Make the smallest working notebook.
Before building a grand library, make one notebook that can accept a note, put it away, list its titles, and open the right page. That small loop is already enough to teach the shape of memory.
Source book by 递归客 (diguike) · Full attribution
Four operations make a loop
Capture an event. Make a useful note. Store it with an identity and a source. Retrieve it for a later task. If any part is missing, you have an incomplete loop: a transcript without meaning, a note without persistence, or an archive nobody can consult.
The builder below runs that loop with a fictional event in your browser. It uses a fixed demonstration note rather than calling an AI, and it holds its archive only until you leave the page. The book’s mini-mem project is the next step for a real plugin with hooks, SQLite storage, and search.
Build the whole memory loop
- 1CaptureNotice the work
- 2DistillKeep its meaning
- 3StorePut it away
- 4RecallBring it back
Fictional example. This experiment runs locally and does not call an AI or access your memory.
Start with rules you can inspect
A first implementation can use simple title extraction instead of a model. You gain a clear view of the plumbing before adding the uncertainty, latency, and cost of AI summarization.
Once the loop works, you can add an observer, a timeline, semantic search, or a viewer. Each extension should solve a particular problem. A vector database is useful for meaning-based search; it is not a substitute for storing the source record correctly.
Test the next morning
The meaningful test is whether a new session can find a useful record from the previous one. Save a distinctive observation, close the session, start another, inspect the index, and retrieve the observation. Also test missing records and interrupted processing.
The source chapters include a development setup, the mini-mem implementation, and extensions. Those executable examples have their own MIT code license. Follow their installation instructions and version requirements when moving from this simulated notebook to a real system.
Behind this lesson
Related chapters in 递归客’s original book:
The source examines Claude-Mem v12.6.2. Links are pinned to the book revision used for this course; current implementation details may differ.