Charlie HillsFree toolkit · Claude & Claude Code
Control What Claude Remembers: The close and system-audit skills
Both skills from the reel: close keeps the lessons from a good session, system-audit checks your whole Claude setup once a month. Install steps, the full files, real test runs, a claude.ai prompt for each, and how Claude memory works today.
Charlie Hills Added 23 October 2026 · Free
What’s inside
- 11. How Claude memory works today
- 22. The first thing to try (one minute)
- 33. /insights: see where Claude kept misunderstanding you
- 44. close: keep the lessons, turn down the rest
- 55. system-audit: check the whole setup once a month
- 6Claude Setup Map
- 7The shape in one paragraph
1. How Claude memory works today
In Claude Code: two kinds of memory
|
What |
Who writes it |
Where it lives |
What loads each session |
|
|
You |
|
The whole file. Anthropic suggests keeping each one under 200 lines. |
|
Auto memory |
Claude |
|
The first 200 lines or 25KB of |
- Both load at the start of every session. Anthropic calls them context, not enforced settings. Claude follows them, but a rule there is not a guarantee.
- Auto memory is on by default. When Claude writes or reads a note you see a line such as "Saved 2 memories" or "Recalled 2 memories".
- Claude saves four kinds of note: about you, your feedback, the project, and where to find things.
- You choose which one gets a rule. Say "add this to
CLAUDE.md" and it goes in your file. Say "remember that..." and it goes into auto memory. - It stays on this computer. Anthropic calls auto memory machine-local. It does not follow you to another machine.
- Type
/memoryto see it. It lists every memory file loaded in this session, has the switch for auto memory, and opens the memory folder.
Switch auto memory off (three ways)
Use the switch inside /memory, add the setting below to your settings file, or start Claude Code with the environment variable. To switch it off for one project only, put the same setting in that project's .claude/settings.json.
Settings file or Terminal
// ~/.claude/settings.json (all projects)
{ "autoMemoryEnabled": false }
# or for one Terminal session only
CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_AUTO_MEMORY=1 claudeIn the claude.ai app
- Settings > Memory > "Generate memory from chats". On by default on Free, Pro and Max. On Team and Enterprise each member switches it on.
- The same page lists what Claude has saved, as topics. Each one can be edited or deleted.
- Each project has its own memory, kept apart from your other chats.
- Incognito chats are not saved to memory.
- Tell Claude in plain words what to remember, change or forget. It applies from your next conversation.
Sources: Claude Code memory docs and Claude help centre: memory, both read on 23/10/2026.
That’s the first part. The rest of this guide is free too.
