docs/public/usage/claude-desktop.mdx
Claude Desktop can access your claude-mem memory database through MCP tools. This allows you to search past sessions, decisions, and observations directly from Claude Desktop conversations.
Before configuring MCP tools, ensure:
mcp-search MCP server)curl http://localhost:37777/api/health
# Should return: {"status":"ok"}
The skill requires the mcp-search MCP server. Add this to your Claude Desktop configuration:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-search": {
"command": "node",
"args": [
"/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/.claude/plugins/marketplaces/thedotmack/plugin/scripts/mcp-server.cjs"
]
}
}
}
```
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-search": {
"command": "node",
"args": [
"C:\\Users\\YOUR_USERNAME\\.claude\\plugins\\marketplaces\\thedotmack\\plugin\\scripts\\mcp-server.cjs"
]
}
}
}
```
Close and reopen Claude Desktop for the MCP server configuration to take effect.
Once installed, the skill auto-activates when you ask about past work:
"What did we do last session?"
"Did we fix this bug before?"
"How did we implement authentication?"
"What decisions did we make about the API?"
"Show me changes to worker-service.ts"
The skill provides three core MCP tools following a 3-layer workflow pattern:
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
search | Search memory index. Returns compact results with IDs for filtering |
timeline | Get chronological context around a query or observation ID |
get_observations | Fetch full observation details by ID (use after filtering with search/timeline) |
This 3-layer approach provides ~10x token savings compared to fetching full details upfront.
curl http://localhost:37777/api/healthls ~/.claude-mem/claude-mem.dbcurl "http://localhost:37777/api/search?query=test"