Memory for AI agent teams. Engram lets MCP-compatible agents recover after context compaction, recall relevant team knowledge, preserve durable learnings, transfer proven lessons across projects, and report whether recalled memories actually helped.

What Works Today

MCP server package: engram-tools
HTTP API for hosted or custom agent integrations
Persistent memories by workspace and repo
engram_start for one-call session setup + smart context loading
engram_rehydrate for context-compaction recovery from the session journal
engram_smarter for task-specific context loading when switching tasks
engram_store, engram_recall, engram_report_outcome, engram_get_context, engram_skill, and engram_setup
Outcome-based confidence updates
Plan limits and daily API usage metering
Stripe checkout/webhook plan updates
Basic team dashboard for usage, limits, and recent memories
PostgreSQL + pgvector semantic search when VOYAGE_API_KEY is configured
Text-search fallback when embeddings are unavailable

Quick Start

npx engram-tools --setup engram_your_api_key

For an agent-driven install, keep the credential out of the command arguments and preview the selected client first:

export ENGRAM_API_KEY=engram_your_api_key
npx -y engram-tools@latest --setup --client codex --dry-run
npx -y engram-tools@latest --setup --client codex

Supported selectors are claude, cursor, gemini, antigravity, windsurf, opencode, codex, copilot, cline, roo, kiro, amazonq, goose, continue, and all. Aliases such as roo-code and amazon-q are accepted. The agent may run the command when its host grants shell and file access; workspace authorization and payment remain human-controlled.

The setup command writes MCP config for Claude Code, Cursor, Gemini, Antigravity, Codex, OpenCode, VS Code/Copilot, Cline, Roo Code, Kiro, Amazon Q Developer, Goose, and Continue when possible. Existing JSON, TOML, and YAML settings are preserved. For Claude Code, it also writes optional slash-command aliases for convenience.

After setup, restart your AI tool or start a new session. Most MCP clients load servers only at session startup. Start every client the same way: call engram_start once with project, repo, stack, role, market, and task.

Upgrade

Existing users can update the local MCP runtime and managed agent guidance without pasting their API key again:

npx -y engram-tools@latest --update

Engram reads and verifies the credentials already stored in MCP client configurations, refreshes each package entrypoint without changing its workspace binding, updates the managed instructions, and never prints a key. Restart the AI tool after the command completes. Use --client codex (or another supported selector) to update only one client. Run the command from each project folder that uses project-local MCP configuration.

If the conversation was compacted, summarized, resumed, truncated, or the agent feels prior context is incomplete, call engram_rehydrate before continuing. It restores the session journal: where the agent left off, decisions, gotchas, open loops, and lessons since the last rehydrate. If the agent is mid-session and only needs focused task context, call engram_smarter.

Manual MCP config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "engram": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "engram-tools", "mcp"],
      "env": {
        "ENGRAM_API_KEY": "engram_your_api_key",
        "ENGRAM_API_URL": "https://api.engram.tools"
      }
    }
  }
}

Clients that support remote MCP and OAuth can connect without a local API-key config:

https://api.engram.tools/mcp

The browser authorization flow creates or connects a free workspace and gives the client a restricted agent credential. It never exposes the owner API key or grants billing, invitation, or administration permissions.

Core Tools

engram_start

Start a session in one call. This loads setup guidance, the Engram operating contract, and the most relevant memories. Use it at the beginning of a session, when entering a repo, or when task context changes. Use engram_rehydrate after compaction/resume. Skill guides are available on demand when the task needs a checklist.

{
  "project": "HouseCompass",
  "repo": "housecompass.uk",
  "role": "frontend product engineer",
  "market": "UK property",
  "task": "build the listing detail page",
  "stack": ["Next.js", "TypeScript", "PostgreSQL"]
}

engram_rehydrate

Restore working memory after context compaction, summary, resume, truncation, or agent confusion. This is the anti-context-compaction tool: it returns the latest checkpoint, decisions to preserve, gotchas to avoid, open loops, recent timeline, and the learning-path delta since the last rehydrate.

{
  "project": "HouseCompass",
  "repo": "housecompass.uk",
  "task": "continue the listing detail page",
  "reason": "conversation context was compacted",
  "depth": "standard"
}

engram_smarter

Load task-specific memories in one call. Use this after engram_start, when switching tasks, or when recovering focused context mid-session. Set include_skills: true only for checklist-heavy work such as review, security, migration, deployment, testing, performance, accessibility, or localization.

{
  "context": "Next.js 16 + Prisma signup bug, fixing API key setup",
  "repo": "engram",
  "include_skills": true
}

engram_cross_pollinate

Find reusable lessons from other repos in the same workspace.

{
  "target_repo": "engram",
  "context": "Stripe webhook tier updates and signup reliability"
}

engram_store

Save a convention, pattern, gotcha, solution, architecture note, or dependency quirk.

engram_recall

Search memories by semantic query, repo, type, or tags.

engram_report_outcome

Report whether a recalled memory helped. This updates confidence and improves future ranking.

HTTP API

Hosted API base:

https://api.engram.tools

Useful endpoints:

POST /api/v1/start
POST /api/v1/smarter
POST /api/v1/cross-pollinate
POST /api/v1/store
POST /api/v1/recall
POST /api/v1/report
POST /api/v1/context
POST /api/v1/skill
POST /api/v1/setup
GET /api/v1/capabilities

All private endpoints require:

Authorization: Bearer <ENGRAM_API_KEY>

Local Development

npm install
npm run db:setup
npm run dev:http

Environment:

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://...
ENGRAM_API_KEY=engram-dev-key-001
VOYAGE_API_KEY=optional

Run verification:

npm run typecheck
npm run build
npm run test:product

The product smoke test stores memories, calls /api/v1/smarter, and verifies /api/v1/cross-pollinate.

Status

Engram is in beta. The core memory, smarter context, cross-repo transfer, outcome-learning, hosted limits, API metering, Stripe plan updates, and basic dashboard flows are implemented. Scale-plan items such as SSO/SAML, self-hosted packaging, and SLA terms are handled as custom rollout work.