diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 7c96eb7..cfb2804 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -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
diff --git a/home_config/systemd/user/claude-memory-sync.service b/home_config/systemd/user/claude-memory-sync.service
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5d2b68c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/home_config/systemd/user/claude-memory-sync.service
@@ -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
diff --git a/home_config/systemd/user/claude-memory-sync.timer b/home_config/systemd/user/claude-memory-sync.timer
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5b7c65a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/home_config/systemd/user/claude-memory-sync.timer
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+[Unit]
+Description=Hourly Claude Code auto-memory backup
+
+[Timer]
+OnCalendar=hourly
+RandomizedDelaySec=5min
+Persistent=true
+
+[Install]
+WantedBy=timers.target
diff --git a/home_root/.claude/CLAUDE.md b/home_root/.claude/CLAUDE.md
index aa66595..0be53df 100644
--- a/home_root/.claude/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/home_root/.claude/CLAUDE.md
@@ -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
 
diff --git a/home_root/.local/bin/claude-memory-sync b/home_root/.local/bin/claude-memory-sync
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..4cb43d6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/home_root/.local/bin/claude-memory-sync
@@ -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 "$(g rev-parse --short HEAD)"
diff --git a/link-dotfiles b/link-dotfiles
index 31aed82..4c00945 100755
--- a/link-dotfiles
+++ b/link-dotfiles
@@ -41,7 +41,29 @@ if [ "${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