Tool reference · Sessions & episodes
memory_observe
Records a cheap, short-lived observation of something that happened (a file edit, a command, a discovery) without deduplication or embeddings.
local stdio server writes
Caution. Observations are cleaned up automatically after 30 days. Use memory_save for anything you need to keep.
When to use
- A hook or agent wants to log activity after each Write, Edit or Bash call.
- You want a lightweight trail of what changed during a session.
- The event is too small to deserve a full memory_save.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
tool_namerequired | string | — | Which tool triggered this (Write, Edit, Bash, etc.) |
summaryrequired | string | — | What happened (e.g. 'Modified auth controller') |
observation_type | "bugfix" | "feature" | "refactor" | "change" | "discovery" | "decision" | "change" | Type of observation |
files_affected | string[] | — | List of affected file paths |
project | string | "general" | — |
Example
Arguments
{
"tool_name": "Edit",
"summary": "Modified auth controller to return 401 on expired token",
"observation_type": "bugfix",
"files_affected": [
"src/Controller/AuthController.php"
],
"project": "my-api"
}Result shape
{
"observed": true,
"id": 4182
}Values are illustrative; the keys follow the server's handler. MCP clients receive the result as JSON text content.
Server description
The description the server sends to your agent in tools/list, captured from the v14.7.0 source:
Save a lightweight observation (auto-capture). No dedup, no ChromaDB — fast and cheap. Use for tracking file changes, tool usage, and session activity. Observations auto-cleanup after 30 days.