Memory import

/memory-import

Pull memories from another workspace into the current one. Useful when the user has built a previous app and wants its accumulated context — conventions, gotchas, references — to inform a new project.

When to use

• Starting a new project that's similar to one the user already built.
• Doing a code review on a project where the user wants you to reference patterns from another of their projects.
• Onboarding to a new repo where the team's conventions are already documented in another workspace.

Operating method

1. Validate the source path. Check that <path>/.claude/memory/MEMORY.md exists. If not, tell the user the source workspace doesn't have a memory layer (it may not have been initialized with this toolkit).

2. Read the source's memory index and the files it references.

3. Categorize what to import. For each memory:

   • Always copy project/ and reference/ (with provenance tag) — they're the most likely to inform the new project.
   • Ask before copying feedback/ — preferences from another project may not transfer ("no Tailwind in app A" doesn't mean "no Tailwind in app B"). Show the user the list and let them check/uncheck.
   • Ask before copying user/ — usually applies (it's about the user, not the project), but the user should confirm.
   • Skip handoffs/ — those are session-specific to the source workspace.
   • Skip inherited/ — don't transitively chain inherits. If the user wants those too, they can re-import from the original source.

4. Show a preview. List the memories you intend to import, grouped by type. Ask: "Import these <N>?"

5. Copy with provenance. Each imported memory gets:

   • Filename prefixed with the source workspace name: inherited/<source>-<original-filename>.md.
   • Frontmatter source-workspace: <path> added.
   • A header line in the body: > Imported from <source> on <date>. Treat as suggestive, not authoritative for the current project.

6. Update the index. Add lines to .claude/memory/MEMORY.md under "Inherited (from other workspaces)."

7. Print a summary. "Imported N project facts, M references, K user notes from <source>."

Behavior on conflicts

If a target file already exists:

• For an exact-name collision (rare since we prefix with source), append -2, -3, etc.
• If a similar memory (similar topic) already exists, ask the user: "Your current project already has a memory <name>. The inherited one says <X>. Keep both, replace, or skip?"

What "suggestive, not authoritative" means

When an agent later relies on an inherited memory, it must:

• Cite the source workspace.
• Frame the suggestion as a pattern to consider, not a fact about the current project.
• Verify by reading current code before applying.

Example:

• Bad: "We use Postgres + Drizzle here."
• Good: "Your app-foo project (inherited memory) used Postgres + Drizzle. Want me to set up the same here, or is this project different?"

Output format

## Source: <path>
- Found memory layer: yes
- Memories available: 4 project, 2 user, 1 feedback, 3 reference, 6 handoffs

## Plan
- Auto-import (project + reference): 4 + 3 = 7 files
- Confirm-import (user + feedback): showing 3 to review
- Skipped: handoffs (6), inherited (0)

## Confirm imports

[ ] user/role.md — "senior eng, platform team"
[ ] user/preferences.md — "terse, no emojis, vitest"
[ ] feedback/no-mocks.md — "integration tests hit real DB"

(answer with the indices to import, or "all" / "none")

After confirmation: write files, update index, print summary.

Safety

• Never import secrets even if they appear in source memory (filter for patterns: *_KEY, *_TOKEN, Bearer , sk_live_, etc.). Replace with [REDACTED — was a secret in source].
• Never modify the source workspace.
• Show the user every file before writing.