basicmachines-co-basic-memory/PLUGIN.md

Basic Memory Plugin for Claude Code

This plugin provides Claude Code skills for working with Basic Memory - a local-first knowledge management system built on the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

Prerequisites

You need the Basic Memory MCP server running. Install it via:

# Install basic-memory
pip install basic-memory

# Or with pipx
pipx install basic-memory

Then add it to your Claude Code MCP configuration.

Installation

Via Plugin Command

/plugin install basic-memory@basicmachines

Via Repository Settings

Add to your .claude/settings.json:

{
  "plugins": {
    "marketplaces": ["basicmachines"],
    "installed": ["basic-memory@basicmachines"]
  }
}

Skills Included

knowledge-capture

Automatically capture insights, decisions, and learnings from conversations into structured Basic Memory notes.

Triggers when:

• Important decisions are made
• Technical insights are discovered
• Problems are solved
• Design trade-offs are discussed

What it does:

• Creates structured notes with observations and relations
• Uses appropriate categories ([decision], [insight], [pattern], etc.)
• Links to related knowledge in the graph

continue-conversation

Resume previous work by building context from the Basic Memory knowledge graph.

Triggers when:

• Starting a new session
• User mentions previous work ("continue with...", "back to...")
• Need context about ongoing projects

What it does:

• Uses build_context with memory:// URLs
• Checks recent_activity to see what's changed
• Presents relevant context for seamless continuation

spec-driven-development

Guide implementation based on specifications stored in Basic Memory.

Triggers when:

• Implementing a feature defined by a spec
• Creating new specifications
• Reviewing implementation against criteria

What it does:

• Follows the SPEC-1 process (Create → Discuss → Implement → Validate → Document)
• Updates spec progress as work completes
• Maintains living documentation with checklists

How Skills Work

Unlike slash commands (user-invoked), skills are model-invoked - Claude automatically decides when to use them based on conversation context. You don't need to explicitly call them.

MCP Tools Used

These skills leverage Basic Memory's MCP tools:

• write_note - Create/update markdown notes
• read_note - Read notes by title or permalink
• search_notes - Full-text search across content
• build_context - Navigate knowledge graph via memory:// URLs
• recent_activity - Get recently updated information
• edit_note - Incrementally update notes

Related

• Basic Memory Documentation
• Basic Memory GitHub
• Model Context Protocol