Claude-Mem ↔ Cursor Integration Architecture

Overview

This integration connects claude-mem's persistent memory system to Cursor's hook system, enabling:

• Automatic capture of agent actions (MCP tools, shell commands, file edits)
• Context retrieval from past sessions
• Session summarization for future reference

Architecture

┌─────────────┐
│   Cursor    │
│   Agent     │
└──────┬──────┘
       │
       │ Events (MCP, Shell, File Edits, Prompts)
       │
       ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│      Cursor Hooks System             │
│  ┌────────────────────────────────┐ │
│  │ beforeSubmitPrompt             │ │
│  │ afterMCPExecution              │ │
│  │ afterShellExecution            │ │
│  │ afterFileEdit                  │ │
│  │ stop                           │ │
│  └────────────────────────────────┘ │
└──────┬──────────────────────────────┘
       │
       │ HTTP Requests
       │
       ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│   Hook Scripts (Bash)               │
│  ┌────────────────────────────────┐ │
│  │ session-init.sh               │ │
│  │ context-inject.sh             │ │
│  │ save-observation.sh          │ │
│  │ save-file-edit.sh             │ │
│  │ session-summary.sh            │ │
│  └────────────────────────────────┘ │
└──────┬──────────────────────────────┘
       │
       │ HTTP API Calls
       │
       ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│   Claude-Mem Worker Service         │
│   (Port 37777)                      │
│  ┌────────────────────────────────┐ │
│  │ /api/sessions/init            │ │
│  │ /api/sessions/observations    │ │
│  │ /api/sessions/summarize       │ │
│  │ /api/context/inject          │ │
│  └────────────────────────────────┘ │
└──────┬──────────────────────────────┘
       │
       │ Database Operations
       │
       ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│   SQLite Database                    │
│   + Chroma Vector DB                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Event Flow

1. Prompt Submission Flow

User submits prompt
    ↓
beforeSubmitPrompt hook fires
    ↓
session-init.sh
    ├─ Extract conversation_id, project name
    ├─ POST /api/sessions/init
    └─ Initialize session in claude-mem
    ↓
context-inject.sh
    ├─ GET /api/context/inject?project=...
    └─ Fetch relevant context (for future use)
    ↓
Prompt proceeds to agent

2. Tool Execution Flow

Agent executes MCP tool or shell command
    ↓
afterMCPExecution / afterShellExecution hook fires
    ↓
save-observation.sh
    ├─ Extract tool_name, tool_input, tool_response
    ├─ Map to claude-mem observation format
    ├─ POST /api/sessions/observations
    └─ Store observation in database

3. File Edit Flow

Agent edits file
    ↓
afterFileEdit hook fires
    ↓
save-file-edit.sh
    ├─ Extract file_path, edits
    ├─ Create "write_file" observation
    ├─ POST /api/sessions/observations
    └─ Store file edit observation

4. Session End Flow

Agent loop ends
    ↓
stop hook fires
    ↓
session-summary.sh
    ├─ POST /api/sessions/summarize
    └─ Generate session summary for future retrieval

Data Mapping

Session ID Mapping

Tool Mapping

Project Mapping

API Endpoints Used

Session Management

• POST /api/sessions/init - Initialize new session
• POST /api/sessions/summarize - Generate session summary

Observation Storage

• POST /api/sessions/observations - Store tool usage observation

Context Retrieval

• GET /api/context/inject?project=... - Get relevant context for injection

Health Checks

• GET /api/readiness - Check if worker is ready

Configuration

Worker Settings

Located in ~/.claude-mem/settings.json:

• CLAUDE_MEM_WORKER_PORT (default: 37777)
• CLAUDE_MEM_WORKER_HOST (default: 127.0.0.1)

Hook Settings

Located in hooks.json:

• Hook event names
• Script paths (relative or absolute)

Error Handling

Worker Unavailable

• Hooks poll /api/readiness with 30 retries (6 seconds)
• If worker unavailable, hooks fail gracefully (exit 0)
• Observations are fire-and-forget (curl errors ignored)

Missing Data

• Empty conversation_id → use generation_id
• Empty workspace_root → use pwd
• Missing tool data → skip observation

Network Errors

• All HTTP requests use curl -s (silent)
• Errors redirected to /dev/null
• Hooks always exit 0 to avoid blocking Cursor

Limitations

1. Context Injection: Cursor's beforeSubmitPrompt doesn't support prompt modification. Context must be retrieved via:

   • MCP tools (claude-mem provides search tools)
   • Manual retrieval from web viewer
   • Future: Agent SDK integration

2. Transcript Access: Cursor hooks don't provide transcript paths, limiting summary quality compared to Claude Code integration.

3. Session Model: Uses conversation_id which may not perfectly match Claude Code's session model.

4. Tab Hooks: Currently only supports Agent hooks. Tab (inline completion) hooks could be added separately.

Future Enhancements

• Enhanced context injection via MCP tools
• Support for beforeTabFileRead and afterTabFileEdit hooks
• Better error reporting and logging
• Integration with Cursor's agent SDK
• Support for blocking/approval workflows
• Real-time context injection via agent messages

Testing

Manual Testing

1. Test session initialization:

   bashCopy

   echo '{"conversation_id":"test-123","workspace_roots":["/tmp/test"],"prompt":"test"}' | \
     ~/.cursor/hooks/session-init.sh
   

2. Test observation capture:

   bashCopy

   echo '{"conversation_id":"test-123","hook_event_name":"afterMCPExecution","tool_name":"test","tool_input":{},"result_json":{}}' | \
     ~/.cursor/hooks/save-observation.sh
   

3. Test context retrieval:

   bashCopy

   curl "http://127.0.0.1:37777/api/context/inject?project=test"
   

Integration Testing

1. Enable hooks in Cursor
2. Submit a prompt
3. Execute some tools
4. Check web viewer: http://localhost:37777
5. Verify observations appear in database

Troubleshooting

See README.md for detailed troubleshooting steps.