Engram AI 🧠

Neuroscience-grounded memory for AI agents — ACT-R activation, Hebbian learning, cognitive consolidation

Give your AI agent a brain that actually remembers, associates, and forgets like a human.

Available in 3 runtimes:

Runtime	Package	Use When
🐍 Python	engramai on PyPI	Python agents, MCP server, Claude Desktop
🦀 Rust	engramai on crates.io — GitHub	Performance-critical, embedded, zero-dependency
📦 TypeScript	engram-ts/	Node.js agents, OpenClaw
🔌 OpenClaw Plugin	openclaw-plugin/	Drop-in replacement for OpenClaw's default context engine

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What is Engram?

Most AI agents use a dumb FIFO window for context — keep the last N messages, throw away the rest. Engram replaces this with a cognitive memory system based on how human brains actually work:

• 🧠 ACT-R Activation — Memories strengthen with use, decay with time (not a fixed window)
• 🔗 Hebbian Learning — "Neurons that fire together, wire together" — related memories auto-associate
• 💤 Consolidation — Periodic forgetting + strengthening cycles (like sleep)
• 🎯 Working Memory — Miller's Law 7±2 chunks, automatic topic-change detection
• 🌍 Cross-Language Search — Recall memories across 50+ languages
• 💰 Zero Cost — Heuristic capture + prompt caching = $0 additional spend

🔌 OpenClaw Context Engine Plugin

The fastest way to use Engram — replace OpenClaw's default FIFO context with cognitive scoring in one config line:

# openclaw.yaml
plugins:
  slots:
    contextEngine: engram
  entries:
    engram:
      autoCapture: true

Instead of keeping the last N messages, Engram scores every message by ACT-R activation × Hebbian association × content importance, then packs the most cognitively relevant ones into the token budget. Long-term memories persist across sessions automatically.

	Default (Legacy)	Engram
Strategy	Keep last N messages (FIFO)	Score by cognitive relevance
Long-term memory	None	ACT-R + Hebbian
Cross-session	Compaction summaries (LLM cost)	Persistent recall (zero cost)
Topic awareness	None	Working memory + topic detection
Auto-capture	None	Preferences, facts, decisions, corrections
Cost	LLM summarization tokens	Zero (heuristic)

→ Full plugin docs | Source

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🏆 Battle-Tested in Production

Real numbers from a live AI agent running 24/7:

Metric	Value
Memories stored	3,846
Recalls served	230,103
Hebbian links formed	12,510 (automatic)
Consolidation layers	320 working → 224 core → 3,302 archive
Database size	48 MB
Recall latency	~90ms
Additional cost	$0 (prompt caching absorbs overhead)

---

Quick Start

Python

pip install engramai

from engram import Memory

memory = Memory("./my-agent.db")

# Store
memory.add("User prefers detailed explanations", type="relational", importance=0.8)
memory.add("Project deadline: Feb 10", type="factual")

# Recall (ACT-R activation + Hebbian association + semantic similarity)
results = memory.recall("user preferences", limit=5)

# Consolidate (Ebbinghaus forgetting + strengthening)
memory.consolidate(days=1.0)

TypeScript

import { Memory } from 'neuromemory-ai';

const memory = new Memory('./my-agent.db');

memory.add("User prefers TypeScript over JavaScript", { type: "preference", importance: 0.8 });

const results = memory.recall("user language preferences", { limit: 5 });

Rust

use engramai::Memory;

let mut memory = Memory::new("./my-agent.db", None)?;

memory.add("User prefers Rust for systems programming", "preference", 0.8, None)?;

let results = memory.recall("user preferences", 5, None, None)?;

MCP Server (Claude Desktop, etc.)

export ENGRAM_DB_PATH=./my-agent.db
python3 -m engram.mcp_server

---

🆕 Engram v2: Multi-Agent Intelligence

Engram v2 adds powerful features for building multi-agent systems with shared memory, emotional feedback, and cross-agent intelligence:

🔐 Namespace Isolation & ACL

Separate memory spaces for different agents/domains with fine-grained access control:

from engram import Memory
from engram.acl import Permission

memory = Memory("./shared.db")
memory.set_agent_id("trading_agent")

# Store in namespace
memory.add_to_namespace(
    "Oil prices spiked 15%",
    type="factual",
    importance=0.9,
    namespace="trading"
)

# ACL: Grant read permission to another agent
memory.grant("ceo_agent", "trading", Permission.READ)

# Subscribe to high-importance events
memory.subscribe("ceo_agent", "*", min_importance=0.8)

# Check for notifications
notifications = memory.check_notifications("ceo_agent")
# → [{memory_id: "...", namespace: "trading", content: "Oil prices...", importance: 0.9}]

Use cases:

• CEO pattern — Supervisor agent monitors specialist agents' discoveries
• Team collaboration — Agents share knowledge in topic-specific namespaces
• Privacy isolation — Sensitive memories stay in restricted namespaces

