thedotmack
Install How It Works
Pick your agent. Every command is ready to paste.
npx skills add thedotmack/claude-mem --skill how-it-worksThe open skills CLI detects your agents (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and 70+ more) and installs to the right folder. Add -g to install globally.
01
Install it
Run the command above, or upload the folder in Claude.
02
Ask naturally
Describe the task. Your agent loads how-it-works when the request matches its description.
03
Name it if needed
If it does not trigger, say “use the how-it-works skill”. In Codex, type $how-it-works.
The skill itself
SKILL.md
How claude-mem works
What it does
While you work, an observer (a second agent) watches what your agent reads, edits and runs, and writes short notes about what mattered. Those notes are called observations. When a session ends, the observer writes a summary. When the next session starts, your agent gets a compact index of the observations that matter for this project and fetches full details only when it needs them.
So the next session starts where the last one left off: no re-explaining the codebase, no re-discovering decisions.
When it kicks in
Memory injection starts on your second session in a project.
The first session seeds memory as you work. To front-load a whole repo in one pass instead, run /learn-codebase (~5 minutes on a typical repo, optional).
Where data lives
Your memory lives in ~/.claude-mem on this machine: the SQLite database, vector index, logs and settings. npx claude-mem uninstall removes it.
What leaves the machine:
- What the observer reads goes to the model you chose to run it: your Claude plan unless you picked another provider (Codex, OpenRouter, Gemini, or the claude-mem observer on CMEM Pro).
- During install, cmem.ai gets only your email and optional note if you share them when the installer asks (it's optional and asked once), and a numbers-only usage summary (observation counts and token totals; no prompts, paths, or project names) when setup creates a sign-in link. Nothing else goes to cmem.ai unless you sign in and turn on something that uses it (cloud sync, CMEM Pro's hosted observer, a provider that runs through your cmem.ai account) or choose to upload your prompts during browser setup.
- Anonymous usage analytics (telemetry) are on by default. Turn them off with
npx claude-mem telemetry disable, or setDO_NOT_TRACK=1.
Tips for How It Works
- • Start a fresh session after installing so your agent picks up the new skill.
- • It is part of a pack with 30 skills. Install only the ones you need with --skill to keep triggers precise.
- • If two skills overlap, mention the one you want by name.
Questions about How It Works
What does the How It Works skill do?
Explain how claude-mem captures observations, when memory injection kicks in, and where data lives. Use when the user asks "how does claude-mem work?" or "what is this thing doing?".
How do I install How It Works?
Run "npx skills add thedotmack/claude-mem --skill how-it-works" in your project. The skills CLI installs it for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and 70+ other agents. In Claude on the web, upload the skill folder as a ZIP under Customize > Skills.
Does How It Works work in Cursor and Codex?
Yes. How It Works uses the open SKILL.md format, so it works in Claude Code, Claude, Cursor, OpenAI Codex, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and other agents that support agent skills.
Is How It Works free?
How It Works is open source on GitHub under the Apache-2.0 license. It is free to install; check the license before commercial use.
Who made How It Works?
How It Works is published by thedotmack in the thedotmack/claude-mem repository, together with 29 other skills.
