# Dream-Inspired Memory Consolidation - Setup Complete

**Date**: October 22, 2025
**Status**: Configuration complete, ready for testing
**System Version**: v8.5.x
**Memory Database**: 1773 memories (Cloudflare backend)

## Configuration Completed ✅

### 1. Environment Files

**.env File** (`<project-root>/.env`):
- ✅ Created with comprehensive consolidation settings
- ✅ All components enabled (decay, associations, clustering, compression, forgetting)
- ✅ Archive path: `<user-home>/.mcp_memory_archive`
- ✅ Manual mode (no auto-scheduling) for initial testing

**Claude Global Config** (`<user-home>/.claude.json`):
- ✅ Added `MCP_CONSOLIDATION_ENABLED=true`
- ✅ Added `MCP_CONSOLIDATION_ARCHIVE_PATH=<user-home>/.mcp_memory_archive`
- ✅ Takes precedence when MCP server runs through Claude Code

### 2. System Components

**Core Engines** (7 components):
1. **Exponential Decay Calculator** - Memory relevance scoring over time
2. **Creative Association Engine** - Discovers connections (0.3-0.7 similarity sweet spot)
3. **Semantic Clustering Engine** - Groups related memories (DBSCAN algorithm)
4. **Semantic Compression Engine** - Condenses clusters (max 500 chars)
5. **Controlled Forgetting Engine** - Safe archival system
6. **APScheduler Integration** - Autonomous scheduling support
7. **Health Monitoring System** - Comprehensive status tracking

**MCP Tools Available** (7 tools):
- `consolidate_memories` - Run consolidation for time horizons (daily/weekly/monthly/quarterly/yearly)
- `consolidation_status` - Get system health and statistics
- `consolidation_recommendations` - Get intelligent recommendations based on memory state
- `scheduler_status` - View scheduled jobs and execution history
- `trigger_consolidation` - Manually trigger consolidation jobs
- `pause_consolidation` - Pause scheduled operations
- `resume_consolidation` - Resume paused operations

### 3. Configuration Settings

**Retention Periods**:
- Critical memories: 365 days
- Reference materials: 180 days
- Standard memories: 30 days
- Temporary notes: 7 days

**Association Discovery** (Sweet Spot for Creative Connections):
- Minimum similarity: 0.3
- Maximum similarity: 0.7
- Max pairs per run: 100

**Clustering**:
- Minimum cluster size: 5 memories
- Algorithm: DBSCAN (density-based)

**Compression**:
- Max summary length: 500 characters
- Preserve originals: true

**Forgetting**:
- Relevance threshold: 0.1 (below this, memory is candidate for archival)
- Access threshold: 90 days (no access in 90 days → candidate for archival)
- Archive location: <user-home>/.mcp_memory_archive

## Testing Instructions

### Step 1: Get Recommendations

Use the `consolidation_recommendations` tool to see what the system suggests:

```
Use MCP tool: consolidation_recommendations
Arguments: {"time_horizon": "weekly"}
```

Expected output:
- Memory count for the horizon
- Recommendations (compression needed, associations beneficial, etc.)
- Estimated duration
- Old memory percentage

### Step 2: Check System Status

Use the `consolidation_status` tool:

```
Use MCP tool: consolidation_status
Arguments: {}
```

Expected output:
- System health (healthy/degraded/unhealthy)
- Component status (decay, associations, clustering, etc.)
- Statistics (total runs, successful runs, memories processed)
- Last consolidation times per horizon

### Step 3: Run Test Consolidation

Start with daily consolidation (lightest processing):

```
Use MCP tool: consolidate_memories
Arguments: {"time_horizon": "daily"}
```

Expected output:
- Memories processed count
- Associations discovered
- Clusters created
- Memories compressed
- Memories archived
- Duration and performance metrics

### Step 4: Review Results

After running consolidation, check what was discovered:

```
Use MCP tool: consolidation_status
Arguments: {}
```

Look for:
- New associations between memories
- Clusters of related content
- Archived low-relevance memories
- Performance statistics

### Step 5: Enable Scheduling (Optional)

If satisfied with results, enable automated scheduling by uncommenting lines in `.env`:

```bash
# Weekly consolidation (recommended starting point)
MCP_SCHEDULE_WEEKLY=SUN 03:00

# Monthly consolidation (comprehensive processing)
MCP_SCHEDULE_MONTHLY=01 04:00
```

Then reconnect MCP server: `/mcp`

## Safety Features

- ✅ **Nothing permanently deleted** - Everything archived with recovery
- ✅ **Protected memories** - "critical", "important", "reference" tags immune
- ✅ **Comprehensive logging** - All operations tracked
- ✅ **Health monitoring** - Alerts for issues
- ✅ **Graceful error handling** - Safe fallbacks
- ✅ **Archive recovery** - Can restore archived memories

## Expected Benefits

1. **Automatic Organization**: Memories clustered by semantic similarity
2. **Creative Discovery**: Non-obvious connections discovered automatically (0.3-0.7 similarity)
3. **Performance Optimization**: Controlled forgetting keeps database healthy
4. **Knowledge Enhancement**: Pattern recognition across memory clusters
5. **Autonomous Operation**: Can run on schedule once tested

## Archive Structure

Primary archive location: `<user-home>/.mcp_memory_archive/`
- `daily/` - Daily consolidation archives
- `compressed/` - Compressed memory summaries
- `metadata/` - Archival metadata

Existing structure (from July 2025 test): `<user-home>/Library/Application Support/mcp-memory/consolidation_archive/`

## Background

- **System implemented**: July 28, 2025 (Issue #61)
- **Configuration enabled**: October 22, 2025
- **Never run before** (first activation)
- **Mode**: Manual testing (scheduling disabled)

## References

- **Implementation docs**: `archive/docs-removed-2025-08-23/development/dream-inspired-memory-consolidation.md`
- **Configuration guide**: `CLAUDE.md` (sections on consolidation)
- **Maintenance workflow**: `docs/maintenance/memory-maintenance.md`
- **Example session**: `docs/examples/maintenance-session-example.md`

## Troubleshooting

### Consolidation not enabled
- Check `~/.claude.json` has environment variables set
- Reconnect MCP server: `/mcp`
- Verify with `consolidation_status` tool

### Tools not available
- Server needs restart to load configuration
- Use `/mcp` command to reconnect
- Check Claude Code MCP server logs

### Scheduling not working
- APScheduler requires installation: `pip install apscheduler`
- Check `scheduler_status` tool for job information
- Verify cron-style schedule format in `.env`

## Next Actions

1. ✅ Configuration complete
2. ⏳ Test with `consolidation_recommendations`
3. ⏳ Run first `consolidate_memories` on daily horizon
4. ⏳ Review discovered associations
5. ⏳ Enable weekly scheduling if satisfied

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*This system transforms the MCP Memory Service into an intelligent, self-organizing knowledge base using biologically-inspired consolidation processes.*