🎭 Emotional Bus — Memory ↔ Personality Feedback Loop

The Emotional Bus connects memory to agent workspace files (SOUL.md, HEARTBEAT.md), creating a closed-loop between what the agent experiences and how it evolves:

from engram import Memory
from engram.bus import EmotionalBus

memory = Memory.with_emotional_bus(
    db_path="./agent.db",
    workspace_dir="./workspace"
)

# Store memory with emotional tracking
memory.add_with_emotion(
    "Debugging session took 3 hours with no progress",
    type="episodic",
    emotion=-0.8,  # Negative experience
    domain="debugging"
)

# Bus accumulates emotional trends
bus = memory.emotional_bus()
trends = bus.get_trends()
# → [EmotionalTrend(domain="debugging", valence=-0.75, count=5)]

# Suggest SOUL updates based on patterns
suggestions = bus.suggest_soul_updates()
# → [SoulUpdate(domain="debugging", action="add drive", 
#     content="Avoid lengthy debugging sessions without breaks")]

# Drive alignment boosts importance
# Memory matching SOUL drives gets automatic importance boost
bus.drives  # → [Drive(name="curiosity", description="...")]

Workspace files:

SOUL.md — Core drives/values:

# Core Drives
curiosity: Always seek to understand new things
efficiency: Prefer action over endless discussion

HEARTBEAT.md — Periodic tasks:

- [ ] Check email
- [x] Run consolidation

How it works:

1. Memory → SOUL: Negative emotional patterns trigger drive suggestions
2. SOUL → Memory: Memories aligned with drives get importance boost
3. Behavior → HEARTBEAT: Failed actions get deprioritization suggestions
4. HEARTBEAT → Behavior: Successful patterns get reinforced

Use cases:

• Self-improving agents — Personality evolves from experience
• Emotional coherence — Agent behavior aligns with "values"
• Adaptive task scheduling — HEARTBEAT learns what works

🌐 Cross-Namespace Intelligence

Hebbian links can span namespaces, enabling cross-domain insights:

# Recall with cross-namespace associations
result = memory.recall_with_associations(
    "market volatility",
    namespace="*",  # Search all namespaces
    limit=5
)

# Returns both memories + cross-links
for link in result.cross_links:
    print(f"{link.source_ns}:{link.source_id} → {link.target_ns}:{link.target_id}")
    # trading:abc123 → geopolitics:def456 (strength: 0.85)

Discovery pattern:

# Find connections between two domains
links = memory.discover_cross_links("trading", "geopolitics")
# → Reveals how trading events correlate with political events

---

🆕 v2.1.0: LLM Extraction & Hybrid Search

🤖 LLM-Powered Memory Extraction

Instead of storing raw conversation text, extract key facts automatically:

from engram import Memory, AnthropicExtractor

memory = Memory("./agent.db")

# Option 1: Auto-configure from environment
# Just set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY or ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN and it works automatically

# Option 2: Explicit setup
memory.set_extractor(AnthropicExtractor(api_key="sk-ant-..."))

# Now add() extracts facts automatically
memory.add("I had pizza yesterday and it was great, but my girlfriend didn't like it")
# Stores two separate facts:
# 1. "User likes pizza" (relational, importance 0.6)
# 2. "User's girlfriend doesn't like pizza" (relational, importance 0.6)

Why it matters:

• Better recall: Search for "user food preferences" finds "pizza" even if the word "preference" wasn't in the original text
• Cleaner memory: Facts are normalized, not duplicated across conversations
• Cost-effective: Uses Claude Haiku (~$0.0001 per memory) or local Ollama models (free)

🔧 Config Hierarchy

Engram now supports layered configuration with clear priority:

Priority	Source	Use Case
1. Code	memory.set_extractor(...)	Agent harnesses (RustClaw, etc.)
2. Env vars	ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN / ANTHROPIC_API_KEY	Local dev, Docker
3. Config file	~/.config/engram/config.json	User preferences
4. No extractor	Falls back to raw text storage	Backward compatible

# Initialize config interactively
python3 -m engram init

Config file (~/.config/engram/config.json):

{
  "embedding": {
    "provider": "ollama",
    "model": "nomic-embed-text"
  },
  "extractor": {
    "provider": "anthropic",
    "model": "claude-haiku-4-5-20251001"
  }
}

⚠️ Security: Never store API keys in config files. Use environment variables.

🎯 Hybrid Search (FTS + Embedding + ACT-R)

recall() now uses triple scoring by default:

results = memory.recall("user preferences", limit=5)
# Automatically combines:
#   15% FTS (exact term matching)
#   60% Embedding (semantic similarity)
#   25% ACT-R (recency/frequency/importance)

Why three signals?

