Project Memory with Atuin

Project Memory with Atuin

Store and retrieve project context using atuin kv to persist across sessions.

Project Detection

Reuse these variables in all commands:

PROJECT=$(basename "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/​dev/​null)" 2>/​dev/​null || basename "$PWD")
BRANCH=$(git branch --show-current 2>/​dev/​null)
BRANCH=${BRANCH:-main}

Before Starting Work

echo "=== $PROJECT ($BRANCH) ==="

# Discover what memories exist for this project
atuin kv list --namespace "project-metadata" | grep -F "$PROJECT-" || echo "(no memories found)"

Then retrieve relevant memories:

# Empty output means memory doesn't exist
atuin kv get --namespace "project-metadata" "$PROJECT-$BRANCH-plan"
atuin kv get --namespace "project-metadata" "$PROJECT-$BRANCH-spec"
atuin kv get --namespace "project-metadata" "$PROJECT-$BRANCH-todo"

Acting on Retrieved Memories

<memory-actions> <on-retrieval> - Check if stored plan/​spec/​todo still matches git state and current goals - Briefly summarize what you found so user can correct misunderstandings - Raise blockers, gaps, or open questions before proceeding—don't assume, ask - Pick up from first incomplete todo item; if none exist, start fresh </​on-retrieval> <on-completion> - Update stored state after completing work so next session can resume cleanly </​on-completion> </​memory-actions>

Storing Memories

For multi-line content, write to a temp file first to avoid shell escaping issues:

# 1. Write content to temp file
# 2. Store from temp file
atuin kv set --namespace "project-metadata" --key "$PROJECT-$BRANCH-plan" "$(cat /​tmp/​plan.md)"

# 3. Verify storage succeeded
atuin kv get --namespace "project-metadata" "$PROJECT-$BRANCH-plan" | head -5

For short single-line values, store directly:

atuin kv set --namespace "project-metadata" --key "$PROJECT-$BRANCH-status" "in-progress"

Key Naming

Deleting Memories

# Delete a specific key
atuin kv delete --namespace "project-metadata" "$PROJECT-$BRANCH-plan"

# Verify deletion (should return empty)
atuin kv get --namespace "project-metadata" "$PROJECT-$BRANCH-plan"

Quick Reference

Argument syntax is inconsistent across subcommands — pay attention to positional vs flag arguments:

<constraints> - Store artifacts in atuin, not local markdown files - Use /​tmp for any temporary files needed during storage - Never commit metadata files to git </​constraints>