MemPalace Integration — Maxim Memory Intelligence

Domain: memory-palace | Office: All (cross-office, always active) Version: 1.1.0 | Created: 2026-04-12 Optional dependency: MemPalace MCP server (milla-jovovich/mempalace) Optional dependency: claude-mem plugin (thedotmack/claude-mem)

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Overview

Maxim's memory intelligence layer that detects and leverages whatever persistent memory tools are available — MemPalace, claude-mem, or file-only fallback. Maps Maxim's 7 executive offices to structured memory rooms for cross-session recall.

Design principle: Maxim never requires MemPalace or claude-mem. It detects what's installed and enhances output with whatever memory tools are available. File-based session memory (.claude-sessions-memory/) is always the source of truth.

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Tool Detection Protocol (runs on every session)

On session start, Maxim checks for available memory tools in this order:

1. MemPalace (semantic search + knowledge graph)

Detect: Check if mempalace MCP tools are available (19 tools: palace reads, search, graph queries, diary, system)

• If available: use for semantic search, cross-project recall, temporal fact retrieval
• If not: skip silently

2. claude-mem (persistent cross-session memory)

Detect: Check if claude-mem plugin skills are available (mem-search, smart-explore, timeline-report)

• If available: use for searching previous session context, code exploration, project history
• If not: skip silently

3. File-based memory (always available)

Always active: .claude-sessions-memory/ files are read/written regardless of other tools

• This is the source of truth — MemPalace and claude-mem supplement it, never replace it

Detection Output

MEMORY TOOLS DETECTED
  MemPalace  : [available / not installed]
  claude-mem : [available / not installed]
  File memory: always active

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What Maxim Ships (in this repo)

These files ship with maxim and work without any external tools:

File	Purpose
.claude/skills/memory-palace/SKILL.md	This file — detection protocol + office mapping
.claude/skills/memory-palace/Maxim-WRAPPER.md	Behavioral layer compliance
.claude/commands/mxm-remember.md	Store context (MemPalace + files)
.claude/commands/mxm-recall.md	Retrieve context (MemPalace + files)
templates/session-memory/	File-based memory templates (always used)

What Maxim does NOT ship: MemPalace binaries, claude-mem plugin, database files, embeddings. Users install these separately if they want enhanced memory.

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How Maxim Uses Each Tool

When MemPalace IS installed

Maxim Action	MemPalace Tool Used
/mxm-remember	mempalace_store — stores fact with wing/room/tags
/mxm-recall	mempalace_search — semantic search across wings
Session end	mempalace_store — saves key decisions and state changes
Session start	mempalace_search — loads relevant recent context
Cross-project query	mempalace_search — searches by project tag across all wings

When claude-mem IS installed

Maxim Action	claude-mem Skill Used
/mxm-recall	mem-search — searches persistent memory database
Understanding code	smart-explore — token-optimized AST code exploration
Project history	timeline-report — development history narrative
Planning	make-plan — phased implementation with doc discovery

When NEITHER is installed (file-only mode)

Maxim Action	File-Based Fallback
/mxm-remember	Writes to .claude-sessions-memory/decision-log.md
/mxm-recall	Searches .claude-sessions-memory/*.md files by content
Session end	Writes all 6 session memory files (always)
Session start	Reads MEMORY.md + project_current_state.md + handoff.md

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Maxim Office-to-Wing Mapping (for MemPalace users)

MemPalace organizes memory into Wings > Rooms. Maxim maps its 7 executive offices:

Maxim Office	MemPalace Wing	Rooms	What Gets Stored
CEO	ceo	strategy, finance, investors, partnerships, governance	Strategy decisions, investor context, financial models
CTO	cto	architecture, tech-stack, deployment, apis, data, ai	Architecture decisions, tech stack choices, deployment state
CMO	cmo	brand-voice, content-calendar, seo, campaigns, metrics	Brand voice rules, content calendar, marketing metrics
CSO	cso	security, compliance, audits, threats, incidents	Security findings, compliance audit results, threat models
CPO	cpo	roadmap, user-feedback, features, research, ux	Product roadmap, user feedback, feature priorities
COO	coo	sprints, delivery, ops, support, experiments	Sprint state, delivery metrics, operational procedures
CINO	cino	research, emerging-tech, innovation, pocs	R&D findings, emerging tech evaluations

Cross-Office Wing

Wing	Room	Purpose
maxim	handoffs	Inter-agent handoff state across offices
maxim	decisions	Cross-office decision log with temporal validity
maxim	project-state	Project checkpoint snapshots

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MemPalace Installation (optional — for users who want semantic memory)

Windows

# Requires Microsoft C++ Build Tools (for chromadb)
# Install from: https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/visual-cpp-build-tools/

# Create dedicated venv (Python 3.13 recommended — avoids 3.14 pydantic issues)
uv venv $HOME\.mempalace-env --python 3.13
uv pip install --python $HOME\.mempalace-env\Scripts\python.exe mempalace

# Register as MCP server
claude mcp add mempalace -s user -- "$HOME\.mempalace-env\Scripts\python.exe" -m mempalace.mcp_server

Mac/Linux

pip install mempalace
claude mcp add mempalace -s user -- python -m mempalace.mcp_server

Mining — Manual Only

Mining is NEVER automatic. Only mine when:

1. User explicitly runs /mxm-ceo-setup (asks about mining in Step 8)
2. User manually invokes mempalace mine <path>
3. User confirms their project folder is clean and organized

Mine user projects, not the maxim framework repo. The framework is reference code — mine the projects that use it.

# Mine a specific project
mempalace init --yes E:\Projects\my-project
mempalace mine E:\Projects\my-project

# Mine entire portfolio (only when folders are cleaned/organized)
mempalace init --yes E:\Projects
mempalace mine E:\Projects

Local files (never committed, gitignored):

• config/mempalace.yaml — project config
• ~/.mempalace/palace/ — global database

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Dual-Write Rule

Maxim writes to BOTH systems on every session end:

• .claude-sessions-memory/ files — always (source of truth)
• MemPalace rooms — when available (supplements file memory)
• claude-mem — when available (supplements file memory)

If external tools are unavailable, fall back silently to file-only mode. Never block session end.

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Conflict Resolution

Scenario	Resolution
MemPalace/claude-mem contradicts file state	Files win — files are source of truth
External tool has memory that files lack	Supplements — use as additional context
External tool unavailable	Silent fallback — file-only mode
Both MemPalace and claude-mem have results	Merge and deduplicate — present unified results

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Commands

Command	Description
/mxm-remember	Store important context (MemPalace + claude-mem + files)
/mxm-recall	Retrieve context by topic/project/office (searches all available tools)

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Copyright (c) 2026 iSystematic Inc. Maxim product. BSL 1.1.