• FTS: Catches exact matches (project names, technical terms)
• Embedding: Catches semantically similar concepts ("preference" ≈ "like")
• ACT-R: Prioritizes recently/frequently accessed memories

Configurable weights (Rust crate only, Python coming soon):

let mut config = MemoryConfig::default();
config.fts_weight = 0.30;        // 30% exact matching
config.embedding_weight = 0.50;   // 50% semantic
config.actr_weight = 0.20;        // 20% temporal

🈶 CJK Tokenization (Rust only, Python coming soon)

Chinese/Japanese/Korean text now gets intelligent word segmentation via jieba:

❌ Before:
   "engram是认知记忆系统" → split into 8 characters
   Search "记忆系统" matches poorly

✅ After (with jieba):
   "engram是认知记忆系统" → ["engram", "是", "认知", "记忆系统"]
   Search "记忆系统" matches precisely

Performance impact: Negligible (~0.02ms per memory vs ~50ms for embedding generation)

---

Core Concepts

🧠 ACT-R Activation

Every memory has an activation level that decays over time but strengthens with each access:

activation = base_level + spreading + importance_boost

base_level = ln(Σ tᵢ^(-d))    # frequency × recency decay
spreading  = Σ wⱼ × Sⱼᵢ       # context similarity

This means frequently-accessed, recent memories surface first — but old important memories can still be recalled if they're relevant to the current context.

🔗 Hebbian Learning

Memories that are recalled together form automatic associations:

ΔW = η × aᵢ × aⱼ    # co-activation strengthens links

Ask about "Docker" and "deployment" in the same conversation → they become linked. Next time you ask about deployment, Docker memories get boosted automatically.

💤 Consolidation

Like human sleep, periodic consolidation:

1. Decays weak memories (Ebbinghaus forgetting curve)
2. Strengthens frequently-used ones (move working → core → long-term)
3. Prunes noise (below-threshold memories removed)

🎯 Working Memory (TypeScript / OpenClaw Plugin)

Session-level state based on Miller's Law (7±2 chunks):

• Tracks what's "active" in the current conversation
• Detects topic changes → triggers full recall
• Continuous topic → reuses cached memories (70-80% fewer DB queries)

---

🧩 Memory Types

Type	Use For	Example
factual	Facts and knowledge	"Project uses Python 3.12"
episodic	Events	"Shipped v2.0 on Jan 15"
preference	User preferences	"Prefers concise answers"
procedural	How-to knowledge	"Deploy: run tests first, then push"
semantic	Concepts and relationships	"Causal inference relates to Pearl"
causal	Cause-effect relationships	"Rate hikes → USD strengthens"

---

Architecture

Query
  ↓
┌─────────────────────────┐
│  Vector Search (semantic)│  ← optional embedding provider
│  FTS5 Search (lexical)   │  ← always available, zero-cost
│  Merge & Dedupe          │
└──────────┬──────────────┘
           ↓
┌─────────────────────────┐
│  ACT-R Activation        │  ← frequency × recency decay
│  Hebbian Spreading       │  ← association boost from linked memories
│  Importance Weighting    │  ← user-set priority
│  Confidence Scoring      │  ← metacognition layer
└──────────┬──────────────┘
           ↓
     Ranked Results

---

Configuration

Embedding Providers

Engram works without any embedding provider (FTS5 keyword search). Add one for cross-language semantic search:

Provider	Cost	Setup	Best For
None / FTS5	Free	Zero config	Simple agents, testing
Sentence Transformers	Free	pip install "engramai[sentence-transformers]"	Privacy, offline
Ollama	Free	Ollama + embedding model	Already using Ollama
OpenAI	~$0.0001/query	OPENAI_API_KEY	Highest quality

Environment Variables

Variable	Default	Description
ENGRAM_EMBEDDING	auto	Provider: auto, sentence-transformers, ollama, openai, none
ENGRAM_DB_PATH	./engram.db	Database path
ENGRAM_ST_MODEL	paraphrase-multilingual-MiniLM-L12-v2	Sentence Transformers model
OPENAI_API_KEY	—	Required for OpenAI embeddings

---

CLI

neuromem add "User prefers dark mode" --type preference --importance 0.8
neuromem recall "user preferences"
neuromem stats
neuromem consolidate
neuromem forget --threshold 0.01
neuromem hebbian "dark mode"

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📚 Documentation

• OpenClaw Plugin Guide — Drop-in context engine replacement
• Integration Guide — Level 3 auto-recall/store implementation
• Performance Analysis — Production metrics and optimization
• Embedding Configuration — Provider setup and tuning
• Vision — Where Engram is heading

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Development

git clone https://github.com/tonitangpotato/engram-ai.git
cd engram-ai

# Python
pip install -e ".[dev,all]"
pytest

# TypeScript
cd engram-ts && npm install && npm test

# OpenClaw Plugin
cd openclaw-plugin && npm install && npm test

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Credits

Built on research from:

• ACT-R (Adaptive Control of Thought-Rational) — Anderson, Carnegie Mellon
• Hebbian Learning — Donald Hebb, 1949
• Memory Consolidation — Walker & Stickgold (sleep research)
• Forgetting Curve — Hermann Ebbinghaus, 1885
• Working Memory — Baddeley & Hitch, 1974
• Miller's Law — George Miller, 1956 ("The Magical Number Seven")

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License

AGPL-3.0-or-later — see LICENSE for details. Commercial licensing available, see COMMERCIAL-LICENSE.md.

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