NeuralMemory¶
Reflex-based memory system for AI agents
Retrieval through activation, not search
What is NeuralMemory?¶
NeuralMemory stores experiences as interconnected neurons and recalls them through spreading activation - mimicking how the human brain works. Instead of searching a database, memories are retrieved through associative recall.
# Store a memory
nmem remember "Fixed auth bug with null check in login.py:42"
# Recall through association
nmem recall "auth bug fix"
# → "Fixed auth bug with null check in login.py:42"
Why Not RAG / Vector Search?¶
| Aspect | RAG / Vector Search | NeuralMemory |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Search Engine | Human Brain |
| LLM/Embedding | Required (embedding API calls) | None — pure algorithmic graph traversal |
| Query | "Find similar text" | "Recall through association" |
| Structure | Flat chunks + embeddings | Neural graph + synapses |
| Relationships | None (just similarity) | Explicit: CAUSED_BY, LEADS_TO |
| Temporal | Timestamp filter | Time as first-class neurons |
| Multi-hop | Multiple queries needed | Natural graph traversal |
| API Cost | ~$0.02/1K queries | $0.00 — fully offline |
Example: Causal Query
Query: "Why did Tuesday's outage happen?"
- RAG: Returns "JWT caused outage" (missing why we used JWT)
- NeuralMemory: Traces
outage ← CAUSED_BY ← JWT ← SUGGESTED_BY ← Alice→ full causal chain
The Problem¶
AI agents face fundamental memory limitations:
| Problem | Impact |
|---|---|
| Limited context windows | Cannot complete large projects across sessions |
| Session amnesia | Forget everything between conversations |
| No knowledge sharing | Cannot share learned patterns with other agents |
| Context overflow | Important early context gets lost |
The Solution¶
| Feature | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Persistent memory | Survives across sessions |
| Efficient retrieval | Inject only relevant context, not everything |
| Shareable brains | Export/import patterns like Git repos |
| Real-time sharing | Multi-agent collaboration |
| Project-bounded | Optimize for active project timeframes |
Quick Start¶
Installation¶
With optional features:
pip install neural-memory[server] # FastAPI server + Web UI
pip install neural-memory[nlp-vi] # Vietnamese NLP
pip install neural-memory[all] # All features
Basic Usage¶
# Store memories
nmem remember "Fixed auth bug with null check in login.py:42"
nmem remember "We decided to use PostgreSQL" --type decision
nmem todo "Review PR #123" --priority 7
# Query memories
nmem recall "auth bug"
nmem recall "database decision" --depth 2
# Get context for AI injection
nmem context --limit 10 --json
import asyncio
from neural_memory import Brain
from neural_memory.storage import InMemoryStorage
from neural_memory.engine.encoder import MemoryEncoder
from neural_memory.engine.retrieval import ReflexPipeline
async def main():
storage = InMemoryStorage()
brain = Brain.create("my_brain")
await storage.save_brain(brain)
storage.set_brain(brain.id)
# Encode memories
encoder = MemoryEncoder(storage, brain.config)
await encoder.encode("Met Alice to discuss API design")
# Query through activation
pipeline = ReflexPipeline(storage, brain.config)
result = await pipeline.query("What did we discuss?")
print(result.context)
asyncio.run(main())
Claude will have access to:
nmem_remember- Store memoriesnmem_recall- Query memoriesnmem_context- Get recent contextnmem_todo- Quick TODOnmem_stats- Brain statisticsnmem_auto- Auto-capture memoriesnmem_train_db- Train brain from database schemanmem_alerts- View and manage brain health alertsnmem_sync- Multi-device sync
VS Code Extension¶
Install the NeuralMemory extension for a visual brain explorer directly in your editor:
- Memory Tree View — Browse neurons grouped by type in the activity bar
- Graph Explorer — Interactive Cytoscape.js force-directed graph
- CodeLens — Memory counts on functions/classes, comment trigger detection
- Encode & Recall — Store and query memories from the command palette
- Real-time Sync — WebSocket updates for tree, graph, and status bar
Web UI Visualization¶
Start the server and access the interactive brain visualization:
Features¶
- Reflex Activation - Trail-based retrieval through fiber pathways with conductivity (v0.6.0+)
- Co-Activation - Hebbian binding detects neurons activated by multiple sources (v0.6.0+)
- Time-First Anchoring - Time neurons as primary anchors for temporally-aware recall (v0.6.0+)
- Spreading Activation - Neural graph-based retrieval (classic mode)
- Multi-language - English + Vietnamese support
- Typed Memories - fact, decision, todo, insight, etc.
- Priority System - 0-10 priority levels
- Expiry/TTL - Auto-expire temporary memories
- Project Scoping - Organize memories by project
- Sensitive Content Detection - Auto-detect secrets, PII
- Memory Decay - Ebbinghaus forgetting curve
- Brain Sharing - Export, import, merge brains
- DB-to-Brain Training - Teach brains to understand database schemas (v1.6.0+)
- AI Agent Skills - Composable memory-intake, memory-audit, memory-evolution workflows (v1.6.0+)
- Smart Context Optimizer - 5-factor composite scoring + SimHash dedup + token budgeting (v2.6.0+)
- Proactive Alerts - Persistent brain health alerts with lifecycle management (v2.6.0+)
- Recall Pattern Learning - Topic co-occurrence mining + follow-up suggestions (v2.6.0+)
- Adaptive Recall - Bayesian depth priors that learn optimal retrieval depth per entity (v2.8.0+)
- Tiered Memory Compression - Age-based compression preserving entity graph structure (v2.8.0+)
- Multi-Device Sync - Hub-and-spoke incremental sync with neural-aware conflict resolution (v2.8.0+)
Next Steps¶
-
Installation
Install NeuralMemory and get started in minutes
-
Quick Start
Learn the basics with a hands-on tutorial
-
Concepts
Understand how NeuralMemory works
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Integration
Integrate with Claude, Cursor, and other tools
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FAQ
Common questions, architecture, and honest limitations
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Benchmarks
Reproducible performance measurements