Modes & Languages

Claude-Mem uses a flexible Mode System to adapt its behavior, observation types, and output language. This allows you to switch between different workflows (like coding vs. email investigation) or languages without reinstalling the plugin.

What is a Mode?

A "mode" is a configuration profile that defines:

1. Observer Role: How Claude should analyze your work (e.g., "Software Engineer" vs. "Forensic Analyst").
2. Observation Types: Valid categories for memory (e.g., "Bug Fix", "Feature" vs. "Person", "Organization").
3. Concepts: Semantic tags for indexing (e.g., "Pattern", "Trade-off").
4. Language: The language used for generating observations and summaries.

Configuration

Set the active mode using the CLAUDE_MEM_MODE setting in ~/.claude-mem/settings.json:

{
  "CLAUDE_MEM_MODE": "code--es"
}

Or via environment variable:

export CLAUDE_MEM_MODE="code--fr"

The active mode is shown in the startup context injected into each new session, for example:

Mode: Code Development (code)

Creating a Custom Mode

Run /mode-creator to design a domain-specific note system through an interactive interview. It helps choose observation types and concept tags, writes and validates the mode, installs it under ~/.claude-mem/modes/, activates it, optionally configures Telegram alerts, restarts the worker, and verifies the active mode in startup context.

Custom modes in the data directory are durable across plugin upgrades. The worker searches user modes before bundled modes, while inherited custom modes can still use a bundled parent such as code:

~/.claude-mem/modes/code--architecture-practice.json

Avoid editing files inside the plugin cache because a plugin update can replace them.

Available Modes

Code Mode (Default)

The standard mode for software development. Captures bug fixes, features, refactors, and architectural decisions.

ID: code

Code Mode Variants

Behavioral variants that change how the code mode operates:

Multilingual Code Modes

Inherits all behavior from Code Mode but instructs Claude to generate all memory artifacts (titles, narratives, facts, summaries) in the target language.

Email Investigation Mode

A specialized mode for analyzing email dumps (e.g., FOIA releases, corporate archives). Focuses on identifying entities, relationships, timeline events, and key topics.

ID: email-investigation

Observation Types:

• entity: Person, organization, or email address
• relationship: Connection between entities
• timeline-event: Time-stamped event in communication sequence
• evidence: Supporting documentation or proof
• anomaly: Suspicious pattern or irregularity
• conclusion: Investigative finding or determination

Mode Inheritance

The system supports inheritance using the -- separator. For example, code--es means:

1. Load code (Parent) configuration.
2. Load code--es (Child) configuration.
3. Merge Child into Parent (Child overrides).

This allows for lightweight "remix" modes that only change specific aspects (like the language prompt) while keeping the core definitions intact.