kept for history with a pointer to its replacement).
This keeps memory self-curating: stale decisions fade out of recall as newer ones take their place, instead of piling up as contradictory noise.
decay
decay applies a forgetting curve: it auto-archives memories that are old, rarely recalled, and low-value, so the store and your recall stay lean over time. Each memory has a retention score built from its importance, how often it has been recalled (reinforcement), and how long since it was last seen (time decay).
Only note and fact memories are eligible — decision, constraint, task, and preference are never decayed. Archiving is the soft, recoverable kind, so restore and list --include-archived still reach faded memories. This is the heart of the project's thesis: spend the budget on what matters, let trivia fade.
completion
Use completion to print a shell completion script for memory-kernel. The script is generated dynamically from the current parser, so it stays in sync as commands are added.
After installing, memory-kernel <Tab><Tab> shows all subcommands; memory-kernel remember --<Tab> lists flags for that command; memory-kernel remember --kind <Tab> cycles through valid kind values.
verify
Use verify to check that the database is internally consistent: schema version is current, derived columns (stems_text, fingerprint) match the source content, and the FTS5 index row count matches the memories table.
Without --repair, exit code is 0 when healthy and 1 when issues are found. With --repair, mismatches are recomputed in-place and the FTS index is rebuilt if its row count drifted; exit code is 0 if everything was fixed.
Useful after restoring from a manual backup, after editing the database with raw SQL, or as a periodic sanity check in CI.
import is idempotent for the same exported records because it upserts by memory id.
Use With An LLM (MCP)
Memory Kernel ships an MCP server so an LLM can save and recall memories itself during a session. It works with Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and any other MCP client, over stdio.
Install with the MCP extra:
pip install "amormorri-memory-kernel[mcp]"
Run it directly to check it starts:
memory-kernel-mcp --db .memory-kernel\memory.db
# or via the main CLI:
memory-kernel serve-mcp --db-path .memory-kernel\memory.db
Then register it with your client. For Claude Desktop (claude_desktop_config.json):
memory_forget is exposed because it is reversible — an agent can let a stale memory fade, and a human can restore it from the CLI. Truly destructive edits (delete, update, revise) are deliberately not exposed over MCP: an agent can add, recall, and soft-forget, but only you can permanently rewrite or remove.
Tools take flat parameters, so the model sees scope, kind, title, … directly. Verify the whole protocol round-trip any time with python scripts/mcp_smoke.py, and see docs/REAL_AI_TEST.md for a hand-test script to run on a real model.
How It Works
The core idea is simple:
Store exact text locally.
Search cheaply with SQLite and FTS5.
Rank results deterministically instead of fuzzily.
Return a small context pack with a hard character budget.
That is how Memory Kernel reduces both blur and overhead.
Data Flow
flowchart TD
A[Raw input: note, transcript, command] --> B{Entry mode}
B -->|remember| C[One validated memory]
B -->|ingest| D[Split into memory candidates]
D --> E[Infer kind, title, summary, tags, importance, certainty]
E --> F[Duplicate-aware upsert]
C --> F
F --> G[(SQLite + FTS5)]
G --> H[Search candidates]
H --> I[Deterministic ranking]
I --> J[Top memories]
J --> K[Context pack with hard size limit]
K --> L[LLM or AI agent]
Component Diagram
flowchart LR
U[User or Agent] --> CLI[CLI or Python API]
CLI --> STORE[MemoryStore]
STORE --> DB[(SQLite + FTS5)]
STORE --> ACCEL[Optional Rust accelerator]
STORE --> PACK[Context pack builder]
PACK --> MODEL[LLM]
When building a context or wake-up pack, Memory Kernel skips a memory whose content closely overlaps one already included (token-overlap above a threshold). Under the same character budget, the pack then carries more distinct facts and less repetition — directly lowering the redundant context handed to the model. Tune or disable per call with dedup_threshold (1.0 disables).
Ukrainian Inflection Bridging
Search bridges Ukrainian morphology in two layers:
Suffix stemming on the query expands each term to a short stem (вирішили → виріш*). This finds вирішили, вирішення, вирішує, вирішена — anything sharing the same prefix.
Deep stemming of stored content (suffix + prefix stripping) lives in a separate stems_text column inside the FTS5 index. The query also matches against deep stems exactly (stems_text:ріш). This bridges across different prefixes, so a search for рішення also finds вирішили and невирішене — they all collapse to the same ріш stem.
Stored title/summary/content/tags stay exact, so fingerprints, deduplication, ranking, and export all remain deterministic. Only the FTS5 index gains a derived stems_text column.
Disable with:
$env:MEMORY_KERNEL_DISABLE_STEMMER=1
Disabling only affects the query side. stems_text keeps being populated on writes so toggling the env back on does not require a rebuild.
Why It Stays Lightweight
Memory Kernel stays small on purpose:
SQLite + FTS5 instead of a mandatory vector database
deterministic ranking instead of fuzzy always-on retrieval
duplicate-aware updates instead of endless memory growth
hard context budgets instead of large prompt dumps
optional Rust acceleration only where it actually helps
For embedded Python usage, MemoryStore keeps a long-lived SQLite connection for throughput. Prefer with MemoryStore(...) as store: or call store.close() when you are done.
Who It Is For
This is a good fit when you want:
local-first memory on your own machine
clear records you can inspect
small, predictable retrieval
easy export and restore
This is a weaker fit when you want:
a fully hosted managed platform
zero local setup
fully automatic cleanup of messy notes with no review
Project Status
Current stage: working alpha.
Already working:
package layout
CLI
tests
export and import
optional Rust accelerator
Python fallback without Rust
Still in progress:
prebuilt wheels for major platforms
a simpler guided ingest flow
even lighter onboarding for non-technical users
Native Accelerator
The Python implementation is the stable default.
If you want lower overhead on ingest and heuristic hot paths, build the optional Rust module:
.\scripts\build_native.ps1
After that, memory-kernel stats will show whether accelerator: rust is active.
Experimental native ranking is available for profiling:
$env:MEMORY_KERNEL_EXPERIMENTAL_NATIVE_RANK=1
License
Apache License 2.0 (see LICENSE and NOTICE). Versions up to and including 0.3.1 were released under the Unlicense and remain available under those terms; all later versions are Apache-2.0. Contributions require a DCO sign-off — see CONTRIBUTING.md.