memory-forget

Find and remove or diminish specific observations from memory.

Step 1: Preview Matches (Always)

Always preview first — never delete without showing what will be affected.

~/.config/claude-memory/.venv/bin/python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/forget.py --query "{{query}}" --preview 2>/dev/null || python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/forget.py --query "{{query}}" --preview

This outputs JSON with matching observations:

• matches — Array of observations matching the query (id, content, priority, importance, topics, created_at)
• match_count — Number of matches found
• consolidation_links — Consolidation IDs that reference any matched observations (these observations contributed to synthesized insights)

Present the matches clearly to the user, highlighting:

• The content of each matching observation
• Priority level (P1 observations are critical — extra caution)
• Whether any matches are linked to consolidations (deleting them doesn't undo the insight, but removes the source)

Step 2: Safety Checks

Before proceeding, verify:

1. Wildcard queries: If {{query}} is *, everything, all, or similar broad terms, warn the user that this will affect ALL observations and require explicit double confirmation.
2. P1 observations: If any matches are P1 (critical), highlight this and warn that these contain architectural decisions or security patterns.
3. Consolidation-linked: If matches are linked to consolidations, note that the synthesized insights will remain but their source observations will be affected.

Step 3: Execute with Confirmation

Only after the user explicitly confirms, execute the forget operation:

Soft mode (default — reduces importance so observations are pruned in the next consolidation cycle):

~/.config/claude-memory/.venv/bin/python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/forget.py --query "{{query}}" --mode soft --confirm 2>/dev/null || python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/forget.py --query "{{query}}" --mode soft --confirm

Hard mode (immediate deletion — irreversible):

~/.config/claude-memory/.venv/bin/python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/forget.py --query "{{query}}" --mode hard --confirm 2>/dev/null || python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/forget.py --query "{{query}}" --mode hard --confirm

Understanding Modes

• Soft (default): Sets importance to 0.05. These observations will be naturally pruned during the next consolidation cycle (when importance drops below threshold). This is reversible if caught before the next prune.
• Hard: Immediately deletes observations from the database. FTS triggers automatically clean up the search index. This is irreversible.

Error Handling

• If no matches are found, suggest alternative search terms
• If the database is locked, suggest trying again shortly
• Never execute without the --confirm flag — the script will refuse to modify data without it