Project Memory with Atuin

VerifiedSafe

Persists project context across sessions using Atuin's key-value store. Store and retrieve plans, specs, and task state to resume work seamlessly or share project context.

Sby Skills Guide Bot
DevelopmentIntermediate
6/2/2026
Claude Code
#project-memory#atuin-kv#context-management#session-persistence

Recommended for

Automated summary

This skill enables storing and retrieving project memories (plans, specs, tasks) using atuin's kv store, ensuring context continuity across sessions.

Strengths

  • Retains project context between sessions without local files
  • Uses git to automatically detect project and branch
  • Supports multi-line memories via temporary files
  • Simple commands to list, get, set, and delete memories

Limitations

  • Requires atuin to be installed and configured
  • Depends on consistent key naming (project-branch)
  • No native encryption for stored memories
When to use it

When starting a new work session on a project and needing to quickly recall progress, plans, or previous specifications.

When not to use it

For storing sensitive or large amounts of data that would require a dedicated database system.

Security analysis

Safe
Quality score92/100

The skill uses atuin kv (key-value store) for project memory, with Bash commands limited to safe patterns like git metadata retrieval and temp file handling. No destructive, exfiltrating, or obfuscated commands are present.

No concerns found

How this analysis is made

Examples

Check project memories
Check if there are any stored memories for this project on the current branch.
Store current plan
Store the current implementation plan as a project memory so I can resume later.
Retrieve previous session
What was I working on last session? Show me the session summary from yesterday.

name: atuin-memory description: Check, store, and retrieve project memories from atuin kv. Use when starting work on a project, recalling previous context, storing plans or specs, or when the user mentions memory, atuin, or project context. allowed-tools:

  • Bash(atuin *)
  • Bash(git rev-parse *)
  • Bash(git branch *)
  • Bash(basename *)
  • Bash(pwd)
  • Bash(cat *)
  • Bash(echo *)
  • Bash(grep *)
  • Bash(head *)
  • Read

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

| Key Pattern | Purpose | |-------------|---------| | {project}-{branch}-plan | Implementation plans | | {project}-{branch}-spec | Specifications/designs | | {project}-{branch}-todo | Task state | | {project}-{branch}-session-$(date +%Y-%m-%d) | Session summaries (use current date) |

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:

| Operation | Command | Notes | |-----------|---------|-------| | List all | atuin kv list --namespace "project-metadata" | | | Get | atuin kv get --namespace "project-metadata" "key" | KEY is positional | | Set | atuin kv set --namespace "project-metadata" --key "key" "value" | KEY is --key flag, VALUE is positional | | Delete | atuin kv delete --namespace "project-metadata" "key" | KEY is positional (not --key) |

<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>

From the file to a first result

The download contains exactly the content displayed on this page. This copy may differ from the latest version in the source repository.

View the source and supporting files

This download contains SKILL.md only. Any scripts, references, templates and dependencies are not included. Get the required files from the source, preserving their directory structure, before continuing.

1. Download the file

Download SKILL.md

From the root of a test project, save the file as .skill-downloads/project-memory-with-atuin-mm8o5236/SKILL.md, or use the command below. This folder is for inspecting the skill before installation.

Command for macOS/Linux or WSL: requires a POSIX shell and curl. On Windows without WSL, use the download button and create the folder manually.

mkdir -p '.skill-downloads/project-memory-with-atuin-mm8o5236' && curl --fail --show-error --location 'https://skills-guides.com/api/skills/project-memory-with-atuin-mm8o5236/download' --output '.skill-downloads/project-memory-with-atuin-mm8o5236/SKILL.md.part' && mv '.skill-downloads/project-memory-with-atuin-mm8o5236/SKILL.md.part' '.skill-downloads/project-memory-with-atuin-mm8o5236/SKILL.md'

2. Check prerequisites

Read SKILL.md before using it. If it references scripts or external services, inspect them and prepare the required access in your test environment.

Original excerpt: Quick Reference

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

OperationCommandNotes
List allatuin kv list --namespace "project-metadata"
Getatuin kv get --namespace "project-metadata" "key"KEY is positional
Setatuin kv set --namespace "project-metadata" --key "key" "value"KEY is --key flag, VALUE is positional
Deleteatuin kv delete --namespace "project-metadata" "key"KEY is positional (not --key)
<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>

The platforms on this page are catalog indications. The paths below follow tool documentation; they do not prove this skill has been run in those tools. No minimum tool version is confirmed for this listing.

3. Load the skill

After inspection, copy the complete folder into your project using one of the commands below, then open a new tool session. The command stops if a folder with the same name already exists: compare the files before replacing it.

Claude Code
test -f '.skill-downloads/project-memory-with-atuin-mm8o5236/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/project-memory-with-atuin-mm8o5236/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.claude/skills' && test ! -e '.claude/skills/atuin-memory' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/project-memory-with-atuin-mm8o5236' '.claude/skills/atuin-memory'

OpenSkills

OpenSkills must already be installed. The local install/read procedure is checked with OpenSkills 1.5.0, which requires Node.js ≥ 20.6.0. Catalog slugs are not resolved automatically.

Official OpenSkills installation
openskills install './.skill-downloads/project-memory-with-atuin-mm8o5236'

openskills read 'project-memory-with-atuin-mm8o5236'

Reading should display the installed file content and its base directory. It does not run the skill or install its dependencies.

For an agent that reads AGENTS.md, then sync the index. This command changes AGENTS.md: review the diff before using it.

openskills sync

Manual method or another tool: attach SKILL.md to a conversation, or open it in an agent that can read files. Include any required supporting resources. No universal folder is recognized by every tool.

4. Try a first task

Use a short, synthetic input: an API endpoint, a small document or an interface brief. In a new conversation, attach the file or give the agent its path, then adapt this request:

Read .skill-downloads/project-memory-with-atuin-mm8o5236/SKILL.md and apply its instructions to this example: [describe a test input]. Identify any missing files, dependencies or access. Produce the result requested by the skill without inventing data or running unreviewed scripts.

Expected result: output matching the skill instructions, or a precise list of missing prerequisites. A read confirmation alone does not validate a first use. If an external resource is unavailable, that path remains untested.

Related skills