sekha 0.1.2

Zero-dependency AI memory system with hook-level rules enforcement for Claude Code

Sekha

Persistent memory for Claude Code. Zero dependencies. Plain markdown. Plus: the only AI memory system that can hard-block destructive tool calls.

What Sekha does

1. Remembers things across sessions. Tell Claude in one session, ask about it in the next, and it knows. Preferences, decisions, project context, anything — saved as plain markdown files under ~/.sekha/. Close Claude Code. Open it again tomorrow. The memory is still there.

Claude invokes sekha_save / sekha_search / sekha_list / sekha_delete via MCP to manage the memory itself. You just talk to Claude normally.

2. Blocks dangerous tool calls (the moat). Sekha hooks into Claude Code's PreToolUse event and returns permissionDecision: "deny" when a tool-input matches a regex rule you've written. The AI cannot bypass this, even with --dangerously-skip-permissions. rm -rf, git push --force, DROP TABLE — whatever you choose to guard. Rules are plain markdown in ~/.sekha/rules/, so your enforcement policy is as reviewable as any other config under version control.

Every other memory system (MemPalace, Mem0, Letta, Zep, Basic Memory, CLAUDE.md) only stores rules. Sekha enforces them at the hook boundary.

Honest scope

What Sekha enforces (hard): regex-matchable tool-input patterns -- rm -rf /, git push --force origin main, DROP TABLE users. The PreToolUse hook vetoes the tool call before it runs.

What Sekha does NOT enforce: behavioral rules like "always confirm before acting" or "no assumptions." Those remain prompt-level reminders and the AI can override them. See the Threat Model for why this is a fundamental limit of today's Claude Code hook surface, not a bug in Sekha.

Memory across sessions

Claude remembers what you told it in a previous session — saved as a markdown file under ~/.sekha/, retrieved via the sekha_search MCP tool on demand.

Blocking a destructive tool call

Claude asks Sekha to install a rule blocking rm -rf on a specific folder, then attempts to delete that folder — the PreToolUse hook returns deny and the file survives.

Install

pip install sekha
sekha init

That's it. sekha init:

• Creates ~/.sekha/ for memories and rules.
• Wires the PreToolUse hook into ~/.claude/settings.json.
• Auto-registers the MCP server via claude mcp add sekha --scope user so Claude can use sekha_save / sekha_search / sekha_add_rule etc. directly.

Restart Claude Code after init so it picks up the new hook and MCP server. Then verify with sekha doctor.

If claude is not on PATH (e.g. Claude Code installed but CLI alias missing), sekha init prints the manual claude mcp add command so you can register it by hand. Or use sekha init --skip-mcp to opt out of the auto-registration entirely.

Features

• Persistent memory across sessions. Plain markdown files under ~/.sekha/ grouped into five fixed categories: sessions, decisions, preferences, projects, rules. Grep-friendly filenames, git-trackable if you want them in version control. Search with term-frequency x recency x filename-match scoring.
• 6 MCP tools for the AI to manage memory itself: sekha_save, sekha_search, sekha_list, sekha_delete, sekha_status, sekha_add_rule.
• Tool-pattern rule enforcement at the hook level. For regex matches against tool inputs, the AI cannot bypass -- even with --dangerously-skip-permissions. Behavioral rules ("always confirm", "no assumptions") remain prompt-level and are overridable; see Threat Model.
• Zero runtime dependencies -- pure Python stdlib, no supply chain surface.
• Works with any MCP client for memory (Claude Code, Cursor, Cline, Windsurf). Hook-level rule enforcement is Claude Code exclusive in v0.1.0.
• CLI: sekha init, sekha doctor, sekha add-rule, sekha list-rules, sekha hook run/bench/enable/disable, sekha serve.

How It Works

[Diagram: Claude Code -> PreToolUse hook -> sekha hook run -> rules engine -> block or allow]

Three processes, all sharing state under ~/.sekha/:

1. MCP server (long-lived, one per Claude Code session) -- serves the memory tools.
2. Hook (short-lived, per tool call) -- reads the rules directory, matches tool_name + pattern, blocks or warns.
3. CLI (one-shot) -- init, doctor, add-rule, list-rules, hook bench, and friends.

The hook is the differentiator. Rules are loaded fresh on each invocation so edits take effect immediately, and parse errors fail loudly to stderr rather than silently skipping a rule.

Example Rules

See examples/rules/ for copy-paste-ready rules:

• block-rm-rf.md -- prevent rm -rf /, rm -rf ~, rm -rf * disasters.
• block-force-push-main.md -- no git push --force against main/master.
• block-drop-table.md -- refuse DROP TABLE in Bash-invoked SQL.
• warn-no-tests-before-commit.md -- nudge before git commit without tests.

Each example is a single-purpose rule with inline commentary explaining how to tighten or loosen the pattern.

Threat Model

What Sekha enforces

Regex patterns on tool inputs. If you write a rule that blocks the Bash tool when its command field matches rm -rf, the AI cannot bypass it. The PreToolUse hook runs as an out-of-process Python subprocess, evaluates rules, and returns permissionDecision: "deny" for matches. Survives --dangerously-skip-permissions.

What Sekha does NOT enforce

Behavioral rules like "always confirm before editing," "don't guess," or "explain your plan first." These live in memory/context as reminders. The AI can and does ignore them. This is the class of rule for which no solution exists today at the Claude Code layer -- prompt-level reminders (CLAUDE.md, memory systems, warn-severity Sekha rules) all depend on voluntary compliance.

There is no PreReason hook. Decisions happen in the AI's token stream between tool calls, where no subprocess can intervene. Anyone claiming otherwise is overselling.

Why tool-pattern enforcement is still a consistency enforcer, not a security sandbox

Even within the things Sekha can block, the AI can work around a blocked pattern by choosing a different tool. If you block Bash matching rm -rf, the AI could Write a deletion script and invoke it via a tool you didn't cover. Sekha scopes rules to tool_name deliberately so your policy stays inspectable instead of hiding behind an opaque allowlist.

For containment against a compromised or adversarial AI, use OS-level sandboxing -- container, VM, seccomp, etc. Sekha keeps the AI honest about intentions you have made explicit. It does not protect you from a creative agent actively working around your rules.

Cross-Client Support

Client	Memory (MCP tools)	Rules Enforcement (hook)
Claude Code	Yes	Yes
Cursor	Yes	No (no hook API)
Cline	Yes	No
Windsurf	Yes	No

Hook enforcement is Claude Code exclusive in v0.1.0. Memory tools work everywhere MCP works.

Docs

• Integration test runbook -- verify the hook blocks on your machine, end to end.
• CHANGELOG -- version history.
• Release runbook -- how maintainers cut a version.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md.

License

MIT