Using agent memory

Give your agents persistent memory that survives across sessions using memory stores.

Each Managed Agents session starts with a fresh context by default. When a session ends, any state the agent built up is gone. Memory stores let the agent carry information across sessions: user preferences, project conventions, prior mistakes, and domain context.

INFO

All Managed Agents API requests require the managed-agents-2026-04-01 beta header. The SDK sets the beta header automatically.

Overview

A memory store is a workspace-scoped collection of text documents optimized for Claude. When you attach a store to a session, it is mounted as a directory inside the session's container. The agent reads and writes it with the same file tools it uses for the rest of the filesystem, and a note describing each mount is automatically added to the system prompt, telling the agent where to look. The agent toolset is required for these interactions; make sure to enable it during agent creation.

Each memory in a store is addressed by a path and can be read and edited directly via the API or Console, allowing for tuning, importing, and exporting.

Every change to a memory creates an immutable memory version, giving you an audit trail and point-in-time recovery for everything the agent writes.

Create a memory store

Give the store a name and a description. The description is passed to the agent, telling it what the store contains.

bash

store=$(curl -s https://api.anthropic.com/v1/memory_stores \
  -H "x-api-key: $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY" \
  -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
  -H "anthropic-beta: managed-agents-2026-04-01" \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "User Preferences", "description": "Per-user preferences and project context."}')
store_id=$(jq -r '.id' <<< "$store")
echo "$store_id"  # memstore_01Hx...

bash

store_id=$(ant beta:memory-stores create \
  --name "User Preferences" \
  --description "Per-user preferences and project context." \
  --transform id --raw-output)

python

store = client.beta.memory_stores.create(
    name="User Preferences",
    description="Per-user preferences and project context.",
)
print(store.id)  # memstore_01Hx...

typescript

const store = await client.beta.memoryStores.create({
  name: "User Preferences",
  description: "Per-user preferences and project context."
});
console.log(store.id); // memstore_01Hx...

csharp

var store = await client.Beta.MemoryStores.Create(new()
{
    Name = "User Preferences",
    Description = "Per-user preferences and project context.",
});
Console.WriteLine(store.ID);  // memstore_01Hx...

store, err := client.Beta.MemoryStores.New(ctx, anthropic.BetaMemoryStoreNewParams{
	Name:        "User Preferences",
	Description: anthropic.String("Per-user preferences and project context."),
})
if err != nil {
	panic(err)
}
fmt.Println(store.ID) // memstore_01Hx...

java

var store = client.beta().memoryStores().create(
    MemoryStoreCreateParams.builder()
        .name("User Preferences")
        .description("Per-user preferences and project context.")
        .build()
);
IO.println(store.id());  // memstore_01Hx...

php

use Anthropic\Client;

$client = new Client();

$store = $client->beta->memoryStores->create(
    name: 'User Preferences',
    description: 'Per-user preferences and project context.',
);
echo "{$store->id}\n"; // memstore_01Hx...

ruby

require "anthropic"

client = Anthropic::Client.new

store = client.beta.memory_stores.create(
  name: "User Preferences",
  description: "Per-user preferences and project context."
)
puts store.id # memstore_01Hx...

The memory store id (memstore_...) is what you pass when attaching the store to a session.

Seed it with content (optional)

Pre-load a store with reference material before any agent runs:

bash

curl -s "https://api.anthropic.com/v1/memory_stores/$store_id/memories" \
  -H "x-api-key: $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY" \
  -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
  -H "anthropic-beta: managed-agents-2026-04-01" \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{"path": "/formatting_standards.md", "content": "All reports use GAAP formatting. Dates are ISO-8601..."}' > /dev/null

bash

ant beta:memory-stores:memories create \
  --memory-store-id "$store_id" \
  --path "/formatting_standards.md" \
  --content "All reports use GAAP formatting. Dates are ISO-8601..." \
  > /dev/null

python

client.beta.memory_stores.memories.create(
    store.id,
    path="/formatting_standards.md",
    content="All reports use GAAP formatting. Dates are ISO-8601...",
)

typescript

await client.beta.memoryStores.memories.create(store.id, {
  path: "/formatting_standards.md",
  content: "All reports use GAAP formatting. Dates are ISO-8601..."
});

csharp

await client.Beta.MemoryStores.Memories.Create(store.ID, new()
{
    Path = "/formatting_standards.md",
    Content = "All reports use GAAP formatting. Dates are ISO-8601...",
});

