pi-memory-md

Letta-like memory management for pi using git-backed markdown files.

Features

• Persistent Memory: Store context, preferences, and knowledge across sessions
• Git-backed: Version control with full history
• Prompt append: Memory index automatically appended to conversation at session start
• On-demand access: LLM reads full content via tools when needed
• Multi-project: Separate memory spaces per project

Quick Start

# 1. Install
pi install npm:pi-memory-md
# Or for latest from GitHub:
pi install git:github.com/VandeeFeng/pi-memory-md

# 2. Create a git repository (private recommended)

# 3. Configure pi
# Add to ~/.pi/agent/settings.json:
{
  "pi-memory-md": {
    "repoUrl": "git@github.com:username/repo.git", // or HTTPS format
    "localPath": "~/.pi/memory-md"
  }
}

# 4. Start a new pi session
# type /memory-init slash command to initialize the memory files

Security recommendation

Configure pi-memory-md in global settings (~/.pi/agent/settings.json) instead of project settings (.pi/settings.json).

If project settings could override these options, a repository could redirect your memory to another local path, point sync at a different remote repo, or enable automatic pull/push behavior you did not intend.

For this reason, project-level .pi/settings.json does not override these pi-memory-md options: repoUrl, localPath, sync hooks, and tape.tapePath.

How It Works

Session Start
    ↓
1. Git pull (sync latest changes)
    ↓
2. Scan all .md files in memory directory
    ↓
3. Build index (descriptions + tags only - NOT full content)
    ↓
4. Deliver memory index via `message-append` or `system-prompt`
    ↓
5. LLM reads full file content via tools when needed

Slash Commands In Pi

You can also use these slash commands directly in pi:

Command	Description
/memory-init	Initialize memory repository (clone repo, create directory structure, generate default files)
/memory-status	Show memory repository status (project name, git status, path)
/memory-refresh	Refresh memory context from files (rebuild cache and deliver into current session)
/memory-check	Check memory folder structure (display directory tree)

Available Tools

The LLM can use these tools to interact with memory:

Memory Management Tools

Tool	Parameters	Description
memory_init	{force?: boolean}	Initialize or reinitialize repository
memory_sync	{action: "pull" / "push" / "status"}	Git operations
memory_write	{path, content, description, tags?}	Create/update memory file
memory_list	{directory?: string}	List all memory files
memory_search	{query?, grep?, rg?}	Search by tags/description and custom grep/ripgrep patterns
memory_check	{}	Check current project memory folder structure

Memory File Format

---
description: "User identity and background"
tags: ["user", "identity"]
created: "2026-02-14"
updated: "2026-02-14"
---

# Your Content Here

Markdown content...

Directory Structure

~/.pi/memory-md/
└── project-name/
    ├── core/
    │   ├── user/           # Your preferences
    │   │   ├── identity.md
    │   │   └── prefer.md
    │   └── project/        # Project context
    │       └── tech-stack.md
    └── reference/          # On-demand docs

Configuration

{
  "pi-memory-md": {
    // "enabled": false,
    "repoUrl": "git@github.com:username/repo.git", // Or HTTPS format
    // `injection` is still accepted as a legacy alias for `delivery`.
    "delivery": "message-append",
    "hooks": {
      "sessionStart": ["pull"],
      "sessionEnd": ["push"]
    }
  }
}

Setting	Default	Description
enabled	true	Enable extension
repoUrl	Required	Git repository URL
localPath	~/.pi/memory-md	Local clone path
delivery	"message-append"	Memory delivery mode: "message-append", "system-prompt"
hooks.sessionStart	["pull"]	Actions to run when a session starts
hooks.sessionEnd	[]	Actions to run when a session ends
tape.enabled	false	Enable tape mode for dynamic context selection

When settings change, run /reload to apply them.

Hooks

• sessionStart: ["pull"]: pull latest memory before the first prompt.
• sessionEnd: ["push"]: commit and push memory when the session ends.

Legacy config is still supported:

{
  "autoSync": {
    "onSessionStart": true
  }
}

But it is recommended to migrate to the new hooks config.

More trigger actions can be added later, even custom hooks.

Memory Delivery Modes

The extension supports two base modes for delivering memory into the conversation. When tape mode is disabled, behavior is exactly as described below. When tape mode is enabled, the same delivery mode still applies, but tape changes how memory files are selected.

