remember:init

/remember:init - Initialize Remember

Creates the Second Brain directory structure, Persona file, REMEMBER.md, and configures REMEMBER_BRAIN_PATH in Claude settings.

Steps

1. Ask for Path

Prompt user:

Where should I create your Second Brain?

Default: ~/remember
Custom: Enter a full path (e.g., ~/Documents/my-brain)

If user presses Enter → use default ~/remember. Validate: expand ~, check if writable. If exists, confirm or choose different.

2. Detect Install Scope & Configure Settings

Detect scope:

• ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT} contains /.claude/plugins/cache/ → user scope → ~/.claude/settings.json
• Otherwise → project scope → .claude/settings.json

Ask: "Install globally or for this project?" to let user override.

Read the target settings.json, then MERGE (don't overwrite existing keys):

{
  "env": {
    "REMEMBER_BRAIN_PATH": "/chosen/path"
  },
  "permissions": {
    "additionalDirectories": ["/chosen/path"],
    "allow": [
      "Bash(* /chosen/path*)",
      "Bash(echo *)",
      "Read(~/.claude/**)",
      "Edit(~/.claude/**)"
    ]
  }
}

Note: Use expanded absolute path in Bash rules (not ~/).

See reference.md for detailed merge rules.

3. Create Directory Structure

mkdir -p {brain_path}/{Inbox,Journal,Projects,Areas,Notes,People,Tasks,Resources,Templates,Archive}

4. Create Persona.md (if it doesn't exist)

Skip if {brain_path}/Persona.md already exists — the user may have customized it. Never overwrite an existing Persona.

Otherwise, ask:

1. What's your name? (default: User)
2. What's your timezone? (default: UTC)
3. What languages do you speak? (default: English)

Create {brain_path}/Persona.md using the template in reference.md. The template ships with four sections:

• ## Mission — identity (Name/Timezone/Languages/Role)
• ## Directives — hard rules (user-edited; plugin never overwrites)
• ## Top Beliefs — auto-managed by promote.js (runs after every capture); empty until your first belief meets the threshold
• ## Evidence Log — append-only behavioural evidence

The user fills ## Mission and ## Directives. The other two are populated automatically as the brain learns.

4b. Create REMEMBER.md (if it doesn't exist)

Skip if file exists — user may have already customized it.

Read the template from assets/templates/remember.md (relative to plugin root) and write it verbatim to {brain_path}/REMEMBER.md. Do NOT add examples, explanations, or any other content — the sections must remain empty so the user fills them in.

Note: This creates the global REMEMBER.md. Users can also create a project-level REMEMBER.md in any project root for project-specific rules that layer on top of global preferences.

5. Create Tasks File

Create {brain_path}/Tasks/tasks.md — see reference.md for template.

6. Create Templates

Create Templates/project.md and Templates/person.md — see reference.md for content.

7. Initialize Git (Optional)

Ask: "Initialize git repository?"

If yes:

cd {brain_path} && git init && git add . && git commit -m "init: second brain"

8. Confirm

Second Brain initialized at {brain_path}/

Structure: Inbox, Journal, Projects, Areas, Notes, People, Tasks, Resources, Archive
Persona: Created (will learn your patterns over time)
REMEMBER.md: Created (edit to customize brain behavior)
Settings: REMEMBER_BRAIN_PATH written to {settings_file}

Next steps:
- Work normally — Persona loads every session
- Say "remember this: ..." to capture thoughts
- Run /remember:process to extract value from past sessions
- Edit REMEMBER.md to customize capture and processing rules

Error Handling

• Path already exists with content: skip existing dirs, only create missing ones
• settings.json has existing content: merge, don't overwrite
• Safe to run multiple times (won't delete existing content)