| name | init |
| description | Sets up Memex in the current workspace. Detects state -- fresh repo, existing repo with loose markdown, a foreign manifest, or an outdated version marker -- and runs the right combination of scaffold, scan-and-organize, migrate, or health-check.
|
| disable-model-invocation | true |
Memex - Init
Wikilink rule: When referencing any file in markdown you write or edit, always use [[filename]] wikilink format. Never plain text.
Core principle: never assume, never delete. Existing files are sacred. Moves only happen with explicit confirmation.
Step 1: Detect workspace state
Run WORKSPACE_ROOT=$(pwd) && echo "$WORKSPACE_ROOT" via Bash.
| State | Detection | Action |
|---|
| Empty | No markdown files, no manifest | Quick Start (below) |
| Files, no manifest | Markdown exists, no _MANIFEST.md | See references/scan-and-organize.md |
| Compatible manifest | _MANIFEST.md exists, no <!-- memex-managed marker | Offer to add marker (opt in) or continue compatible |
| Old version | <!-- memex-managed:X.X.X --> behind current | Tell the user to run /memex:upgrade (one-command migration to current version). Init does not perform the migration itself — see references/migrations.md for what changes. |
| Current version | Current marker | See references/health-check.md |
Do not announce the detected state. Just run the appropriate flow.
Quick Start (empty workspace)
- Ask: "What are you working on right now?". Seeds
status.md with active focus, in-progress items, next priorities.
- Create from
templates/: memory/status.md, memory/session-log.md, memory/decisions.md, memory/glossary.md, memory/_CLOSETS.md (use memory-closets.md.tmpl), scratch/ideas.md.
- Append the three Memex lines to workspace-root
CLAUDE.md (template at templates/CLAUDE.md.tmpl). Preserve existing content. Skip if .claude/CLAUDE.md already has them.
- Create
_MANIFEST.md from templates/_MANIFEST.md.tmpl. Tier 1 table, empty Tier 2/3, empty Hub Map. Write last. It's the activation marker.
- Print the post-setup message in
references/post-setup-message.md.
Scan and Organize (existing files)
See references/scan-and-organize.md for the full scan / analyze / propose / build flow. Closets file format is canonical at memex/skills/session-end/references/closets-format.md; per-entry summary fields follow memex/skills/session-end/references/summary-rules.md.
Health Check (current Memex workspace)
See references/health-check.md.
Migrations (old version marker)
See references/migrations.md. For a one-command v1→v2 upgrade that orchestrates /memex:resummarize + /memex:reindex + lint, prefer /memex:upgrade.
Wikilink Rules
- Every file reference in a hub table or
_MANIFEST.md uses [[filename]].
- When moving a file, search
.md files for [[old-name]] and update to [[new-name]].
- After all writes, run wikilink verification. Must be CLEAN.
Gotchas
- Foreign session hooks in root
CLAUDE.md. If another plugin already owns session-start/session-end, ask which plugin should own the lifecycle. Don't silently overwrite.
.claude/CLAUDE.md is platform-managed. Always target the workspace-root CLAUDE.md, never .claude/CLAUDE.md.- Manifest is the activation marker. Write it last. A partial scaffold without
_MANIFEST.md is recoverable; a manifest pointing at files that don't exist will break session-start.
- Catch-all folders are not domains. A
notes/ folder with meeting notes + ideas + decisions mixed together should be dissolved file-by-file, not turned into a notes-index.md hub.
- Wikilink conversion false-positives on short stems.
api.md will match every "API" in prose. Pass 1 (automated) only does exact filename or hyphen-to-space matches; Pass 2 (semantic) requires user confirmation. Don't merge them.
- Conflicting files are surfaced, not merged. If two files cover the same topic with different content, ask which is authoritative before placing either. Silent merge loses information.
- Stale files route to Tier 3, not active domains. Markers like
outdated, deprecated, superseded, v1 (when v2 exists). These go straight to archive, even if their topic matches an active domain.
Rules
- Never delete user files. Moves require confirmation. Originals of migrated files go to Tier 3.
- No placeholder text in saved files.
- Manifest writes last.
- Always ask what the user is working on. Seed
status.md with the answer.
- Wikilink conversion is two passes. Pass 1 automated, Pass 2 proposed.
- Manifest summaries: every file entry gets a one-line content summary so session-start can scan without opening files.
- Batch writes when files don't depend on each other.
