## What it does
Brings the Cline Memory Bank pattern to Claude Code using six hierarchical markdown files stored in a memory-bank/ directory. The hierarchy flows from projectbrief.md through productContext.md and systemPatterns.md/techContext.md into activeContext.md, then into progress.md — each file builds on those above it so Claude always has a coherent picture of what the project is, how it is architected, and what is being worked on now. The core system is loaded into CLAUDE.md via @import so it is active in every session automatically.
The initialization command is smart: for a new project it prompts for details and creates all six files; for an existing project it reads package.json, README, and any existing documentation to auto-detect the technology stack and populate files without overwriting content that is already there; if a projectbrief.md already exists it reads it and uses it to populate the other five files consistently.
## Key commands
- /init-memory-bank — initialize the memory bank for the current project; detects existing state and fills only missing files
- /workflow:understand — load all six memory bank files and summarize the current project state and focus
- /workflow:plan — draft a detailed implementation strategy against the current activeContext
- /workflow:execute — implement the plan with systematic quality checks and update progress.md
- /workflow:update-memory — write the current session state back to all six memory bank files
## Install
git clone https://github.com/hudrazine/claude-code-memory-bank.git
cp -r claude-code-memory-bank/.claude /path/to/your/project/
Add to your project CLAUDE.md:
@.claude/claude-memory-bank.md
Then in Claude Code run /init-memory-bank to populate the memory bank.
## When to use
Use when you want structured, hierarchical project memory that auto-detects the tech stack, preserves existing documentation, and gives Claude a consistent starting context across sessions — without the manual effort of maintaining a single flat CLAUDE.md.