# Exercise 01: Trigger Memory

**Concept:** Auto Memory (CC-013)
**Level:** Basic
**Time:** ~10 minutes

---

## Objective

Tell Claude something to remember, verify the memory file was created,
and confirm it survives a new session.

This is your first hands-on contact with auto memory. No prior experience
with Claude Code memory required.

---

## Before You Start

Confirm you have:

- [ ] Claude Code v2.1.59 or later installed (`claude --version` prints a version)
- [ ] This repo cloned and open in Claude Code
- [ ] Started Claude Code in this directory (`claude`)

---

## Instructions

**Step 1:** Start Claude Code in this directory.

```bash
cd claude-code-auto-memory
claude
```

**Step 2:** Paste this prompt into Claude Code:

```
Remember that I prefer 2-space indentation and single quotes in TypeScript.
```

Claude will confirm the preference and save it to memory. You should see
a tool call to write a file under `~/.claude/projects/`.

**Step 3:** Find the memory file that was just created.

Paste this into Claude Code:

```
Where did you save that memory? Show me the path and the file contents.
```

Claude will tell you the exact path. It will be somewhere under:

```
~/.claude/projects/<project-hash>/memory/
```

The `<project-hash>` is a deterministic hash of the project directory path.
You can also find it yourself:

```bash
ls ~/.claude/projects/
```

Look for a directory that corresponds to this repo. Open the memory file
inside it and read what was saved.

**Step 4:** Start a new session and test recall.

In Claude Code, type `/clear` to start a fresh conversation. Then paste:

```
What are my TypeScript preferences?
```

Claude should recall 2-space indentation and single quotes without you
repeating them.

---

## Expected Output

After completing the steps above, you should see:

- A new file in `~/.claude/projects/<project-hash>/memory/` containing
  your TypeScript preferences
- Claude confirming the memory was saved during Step 2
- After `/clear`, Claude recalling both preferences without any prompt

If Claude says it has no preferences on file, check that you are in the
same directory as Step 1. The project hash is derived from the directory
path, so a different working directory means a different memory store.

---

## What You Learned

- **"Remember" is the trigger:** Phrases like "remember that" or "save this"
  cause Claude to write a memory file explicitly
- **Project-scoped storage:** Memories are stored per project, not globally,
  so different projects have separate memory stores
- **Machine-local:** The memory files are on your machine only. They are not
  in git and not shared across machines.

---

## Next

Ready to go further? Move to [Exercise 02: Structure Memory](./02-structure-memory.md).