Overview
The bd forget command permanently deletes a stored memory from the key-value store. Use this to remove outdated, incorrect, or no longer relevant knowledge.
Added in: v0.58.0
Syntax
Arguments
The exact key of the memory to delete. Keys are case-sensitive.
How It Works
The command:
- Looks up the memory by key (
kv.memory.<key>)
- Verifies it exists (fails if not found)
- Deletes it from the database
- Confirms deletion with the deleted content (truncated)
The deletion is permanent and syncs via Dolt push/pull like all database changes.
Examples
Basic Deletion
Remove a single memory:
Output:
Forgot [test-race]: always run tests with -race flag to catch concurrency bugs
Long Content Confirmation
When forgetting a long memory:
bd forget deployment-checklist
Forgot [deployment-checklist]: Pre-deployment checklist: 1. Run full test suite wi...
Key Not Found
Attempting to delete a non-existent memory:
bd forget nonexistent-key
No memory with key "nonexistent-key"
JSON Output
For programmatic use:
bd forget test-race --json
{
"key": "test-race",
"deleted": "true"
}
{
"key": "nonexistent-key",
"found": "false"
}
Use Cases
Clean up memories that are no longer accurate:
# Old info
bd remember "API rate limit is 100 req/min" --key api-rate-limit
# Rate limit changed
bd forget api-rate-limit
bd remember "API rate limit is 1000 req/min" --key api-rate-limit
bd remember with the same key. Use forget when you want to completely remove the memory, not replace it.
Cleanup Test Data
Remove memories created during testing:
bd forget test-memory-1
bd forget test-memory-2
bd forget temp-note
Remove Sensitive Info
If you accidentally stored something sensitive:
bd forget api-key # Delete immediately
This only deletes from the current database. If you’ve already pushed to a Dolt remote, the memory exists in git history. Use dolt sql to rewrite history if needed, or rotate the credential.
Bulk Deletion Script
Delete multiple memories at once:
#!/bin/bash
for key in $(bd memories temp --json | jq -r 'keys[]'); do
bd forget "$key"
done
# Delete all test-* memories
bd memories --json | jq -r 'keys[] | select(startswith("test-"))' | while read key; do
bd forget "$key"
done
Safe Deletion with Confirmation
Verify before deleting:
# 1. Check what you're about to delete
bd recall auth-old
# 2. Confirm it's the right one
echo "Delete this? (y/n)"
read answer
# 3. Delete if confirmed
if [ "$answer" = "y" ]; then
bd forget auth-old
fi
Agent Cleanup
AI agents can clean up after themselves:
# Agent stores temporary context
bd remember "Working on feature X, needs Y" --key agent-context
# Work is done, clean up
bd forget agent-context
Exit Codes
- 0: Memory deleted successfully
- 1: Memory key not found (nothing to delete)
Use in scripts:
if bd forget old-config 2>/dev/null; then
echo "Cleaned up old config"
else
echo "No old config to clean"
fi
Finding Keys to Delete
If you don’t remember the exact key:
# 1. Search for it
bd memories staging
# Shows: staging-api, staging-db, staging-old
# 2. Delete the right one
bd forget staging-old
bd memories --json | jq 'keys[]'
Undo Deletion
There’s no built-in undo for bd forget, but if you have Dolt history:
# 1. Find the commit before deletion
bd dolt log --oneline | head
# 2. Check the old value
bd dolt show <commit-hash>
# 3. Re-create the memory
bd remember "original content" --key original-key
bd sql "SELECT value FROM beads_config AS OF '<commit-hash>' WHERE key = 'kv.memory.old-key'"
bd memories - List all memories to find keys to deletebd recall - View full content before deletingbd remember - Store or update a memory (alternative to delete + recreate)
Tips
Before deleting, recall the content to verify it’s what you think:bd recall suspicious-key # Check content first
bd forget suspicious-key # Then delete
Use descriptive keys with prefixes so you can bulk-delete by category:# All temp-* keys can be cleaned up together
bd forget temp-note-1
bd forget temp-note-2
Deletion is permanent in your local database. However, Dolt tracks all changes. If you need to recover a deleted memory, you can query historical commits.
If you’re using bd forget to remove sensitive data, remember that:
- The data remains in Dolt history
- If pushed to a remote, it’s in the shared history
- Use Dolt’s history rewriting features if true deletion is required
- Rotate compromised credentials regardless
Common Patterns
Replace Instead of Delete
Often you want to update, not delete:
# Don't do this:
bd forget api-config
bd remember "new config" --key api-config
# Do this instead:
bd remember "new config" --key api-config # Automatically updates
Safe Batch Deletion
Delete multiple memories with confirmation:
for key in $(bd memories deprecated --json | jq -r 'keys[]'); do
echo "Delete $key?"
bd recall "$key"
read -p "Confirm (y/n): " answer
if [ "$answer" = "y" ]; then
bd forget "$key"
fi
done
Audit Before Delete
Log deletions for audit trail:
#!/bin/bash
KEY=$1
CONTENT=$(bd recall "$KEY" 2>/dev/null)
if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
echo "[$(date)] Deleting $KEY: $CONTENT" >> /tmp/bd-forget.log
bd forget "$KEY"
fi