_, err = client.Beta.MemoryStores.Memories.New(ctx, store.ID, anthropic.BetaMemoryStoreMemoryNewParams{
	Path:    "/formatting_standards.md",
	Content: anthropic.String("All reports use GAAP formatting. Dates are ISO-8601..."),
})
if err != nil {
	panic(err)
}

java

client.beta().memoryStores().memories().create(
    store.id(),
    MemoryCreateParams.builder()
        .path("/formatting_standards.md")
        .content("All reports use GAAP formatting. Dates are ISO-8601...")
        .build()
);

php

$client->beta->memoryStores->memories->create(
    $store->id,
    path: '/formatting_standards.md',
    content: 'All reports use GAAP formatting. Dates are ISO-8601...',
);

ruby

client.beta.memory_stores.memories.create(
  store.id,
  path: "/formatting_standards.md",
  content: "All reports use GAAP formatting. Dates are ISO-8601..."
)

TIP

Individual memories within the store are capped at 100 kB (~25k tokens). Structure memory as many small focused files, not a few large ones.

Attach a memory store to a session

Memory stores are attached in the session's resources[] array when the session is created. Unlike file and repository resources, memory stores can only be attached at session creation time; adding or removing one from a running session is not supported.

Optionally include instructions to provide session-specific guidance for how the agent should use this store. It is shown to the agent alongside the store's name and description, and is capped at 4,096 characters.

You can configure access as well. It defaults to read_write (shown explicitly in the following example), but read_only is also supported.

bash

curl -s https://api.anthropic.com/v1/sessions \
  -H "x-api-key: $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY" \
  -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
  -H "anthropic-beta: managed-agents-2026-04-01" \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  --data @- <<EOF
{
  "agent": "$agent_id",
  "environment_id": "$environment_id",
  "resources": [
    {
      "type": "memory_store",
      "memory_store_id": "$store_id",
      "access": "read_write",
      "instructions": "User preferences and project context. Check before starting any task."
    }
  ]
}
EOF

bash

ant beta:sessions create <<YAML
agent: $agent_id
environment_id: $environment_id
resources:
  - type: memory_store
    memory_store_id: $store_id
    access: read_write
    instructions: User preferences and project context. Check before starting any task.
YAML

python

session = client.beta.sessions.create(
    agent=agent.id,
    environment_id=environment.id,
    resources=[
        {
            "type": "memory_store",
            "memory_store_id": store.id,
            "access": "read_write",
            "instructions": "User preferences and project context. Check before starting any task.",
        }
    ],
)

typescript

const session = await client.beta.sessions.create({
  agent: agent.id,
  environment_id: environment.id,
  resources: [
    {
      type: "memory_store",
      memory_store_id: store.id,
      access: "read_write",
      instructions: "User preferences and project context. Check before starting any task."
    }
  ]
});

csharp

var session = await client.Beta.Sessions.Create(new()
{
    Agent = agent.ID,
    EnvironmentID = environment.ID,
    Resources =
    [
        new BetaManagedAgentsMemoryStoreResourceParam
        {
            Type = "memory_store",
            MemoryStoreID = store.ID,
            Access = "read_write",
            Instructions = "User preferences and project context. Check before starting any task.",
        },
    ],
});

session, err := client.Beta.Sessions.New(ctx, anthropic.BetaSessionNewParams{
	Agent: anthropic.BetaSessionNewParamsAgentUnion{
		OfString: anthropic.String(agent.ID),
	},
	EnvironmentID: environment.ID,
	Resources: []anthropic.BetaSessionNewParamsResourceUnion{{
		OfMemoryStore: &anthropic.BetaManagedAgentsMemoryStoreResourceParam{
			Type:          anthropic.BetaManagedAgentsMemoryStoreResourceParamTypeMemoryStore,
			MemoryStoreID: store.ID,
			Access:        anthropic.BetaManagedAgentsMemoryStoreResourceParamAccessReadWrite,
			Instructions:  anthropic.String("User preferences and project context. Check before starting any task."),
		},
	}},
})
if err != nil {
	panic(err)
}

java

var session = client.beta().sessions().create(
    SessionCreateParams.builder()
        .agent(agent.id())
        .environmentId(environment.id())
        .addResource(
            BetaManagedAgentsMemoryStoreResourceParam.builder()
                .type(BetaManagedAgentsMemoryStoreResourceParam.Type.MEMORY_STORE)
                .memoryStoreId(store.id())
                .access(BetaManagedAgentsMemoryStoreResourceParam.Access.READ_WRITE)
                .instructions("User preferences and project context. Check before starting any task.")
                .build()
        )
        .build()
);

