Bm Setup

Basic Memory for Codex Setup

Set up the current repo so Codex can orient from Basic Memory and checkpoint work back into it. Keep the interview short, but always ask before choosing where data will be written.

Preconditions

Confirm Basic Memory is reachable before changing files:

1. Prefer MCP: call list_memory_projects.
2. If MCP tools are not available, run basic-memory --version or bm --version.
3. If neither works, stop and tell the user to install Basic Memory and connect the MCP server. The plugin bundles an .mcp.json that starts uvx --prerelease=allow basic-memory mcp.
4. List available projects before the interview. Include cloud/local source, workspace, qualified name, and project id when available.

Interview

Ask the user to choose the project mapping. Do not infer write targets from the repo, default project, current directory, or previous local state.

• config level: user-level ~/.codex/basic-memory.json or project-level .codex/basic-memory.json. Ask explicitly and recommend user level by default. Project settings override user settings key by key.
• storage mode: cloud, local, or mixed. Prefer the user's stated mode over any CLI default.
• focus: code/dev, research, writing, planning, or mixed.
• sessionProfile: coding or general. Recommend coding for code/dev. For mixed use, ask whether this repository should capture Git and pull-request context. Do not infer coding merely because the current directory is a Git checkout.
• primaryProject: an existing Basic Memory project or a new one to create.
• secondaryProjects: optional read-only projects for session-start context.
• teamProjects: optional share targets for bm-share.
• captureFolder: default codex/<repo-dir>, derived from the Git top-level directory. Ask only when the user wants an explicit override.
• rememberFolder: default codex/remember.
• placementConventions: a short note about where decisions, tasks, and research notes should land. Default decisions to codex/decisions so Codex-authored memory stays under one tree.
• checkpointOnCompact: whether post-compaction SessionStart asks Codex to run bm-checkpoint. Default to true; an explicit JSON boolean false opts out.
• captureEvents: whether to record lifecycle-event envelopes in the local hook inbox. Default to true; an explicit JSON boolean false opts out.
• MCP approvals: ask the user to choose exactly one of these two modes:
  1. Keep Codex's default approval behavior. This requires no Codex config change.
  2. Pre-approve eligible tools from the Basic Memory MCP server. This sets default_tools_approval_mode = "approve" only for Basic Memory. Do not offer a per-tool or write-only trust profile. Explain that server trust changes Codex's approval UX but does not grant Basic Memory access to any new workspace, project, or files. Codex still requires approval for tools that advertise a destructive annotation, including Basic Memory's write, edit, and delete tools.

For the coding session profile, verify the current directory is inside a Git repository. Resolve a stable repository identifier such as owner/name from the current GitHub repository or origin remote, show it to the user, and ask for confirmation. Do not guess when the remote is missing or ambiguous. Explain that coding checkpoints store structured repository, branch, SHA, working-directory, and optional pull-request metadata in Basic Memory.

Explain the capture tradeoff before asking: enabled capture adds a local event trail that stays queued until bm hook flush archives it locally. It never creates knowledge-graph notes or writes to team projects. The default is enabled; an explicit JSON boolean false disables it, and malformed values fail closed.

If there are duplicate names, show qualified names and ask the user which one to use. Prefer qualified project names or project ids for cloud projects. Never pick between cloud and local variants without confirmation.

For a new or empty project, suggest a light convention instead of creating empty folders. For an existing project, inspect list_directory and a few notes before summarizing the real convention.

Apply

After confirming the plan, write the shared settings to the chosen user-level or project-level file:

{
  "basicMemory": {
    "primaryProject": "<project-ref>",
    "secondaryProjects": [],
    "projectMode": "cloud",
    "teamProjects": {},
    "focus": "<focus>",
    "sessionProfile": "<general-or-coding>",
    "rememberFolder": "codex/remember",
    "recallTimeframe": "7d",
    "checkpointOnCompact": true,
    "captureEvents": true,
    "placementConventions": "Put decisions in codex/decisions/ and work checkpoints in codex/<repo-dir>/."
  }
}

Omit captureFolder to use codex/<repo-dir>; persist it only for an explicit override. Preserve unrelated keys if the chosen file already exists. Include projectMode when the user chose cloud, local, or mixed routing. Always persist checkpointOnCompact and captureEvents as JSON booleans. These files are intentionally Codex-specific; do not write .claude/settings.json.

For a user-level coding setup, omit sessionProfile from the shared user file and keep both the coding profile and confirmed repository identifier in the project file so neither can affect other repositories:

{
  "basicMemory": {
    "sessionProfile": "coding",
    "repository": "owner/name"
  }
}

For a project-level setup, add repository to the shared settings in that same project file.

Persist sessionProfile explicitly in the chosen file, except for a user-level coding setup where it belongs in the project file alongside repository. Persist repository only for the coding profile, after the user confirms it. A coding setup is incomplete without a repository identifier because the coding_session schema requires queryable Git identity fields.