feat: claude-memory-sync — back up Claude Code auto-memory to its own private repo

Auto-memory (~/.claude/projects/*/memory, 774 files across 49 projects) goes to
gitea vh/claude-memory, not this repo. The git dir is ~/claude-memory.git and its
work tree is ~/.claude/projects, and exclude rules admit only memory/ folders, so
transcripts stay local and nothing is added inside ~/.claude.

- home_root/.local/bin/claude-memory-sync: commit, rebase onto origin, push, under
  a flock; --status; --init for a fresh machine. Every run records its result
  for the drift check.
- home_config/systemd/user/claude-memory-sync.{service,timer}: hourly with
  Persistent=true. Linked but not yet enabled.
- link-dotfiles --check now also reports uncommitted changes (a stale session
  can write old content back through an intact link) and a failed or stale
  (>3h) memory sync.
- CLAUDE.md and README document the backup and the never-put-credentials-in-memory rule.
This commit is contained in:
vh
2026-09-24 10:56:09 -07:00
parent fe63a67672
commit 59458f40ce
6 changed files with 179 additions and 2 deletions
+20
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@@ -66,6 +66,26 @@ write through a link and names the target, which is the safe behaviour. Claude
Code may also rewrite `settings.json` itself when settings change from inside the
app. After that, or whenever in doubt, run `./link-dotfiles --check`.
## Claude Code auto-memory (separate private repo)
Auto-memory (`~/.claude/projects/*/memory`) is backed up to gitea
`vh/claude-memory`, not to this repo, because it changes constantly and holds
operational detail. `home_root/.local/bin/claude-memory-sync` does the work. Its
git dir is `~/claude-memory.git` and its work tree is `~/.claude/projects`, and
exclude rules admit only the `memory/` folders, so transcripts never leave the
machine and nothing extra appears inside `~/.claude`.
```bash
claude-memory-sync # commit, rebase onto the remote, push
claude-memory-sync --status # last run + uncommitted count
claude-memory-sync --init # fresh machine: clone and wire up
systemctl --user enable --now claude-memory-sync.timer # hourly (unit files in home_config/systemd/user)
```
Project folders are named after absolute paths, so memory lines up across Linux
boxes; macOS (`/Users/...`) gets its own folders. `./link-dotfiles --check` flags a
failed or stale (>3h) sync.
## Windows (PowerShell)
`stow` doesn't run natively on Windows, so use the PowerShell equivalent. It
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
[Unit]
Description=Back up Claude Code auto-memory to gitea vh/claude-memory
Documentation=file://%h/.local/bin/claude-memory-sync
[Service]
Type=oneshot
ExecStart=%h/.local/bin/claude-memory-sync
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
[Unit]
Description=Hourly Claude Code auto-memory backup
[Timer]
OnCalendar=hourly
RandomizedDelaySec=5min
Persistent=true
[Install]
WantedBy=timers.target
+10 -1
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@@ -16,7 +16,16 @@ applies to every other linked file: in `~/.claude` that is
`settings.json`, `statusline-command.sh`, `CONTEXT.md`,
`keybindings.json`, `bin/ratecheck` and `skills/australis-design`, plus
`~/.zshrc`, `~/.zshenv` and `~/.gitconfig`. `~/dotfiles/link-dotfiles
--check` reports any file that has come loose, and any dangling link.
--check` reports any file that has come loose, any dangling link, any
uncommitted change, and a stale auto-memory backup. A long-running
session can write its stale copy of `settings.json` back through the link,
so re-check after editing user settings.
**Auto-memory** (`~/.claude/projects/*/memory`) is backed up hourly to
the private gitea repo `vh/claude-memory` by `claude-memory-sync` (git
dir `~/claude-memory.git`; `--status` shows the last run). Transcripts
stay local. **Never write a credential into a memory file:** memory is
copied off-box.
## Operator identity
+109
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@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Back up Claude Code auto-memory (~/.claude/projects/*/memory) to its own private
