Desktop users could not tell when project memory was being referenced or updated unless they opened raw tool details. This surfaces memory reads and writes as a dedicated chat activity, while keeping ordinary tool calls visible in mixed groups, and tightens the memory settings layout for faster project and file navigation.
Constraint: CLI memory currently arrives through system notifications and normal file tool calls rather than a dedicated memory tool.
Rejected: Hide memory file writes inside the existing file tool group | users need a distinct product signal for memory activity.
Rejected: Preserve the manual create-memory control | project memories are model-produced files and the user already asked to remove manual creation.
Confidence: high
Scope-risk: moderate
Directive: Keep non-memory tool calls on the normal rendering path when adding more memory activity signals.
Tested: cd desktop && bun run test -- MessageList memorySettings
Tested: bun run check:desktop
Tested: agent-browser screenshots for settings and chat memory activity under /tmp/cc-haha-memory-redesign-*.png
Memory files are produced by the agent during conversation, so the desktop settings surface should focus on browsing, search, and editing existing Markdown memory rather than offering a manual file factory.
Constraint: Project memory creation belongs to the conversation/runtime flow, not Settings.
Rejected: Keep the add box as a fallback | it implies users should manually seed runtime-owned memory and creates low-value UI clutter.
Confidence: high
Scope-risk: narrow
Directive: Do not reintroduce manual memory-file creation in Settings unless the runtime product flow explicitly changes.
Tested: cd desktop && bunx vitest run src/__tests__/memorySettings.test.tsx
Tested: cd desktop && bun run lint
Tested: bun run check:desktop
Tested: Browser smoke on local Vite/server verified the create placeholder, create action, and duplicate-path error text are absent while file search and four memory files render.
The memory settings page was technically functional but broke down once users had many project folders: paths were hard to scan, there was no project search, the create-file row clipped its own action, and YAML frontmatter dominated the preview instead of the actual memory content. This pass keeps the same storage model and API while redesigning the interaction around searchable project/file lists, compact path labels, an icon-only create action, and a cleaner edit/preview split.
Constraint: Memory remains Markdown files under the existing project memory directory contract.
Rejected: Add a new memory database or indexer | unnecessary for the current local project-list scale and would widen persistence risk.
Confidence: high
Scope-risk: narrow
Directive: Keep memory settings optimized for many projects; do not remove project search without replacing it with an equivalent navigation path.
Tested: cd desktop && bunx vitest run src/__tests__/memorySettings.test.tsx
Tested: cd desktop && bun run lint
Tested: bun run check:desktop
Tested: agent-browser E2E for project search, auto-selecting the matched project, and creating notes/manual.md
The CLI already emits memory_saved events and stores Markdown memory files, but the desktop app had no usable surface for seeing or editing those writes. This adds a project memory API, a Settings memory editor, chat memory event cards, and routing from /memory or /context into the memory UI.
Constraint: Memory files live under Claude project storage and must remain plain Markdown editable by users.
Rejected: Only expose raw filesystem links | users need an in-app review and edit flow from chat.
Confidence: high
Scope-risk: moderate
Directive: Keep memory storage project-scoped and preserve unknown Markdown content when editing.
Tested: bun test src/server/__tests__/ws-memory-events.test.ts src/server/__tests__/memory.test.ts
Tested: bun run check:server
Tested: bun run check:desktop
Tested: agent-browser E2E for chat memory card, Open Memory navigation, and responsive Markdown editor layout
Not-tested: Live model auto-memory trigger rate with real provider credentials
