| name | kill-claude-mem |
| description | Kill stale claude-mem worker and MCP server processes that leak memory across sessions. Use when Codespace feels slow or memory is low. |
| allowed-tools | Bash |
Kill Stale claude-mem Processes
Purpose: claude-mem spawns worker-service and mcp-server processes per session that aren't always cleaned up when sessions end. Over multiple sessions, these accumulate and consume gigabytes of RAM. This command kills all instances; the plugin's hooks will re-spawn fresh ones on the next interaction.
Upstream bug: https://github.com/thedotmack/claude-mem/issues/1089
Portable Installation
This skill folder is self-contained. To add it to another repo:
- Copy the folder:
cp -r .claude/skills/kill-claude-mem /path/to/other/repo/.claude/skills/
- Run the installer:
cd /path/to/other/repo && bash .claude/skills/kill-claude-mem/install-hook.sh
The installer adds a SessionStart hook to that project's .claude/settings.json so stale processes are cleaned automatically on every session startup.
Files
| File | Purpose |
|---|
SKILL.md | This file — slash command definition |
kill-claude-mem.sh | Cleanup script (used by hook and slash command) |
install-hook.sh | One-time installer for the SessionStart hook |
Execution Instructions
When this skill is invoked, run the cleanup script:
bash "$CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR/.claude/skills/kill-claude-mem/kill-claude-mem.sh"
Then verify the system state:
free -h | head -2
Report the results to the user in this format:
claude-mem cleanup
Killed: X workers, Y MCP servers
Memory freed: ~Z MB
RAM: X.XGi used / 15Gi total
Status: Fresh instances will spawn on next tool use