1. Message Append (Default)

{
  "pi-memory-md": {
    ...
    "delivery": "message-append"
  }
}

• Memory is sent as a custom message before the user's first message
• Not visible in the TUI (display: false in pi-tui)
• This hidden message is delivered in the same agent turn, so it does not create a second LLM request; it only adds tokens to the current request
• Persists in the session history
• Delivered only once per session (on first agent turn)
• Pros: Lower token usage, memory persists naturally in conversation
• Cons: Only visible when the model scrolls back to earlier messages

2. System Prompt

{
  "pi-memory-md": {
    ...
    "delivery": "system-prompt"
  }
}

• Memory is appended to the system prompt
• Rebuilt and delivered on every agent turn
• Always visible to the model in the system context
• Pros: Memory always present in system context, no need to scroll back
• Cons: Higher token usage (repeated on every prompt)

Usage Examples

Simply talk to pi - the LLM will automatically use memory tools when appropriate:

You: Save my preference for 2-space indentation in TypeScript files to memory.

Pi: [Uses memory_write tool to save your preference]

You can also explicitly request operations:

You: List all memory files for this project.
You: Search memory for "typescript" preferences.
You: Read core/user/identity.md
You: Sync my changes to the repository.

The LLM automatically:

• Reads memory index at session start (appended to conversation)
• Writes new information when you ask to remember something
• Syncs changes when needed

Tape Mode (Dynamic Context Delivery)

Experimental: This mode is under active development. APIs and behavior may change.

For the latest, install via GitHub: pi install git:github.com/VandeeFeng/pi-memory-md

Note: This mode may consume more tokens. Adjust parameters based on your model's context window and your API quota.

More details tape-design / 中文版

Minimal setting:

{
  "pi-memory-md": {
    ...
    "tape": {
      // "enabled": false,
      "anchor": {
        "keywords": {
          "global": ["refactor", "migration"],
          "project": ["tape", "Emacs"]
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Then use /memory-anchor to create an anchor manually, or let anchors be created automatically when configured keywords are triggered.

If you want to jump to the conversation around an anchor and restart from there, /tree and the anchors in this session are all there with a customizable anchor label in pi TUI.

Tape vs Delivery Modes

Tape is an independent feature that can be enabled alongside either delivery mode. It does not change the delivery mechanism; it changes which memory files are selected.

Tape	Delivery mode	Behavior
Disabled	message-append	Sends memory once as a hidden custom message on the first agent turn
Disabled	system-prompt	Rebuilds memory and appends it to the system prompt on every agent turn
Enabled	message-append	Sends tape-selected memory once as a hidden custom message on the first agent turn
Enabled	system-prompt	Rebuilds tape-selected memory and appends it to the system prompt on every agent turn

With tape enabled, the delivered content is still a memory index/summary for the model, but the file list is chosen by tape-aware selection logic instead of the basic project scan. In smart mode, the delivered list can also include recently active project file paths inferred from tool usage, plus a recent focus summary for each selected file showing the most recently attended read / edit ranges inside the same effective smart-scan window. Stale paths from old tape history are ignored when the file no longer exists.

A delivered tape hidden message looks like:

# Project Memory

Memory directory: /home/user/.pi/memory-md/my-project

Paths below are relative to that directory.

Available memory files (use read to view full content):

- core/user/identity.md [high priority]
  recent focus: read 12-28
  Description: User preferences and identity
  Tags: user, profile

---

Recently active project files (full paths from read/edit/write tool usage):

- /path/to/project/tape/tape-selector.ts [high priority]
  recent focus: read 340-420, read 590-677, edit 340-399

---
💡 Tape is enabled for this conversation. Use tape tools when you need anchors or tape history.

Config Guide

{
  "pi-memory-md": {
    ...
    "localPath": "~/.pi/memory-md",
    "tape": {
      // Run tape only inside a Git repository by default
      // Uses `git rev-parse --show-toplevel`; if it fails, tape is skipped
      "onlyGit": true, // default

      // Absolute directory paths where tape is always disabled
      // Built-in system/temp directories are also excluded by default
      "excludeDirs": [
        "/absolute/path/to/sandbox"
      ],

      "context": {
        // "smart": ranks memory files plus recent project file activity from session history (default)
        //          repeated accesses get diminishing returns, edit/write outrank plain reads,
        //          recent accesses get a recency bonus, missing/stale paths are ignored,
        //          and handoff boosts only apply near the latest anchors
        // "recent-only": most recently modified memory files only
        "strategy": "smart", // default

        // Max files to deliver into LLM context
        "fileLimit": 10, // default

        // Smart-mode pi session history scan range: [startHours, maxHours]
        // Scans history incrementally by 24-hour steps, starting from startHours.
        // Stops and uses the result once the sample reaches MIN_SMART_ACCESS_SAMPLES (5).
        // Otherwise keeps expanding until maxHours is reached.
        "memoryScan": [72, 168], // default

        // "alwaysInclude" is deprecated
        // Files or directories to always include in context (optional, defaults to empty)
        "whitelist": [
          "core/user",
          "docs/tape-design.md"
        ],

