palinode-claude-code

name	palinode-claude-code
description	Use Palinode persistent memory in Claude Code via MCP (13 tools for search, save, git diff, triggers, consolidation). Use when user says 'save this decision', 'remember why we chose X', 'search memory before we start', 'what do we know about this project', 'show what changed in memory', 'register a trigger for this topic', 'set up Palinode MCP'. Also fires when an agent needs to: load prior context at session start, persist an architectural decision, retrieve past decisions before writing code, or surface relevant memory before proceeding with a task. Output: structured JSON. Do NOT use for Mem0, session-only notes, or running the Palinode API server.
metadata	{"author":"Paul Kyle","version":"1.0.0","mcp-server":"palinode","category":"memory","tags":["memory","persistence","claude-code","mcp","knowledge-management"],"documentation":"https://github.com/phasespace-labs/palinode/blob/main/docs/INSTALL-CLAUDE-CODE.md"}

Palinode — Claude Code Integration

Palinode gives Claude Code persistent, git-versioned memory via 13 MCP tools. Memories survive across sessions, are searchable by meaning, and consolidate weekly.

Session Workflow

Before Starting Work

Use palinode_search to find any prior context on [project/topic]

Surfaces relevant decisions, people context, and insights automatically.

During Work — Save Key Decisions

When you make an architectural or product decision:

palinode_save: decided to [X] because [Y]. trade-off was [Z].
type: Decision
entities: [project/name]

After a Long Session

Save key decisions and insights from this session to palinode

---

Core Tools Quick Reference

Tool	Call Pattern
Search	palinode_search(query="...", limit=5)
Save decision	palinode_save(content="...", type="Decision", entities=["project/name"])
Save insight	palinode_save(content="...", type="Insight")
Save person	palinode_save(content="...", type="PersonMemory", entities=["person/name"])
Status	palinode_status()
Recent changes	palinode_diff(file="projects/name.md", n_commits=3)
Register trigger	palinode_trigger(action="add", description="...", memory_file="path/to/file.md")
Consolidate	palinode_consolidate(dry_run=True)

Memory Types

• Decision — what was decided and why (rationale is critical)
• Insight — generalizable lessons (applies beyond one project)
• PersonMemory — person's role, preferences, constraints
• ProjectSnapshot — current state (milestones, blockers, next steps)
• ActionItem — follow-up with owner and deadline

When to Save vs. Not

Save:

• Architectural decisions with rationale
• Bugs that took >30min to find (so future-you recognizes them)
• Performance findings (e.g., "bge-m3 cold start is 30s, warm is 100ms")
• People context (preferences, constraints, relationships)
• Lessons that apply broadly across projects

Don't save:

• Raw code (git handles it)
• Step-by-step log of what you did (save the outcome, not the journey)
• Temporary debug notes

Setup

See references/setup.md for MCP config, SSH remote setup, LaunchAgent, and troubleshooting.

Triggers

Register once, fires automatically whenever the context matches:

palinode_trigger(
    action="add",
    description="training data curation",
    memory_file="insights/curation-over-volume.md",
    threshold=0.72
)

Good patterns:

• Project-specific risks → "when working on [project], surface [file]"
• Recurring gotchas → "when deploying models, surface memory/oom-lessons.md"
• People context → "when Alice's design decisions come up, surface people/alice.md"