Auto memory should prompt before saving, not save silently
Resolved 💬 4 comments Opened Mar 24, 2026 by chopkins-schro Closed Mar 24, 2026
Summary
Auto memory writes to ~/.claude/projects/<project>/memory/ without user confirmation, creating hidden state that influences future sessions. This should require an explicit opt-in prompt per save, similar to how CLAUDE.md edits require permission.
Problem
- Auto memory is enabled by default and writes silently (no approval prompt)
- A previous session's corrections or one-off context can subtly bias future sessions
- Users may not realize why Claude is behaving a certain way, since the influencing state is hidden
- Stale or incorrect memories accumulate without the user's awareness
- This breaks the mental model of "fresh session, clean slate"
Proposal
Before saving an auto memory entry, prompt the user:
"I noticed [X]. Want me to save this for future sessions?"
This preserves the convenience of auto memory while giving users transparency and control — the same model already used for CLAUDE.md file edits.
Context
CLAUDE.mdedits already go through the permission system — auto memory is the only persistence mechanism that bypasses it- The current workaround is
"autoMemoryEnabled": false, but this is all-or-nothing - Claude Code is a developer tool; its users are well-equipped to make per-save decisions
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