# repo, gitea vh/claude-memory. The git dir lives at ~/claude-memory.git with
# ~/.claude/projects as its work tree, so nothing is added inside ~/.claude and
# Claude Code keeps writing memory exactly as before. The exclude rules below
# admit only the memory/ folders; transcripts never leave the machine.
#
# claude-memory-sync commit local changes, rebase onto the remote, push
# claude-memory-sync --status last result, and what is waiting to be committed
# claude-memory-sync --init set up this machine from the remote (fresh box)
#
# Run hourly by the claude-memory-sync.timer systemd user unit. The result of every
# run goes to $state; `link-dotfiles --check` reports it when it is stale or failed.
#
# Project folders are named after absolute paths (-home-lkraven-development-X), so
# memory lines up across Linux boxes; macOS (/Users/...) gets its own folders.
set -euo pipefail
repo="$HOME/claude-memory.git"
worktree="$HOME/.claude/projects"
remote="git@gitea.phasefinal.com:vh/claude-memory.git"
state="$HOME/.claude/state/claude-memory-sync.last"
g() { git --git-dir="$repo" "$@"; }
write_exclude() {
cat > "$repo/info/exclude" <<'EOF'
# Work tree is ~/.claude/projects. Track ONLY each project's memory/ folder;
# transcripts (*.jsonl), tool results and everything else stay local.
# Written by claude-memory-sync; edit the script, not this file.
/*
!/*/
/*/*
!/*/memory/
.pytest_cache/
*.tmp
.DS_Store
EOF
}
record() { # $1 = ok|fail, $2 = detail
mkdir -p "$(dirname "$state")"
printf '%s %s %s\n' "$(date +%s)" "$1" "$2" > "$state.$$" && mv -f "$state.$$" "$state"
}
case "${1:-}" in
--status)
if [ -f "$state" ]; then
read -r ts result detail < "$state"
when="$(date -d "@$ts" '+%Y-%m-%d %H%M' 2>/dev/null || date -r "$ts" '+%Y-%m-%d %H%M')"
echo "last run: $when — $result${detail:+ ($detail)}"
else
echo "last run: never"
fi
[ -d "$repo" ] && echo "uncommitted memory changes: $(g status --porcelain | wc -l | tr -d ' ')"
exit 0
;;
--init)
[ -e "$repo" ] && { echo "already set up: $repo" >&2; exit 1; }
git clone -q --bare "$remote" "$repo"
g config core.bare false
g config core.worktree "$worktree"
g config status.showUntrackedFiles all
g config remote.origin.fetch '+refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/*'
g fetch -q origin
write_exclude
mkdir -p "$worktree"
# Index = remote HEAD, work tree untouched: memory already on this box wins on
# the first sync, and files only the remote has are restored below.
g reset -q
g ls-files --deleted -z | xargs -0 -r git --git-dir="$repo" checkout --
echo "set up. Local differences (if any) will be committed on the first sync:"
g status --short | head -20
exit 0
;;
"") ;;
*) echo "usage: claude-memory-sync [--status|--init]" >&2; exit 2 ;;
esac
[ -d "$repo" ] || { echo "no memory repo at $repo (run --init)" >&2; exit 2; }
write_exclude
# One run at a time: a slow push must not overlap the next timer tick.
exec 9>"$repo/sync.lock"
flock -n 9 || { echo "another sync is running" >&2; exit 0; }
g add -A
if ! g diff --cached --quiet; then
n="$(g diff --cached --name-only | wc -l | tr -d ' ')"
g commit -q -m "memory: sync from $(hostname -s) ($n file(s))"
fi
if ! g fetch -q origin 2>/dev/null; then
record fail "fetch failed — remote unreachable or repo missing"
exit 1
fi
if g rev-parse -q --verify origin/main >/dev/null; then
if ! g rebase -q origin/main 2>/dev/null; then
g rebase --abort 2>/dev/null || true
record fail "rebase conflict with origin/main — resolve by hand"
exit 1
fi
fi
if ! g push -q origin main 2>/dev/null; then
record fail "push failed"
exit 1
fi
record ok "$(g rev-parse --short HEAD)"
+23 -1
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@@ -41,7 +41,29 @@ if [ "${1:-}" = "--check" ]; then
echo "✗ links into dotfiles whose target is gone:"
printf '%s\n' "$dangling" | sed 's/^/ /'
fi
[ "$drift" -eq 0 ] && echo "✓ no drift: every tracked file is linked, and no dotfiles link dangles."
# A link can stay intact while its content moves: an app that holds a stale copy
# in memory (a long-running Claude Code session with settings.json) writes it
# straight back through the link. That shows up only as an uncommitted change.
dirty="$(git -C "$repo" status --porcelain -- home_root home_config 2>/dev/null || true)"
if [ -n "$dirty" ]; then
drift=1
echo "✗ live config differs from the last commit (not backed up yet):"
printf '%s\n' "$dirty" | sed 's/^/ /'
fi
# Auto-memory backup (claude-memory-sync), checked only on machines that have it.
if [ -d "$HOME/claude-memory.git" ]; then
last="$HOME/.claude/state/claude-memory-sync.last"
if [ ! -f "$last" ]; then
drift=1; echo "✗ claude-memory-sync has never completed a run on this machine"
else
read -r ts result detail < "$last"
age=$(( ($(date +%s) - ts) / 60 ))
if [ "$result" != ok ] || [ "$age" -gt 180 ]; then
drift=1; echo "✗ claude-memory-sync: last run ${age} min ago — $result${detail:+ ($detail)}"
fi
fi
fi
[ "$drift" -eq 0 ] && echo "✓ no drift: every tracked file is linked and committed, no dotfiles link dangles, auto-memory backup is current."
exit "$drift"
fi