        // Files or directories to always exclude from context (optional, defaults to empty)
        // Other paths still go through rg ignore rules first, then the built-in default ignore list.
        "blacklist": [
          "node_modules",
          "dist"
        ]
      },
      "anchor": {
        // "auto": LLM may create handoff anchors when it decides they are useful
        // "manual": direct tape_handoff is hard-blocked
        // hidden keyword instructions and /memory-anchor still work in manual mode
        "mode": "auto", // default

        // Prefix mirrored into pi /tree labels for anchor nodes
        "labelPrefix": "⚓ ", // default

        "keywords": {
          // Match against user prompts with length in [10, 300]
          // When matched, send a hidden instruction about the tape_handoff tool call
          // It stays in the same agent turn: no extra LLM request, only extra tokens in the current request
          // This gives the agent room to refuse when creating a keyword anchor is not necessary at all
          // Strongly recommended! Keywords make anchor creation much smarter - customize based on your focus areas
          "global": ["refactor", "migration"],
          "project": ["tape", "Emacs"]
        }
      },

      // Custom tape path (optional)
      // If not set, default is {localPath}/TAPE: ~/.pi/memory-md/TAPE
      // Anchor index files (.jsonl) will be stored directly under this path
      "tapePath": "/custom/path/to/tape"
    }
  }
}

Tape Anchors

Anchors are named checkpoints that correspond to pi session entries, marking important transitions in your conversation. They enable efficient context reconstruction and are mirrored into pi /tree labels:

Each line in the tape anchor store is a JSON record:

{"id":"1234567890-abc123","timestamp":"2026-04-04T12:00:00.000Z","name":"task/begin","type":"handoff","meta":{"summary":"Working on feature X","purpose":"feature","trigger":"manual"},"sessionId":"019dbd12-90b7-72b1-a88d-843706db32de","sessionEntryId":"446b6c33"}

Each anchor has:

• id: A stable unique identifier, auto-generated from sessionEntryId:timestamp:name
• name: A human-readable label (e.g., session/new, task/begin)
• type: Anchor type - session for lifecycle anchors, handoff for manual/semantic transitions
• sessionId: The pi session this anchor belongs to
• sessionEntryId: The associated session entry ID for tree mirroring
• timestamp: ISO timestamp of when the anchor was created
• meta: Optional metadata including summary, trigger, keywords, purpose. purpose is a 1-2 word label (e.g., feature, review, deploy). trigger can be direct (agent auto), keyword (configured keywords matched), or manual (explicit user/tool call)

In a word, tape anchors are markers that help the agent organize context more effectively according to the user's intention.

Tape anchors are stored as points within pi session entries. The context delivery then selects relevant memory files and recently active project files based on configured strategy, optionally including concise recent focus hints like read 340-420 or edit 390-399.

Lifecycle anchors (session/*) are created automatically, while handoff anchors can be created via /memory-anchor manually. When mode: "manual" is set, direct tape_handoff calls are blocked, which means the agent will not create anchors automatically, though keyword-matched hidden instructions and /memory-anchor still work.

Keyword detection can send a hidden message to guide the agent to create a keyword anchor, but the agent may refuse when unnecessary.Anchor names are also mirrored into pi /tree labels for the session nodes they attach to, with stale labels cleaned up before resync.

The combination of anchors and keywords balances the agent's autonomy with user control.

Tape Tools (Anchor-based Context)

Tool	Parameters	Description
/memory-anchor	<prompt>	Slash command that asks the LLM to derive and create a manually authorized handoff anchor
tape_handoff	{name, summary?, purpose?}	Create a handoff anchor checkpoint in the tape
tape_list	{limit?: number}	List all anchor checkpoints
tape_delete	{id}	Delete an anchor checkpoint by id
tape_info	{}	Get tape statistics and information
tape_search	{query?, kinds?, limit?, sinceAnchor?, anchorName?, anchorType?, anchorSummary?, anchorPurpose?, anchorKeywords?}	Search tape entries by text or type, with structured anchor-field filters
tape_read	{afterAnchor?, lastAnchor?, betweenAnchors?, betweenDates?, query?, kinds?, limit?}	Read tape entries as formatted messages
tape_reset	{archive?: boolean}	Reset the tape with a new session lifecycle anchor

Note: Tape tools are registered when a tape block exists in config (opt-out: set "enabled": false). They provide anchor-based context management inspired by bub's tape mechanism.

Reference

• Introducing Context Repositories: Git-based Memory for Coding Agents | Letta
• https://tape.systems
• https://bub.build/
• https://github.com/bubbuild/bub/tree/main/src/bub