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Overview

The memory delete command permanently removes a memory from the vault. The memory file and all associated data (including embeddings) are deleted.

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Syntax

memory delete <memory-id>

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Arguments

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memory-id
string
required
The memory ID or ID prefix. You can use the full ID or just the first 12 characters.

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Examples

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Delete using ID prefix

memory delete a3f9c8d2e1b4
Output: 
Deleted memory a3f9c8d2e1b4

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Delete using full ID

memory delete a3f9c8d2e1b4-7a8b-4c5d-9e0f-1g2h3i4j5k6l

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When memory doesn’t exist

memory delete nonexistent123
Output: 
No memory found for nonexistent123

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Workflow: Find and Delete

Typical workflow to delete a memory:

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1. Find the memory

memory search "old decision"
Output: 
 Results (1 found) 

 [1] Deprecated API approach (score: 0.92)
     decision | 2025-01-15 | oldproject
     What: Using REST API v1

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2. Get the ID from search or file

ls ~/.memory/vault/oldproject/
# Shows: 2025-01-15-b4c6d8e0f2a1.md

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3. Delete the memory

memory delete b4c6d8e0f2a1

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What Gets Deleted

When you delete a memory:
  1. Memory file: The .md file in vault/project/ is removed
  2. Database record: Entry in the SQLite database is deleted
  3. Embeddings: Vector embeddings (if any) are removed
  4. Full-text index: FTS5 search index entry is cleared

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Use Cases

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Remove outdated information

# Find outdated memories
memory search "old approach" --project

# Delete the obsolete ones
memory delete c5e7f9a1b3d2

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Clean up test entries

memory search "test" --limit 20
# Delete test memories one by one
memory delete d6f8g0h2i4j6
memory delete e7g9h1i3j5k7

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Remove sensitive information

If you accidentally saved sensitive data: 
memory search "password" --project
memory delete f8h0i2j4k6l8

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Safety Considerations

Deletion is permanent. There is no undo or recovery. The memory file and database records are immediately removed.

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Before deleting:

  1. Verify the ID: Use memory search to confirm you’re deleting the right memory
  2. Review details: Run memory details <id> to see the full content
  3. Back up if needed: Copy the file from ~/.memory/vault/ before deleting

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Bulk deletion:

To delete multiple memories, use a script: 
# List IDs to delete
IDS="a3f9c8d2e1b4 b4c6d8e0f2a1 c5e7f9a1b3d2"

# Delete each one
for id in $IDS; do
  memory delete $id
done

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Alternative: Archive Instead of Delete

Instead of deleting, consider:
  1. Move to archive project: Manually move the file to a different project folder
  2. Tag as archived: Update the memory with an archived tag
  3. Keep for reference: Leave it unless it contains sensitive data
If you’re unsure about deleting, use memory details <id> first to review the full content, or manually inspect the file at ~/.memory/vault/project/DATE-ID.md.

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