memory-palace

Knowledge organization using spatial memory techniques.

Overview

Memory Palace applies the ancient method of loci to digital knowledge management. It helps you build “palaces” - structured knowledge repositories that use spatial metaphors for organization and retrieval.

Installation

/plugin install memory-palace@claude-night-market

Skills

Skill	Description	When to Use
`memory-palace-architect`	Building virtual palaces	Organizing complex concepts
`knowledge-locator`	Spatial search	Finding stored information
`knowledge-intake`	Intake and curation	Processing new information
`digital-garden-cultivator`	Digital garden maintenance	Long-term knowledge base care
`session-palace-builder`	Session-specific palaces	Temporary working knowledge

Commands

Command	Description
`/palace`	Manage memory palaces
`/garden`	Manage digital gardens
`/navigate`	Search and traverse palaces

Agents

Agent	Description
`palace-architect`	Designs memory palace architectures
`knowledge-navigator`	Searches and retrieves from palaces
`knowledge-librarian`	Evaluates and routes knowledge
`garden-curator`	Maintains digital gardens

Hooks

Hook	Type	Description
`research_interceptor.py`	PreToolUse	Checks local knowledge before web searches
`url_detector.py`	UserPromptSubmit	Detects URLs for intake
`local_doc_processor.py`	PostToolUse	Processes local docs after reads
`web_content_processor.py`	PostToolUse	Processes web content for storage

Usage Examples

Create a Palace

/palace create "Python Async Patterns"

# Creates:
# - Palace structure
# - Entry rooms
# - Navigation paths

Add Knowledge

Skill(memory-palace:knowledge-intake)

# Processes:
# - New information
# - Categorization
# - Spatial placement
# - Cross-references

Navigate Knowledge

/navigate "async context managers"

# Returns:
# - Matching rooms
# - Related concepts
# - Cross-references
# - Source citations

Maintain Garden

/garden cultivate

# Performs:
# - Pruning outdated content
# - Strengthening connections
# - Identifying gaps
# - Suggesting additions

Cache Modes

The research interceptor supports four modes:

Mode	Behavior	Use Case
`cache_only`	Deny web when no cache match	Offline work, audits
`cache_first`	Check cache, fall back to web	Default research
`augment`	Blend cache with live results	When freshness matters
`web_only`	Bypass Memory Palace	Incident response

Set mode in hooks/memory-palace-config.yaml:

research_mode: cache_first

Palace Architecture

Palaces use spatial metaphors:

Palace: "Python Async"
├── Entry Hall
│   └── Overview concepts
├── Library Wing
│   ├── asyncio basics
│   ├── coroutines
│   └── event loops
├── Practice Room
│   ├── code examples
│   └── exercises
└── Reference Archive
    ├── official docs
    └── external sources

Knowledge Intake Flow

New Information
      |
      v
[Novelty Check] --> Duplicate? --> Skip
      |
      No
      v
[Domain Alignment] --> Matches interests? --> Flag for intake
      |
      Yes
      v
[Palace Placement] --> Store in appropriate room
      |
      v
[Cross-Reference] --> Link to related concepts

Embedding Support

Optional semantic search via embeddings:

# Build embeddings
cd plugins/memory-palace
uv run python scripts/build_embeddings.py --provider local

# Toggle at runtime
export MEMORY_PALACE_EMBEDDINGS_PROVIDER=local

Telemetry

Track research decisions:

# data/telemetry/memory-palace.csv
timestamp,query,decision,novelty_score,domains,duplicates
2025-01-15,async patterns,cache_hit,0.2,python,entry-123

Curation Workflow

Regular maintenance keeps palaces useful:

Review intake queue: data/intake_queue.jsonl
Approve/reject items: Based on value and fit
Update vitality scores: Mark evergreen vs. probationary
Prune stale content: Archive outdated information
Document in curation log: docs/curation-log.md

Digital Gardens

Unlike palaces (structured), gardens are organic:

/garden status

# Shows:
# - Growth rate
# - Connection density
# - Orphan nodes
# - Suggested links

conservation: Memory Palace helps reduce redundant web fetches
imbue: Evidence logging integrates with knowledge intake

Keyboard shortcuts

Claude Night Market