Fixes #210. The CLI requires a positional <dir> argument. Previous docs emphasized that init 'sets up ~/.mempalace/' which misled users into expecting no arguments. Now the docs show <dir> is required, offer '.' as the usage for the current directory, and reword the description so the project-directory scan is listed first.
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Getting Started
Installation
Install MemPalace from PyPI:
pip install mempalace
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The domain mempalace.tech is a brand-squatting site not affiliated with this project. It is known to run ad-redirects and potential malware. The official MemPalace distribution is only available via this GitHub repository and PyPI. Never install binaries or scripts from unofficial domains.
:::
Requirements
- Python 3.9+
chromadb>=0.5.0(installed automatically)pyyaml>=6.0(installed automatically)
No API key required for the core local workflow. After installation, the main storage and retrieval path runs locally.
From Source
git clone https://github.com/MemPalace/mempalace.git
cd mempalace
pip install -e ".[dev]"
Quick Start
Three steps: init, mine, search.
1. Initialize Your Palace
mempalace init requires a project directory to scan. Pass a path,
or . to use the current directory.
mempalace init ~/projects/myapp
# or, from inside the project:
mempalace init .
This scans your project directory and:
- Detects people and projects from file content
- Creates rooms from your folder structure
- Ensures the
~/.mempalace/config directory exists
2. Mine Your Data
# Mine project files (code, docs, notes)
mempalace mine ~/projects/myapp
# Mine conversation exports (Claude, ChatGPT, Slack)
mempalace mine ~/chats/ --mode convos
# Mine with auto-classification into memory types
mempalace mine ~/chats/ --mode convos --extract general
Two mining modes plus one extraction strategy:
- projects — code and docs, auto-detected rooms
- convos — conversation exports, chunked by exchange pair
- general extraction — an
--extract generaloption for conversation mining that classifies content into decisions, preferences, milestones, problems, and emotional context
3. Search
mempalace search "why did we switch to GraphQL"
That gives you a working local memory index.
What Happens Next
After the one-time setup, you don't run MemPalace commands manually. Your AI uses it for you through MCP integration or a Claude Code plugin.
Ask your AI anything:
"What did we decide about auth last month?"
It calls mempalace_search automatically, gets verbatim results, and answers you. You never type mempalace search again.
Next Steps
- Mining Your Data — deep dive into mining modes
- MCP Integration — connect to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Gemini
- The Palace — understand wings, rooms, halls, and tunnels