php

$session = $client->beta->sessions->create(
    agent: $agent->id,
    environmentID: $environment->id,
    resources: [
        [
            'type' => 'memory_store',
            'memory_store_id' => $store->id,
            'access' => 'read_write',
            'instructions' => 'User preferences and project context. Check before starting any task.',
        ],
    ],
);

ruby

session = client.beta.sessions.create(
  agent: agent.id,
  environment_id: environment.id,
  resources: [
    {
      type: "memory_store",
      memory_store_id: store.id,
      access: "read_write",
      instructions: "User preferences and project context. Check before starting any task."
    }
  ]
)

WARNING

Memory stores attach with read_write access by default. If the agent processes untrusted input (user-supplied prompts, fetched web content, or third-party tool output), a successful prompt injection could write malicious content into the store. Later sessions then read that content as trusted memory. Use read_only for reference material, shared lookups, and any store the agent does not need to modify.

A maximum of 8 memory stores are supported per session. Attach multiple stores when different parts of memory have different owners or access rules. Common reasons:

Shared reference material: one read-only store attached to many sessions (standards, conventions, domain knowledge), kept separate from each session's own read-write store.
Mapping to your product's structure: one store per end user, per team, or per project, while sharing a single agent configuration.
Different lifecycles: a store that outlives any single session, or one you want to archive on its own schedule.

How the agent accesses memory

Each attached store is mounted inside the session's container as a directory under /mnt/memory/, and the agent reads and writes it with the standard agent toolset. Writes are persisted back to the store and stay in sync across sessions that share it. A short description of each mount (path, access mode, store description, and any instructions) is automatically added to the system prompt.

access is enforced at the filesystem level: a read_only mount rejects writes, while writes to a read_write mount produce memory versions attributed to the session.

The agent's reads and writes appear in the event stream as ordinary agent.tool_use and agent.tool_result events for whichever tool touched the mount.

View and edit memories

Memory stores can be managed directly via the API. Use this for building review workflows, correcting bad memories, or seeding stores before any session runs.

List memories

List the memories in a store, optionally filtered by path_prefix to browse a path like a directory:

bash

curl -s "https://api.anthropic.com/v1/memory_stores/$store_id/memories?path_prefix=/&order_by=path&depth=2" \
  -H "x-api-key: $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY" \
  -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
  -H "anthropic-beta: managed-agents-2026-04-01" | jq -r '.data[] | "\(.type)  \(.path)"'

bash

ant beta:memory-stores:memories list \
  --memory-store-id "$store_id" \
  --path-prefix "/" --order-by path --depth 2

python

page = client.beta.memory_stores.memories.list(
    store.id,
    path_prefix="/",
    order_by="path",
    depth=2,
)
for item in page.data:
    print(item.type, item.path)

typescript

const page = await client.beta.memoryStores.memories.list(store.id, {
  path_prefix: "/",
  order_by: "path",
  depth: 2
});
for (const item of page.data) {
  console.log(item.type, item.path);
}

csharp

var page = await client.Beta.MemoryStores.Memories.List(store.ID, new()
{
    PathPrefix = "/",
    OrderBy = "path",
    Depth = 2,
});
await foreach (var item in page.Paginate())
{
    var line = item.Match(m => $"memory  {m.Path}", p => $"memory_prefix  {p.Path}");
    Console.WriteLine(line);
}

page, err := client.Beta.MemoryStores.Memories.List(ctx, store.ID, anthropic.BetaMemoryStoreMemoryListParams{
	PathPrefix: anthropic.String("/"),
	OrderBy:    anthropic.String("path"),
	Depth:      anthropic.Int(2),
})
if err != nil {
	panic(err)
}
for _, item := range page.Data {
	fmt.Println(item.Type, item.Path)
}

java

var page = client.beta().memoryStores().memories().list(
    store.id(),
    MemoryListParams.builder()
        .pathPrefix("/")
        .orderBy("path")
        .depth(2)
        .build()
);
for (var item : page.data()) {
    item.memory().ifPresent(m -> IO.println("memory  " + m.path()));
    item.memoryPrefix().ifPresent(p -> IO.println("memory_prefix  " + p.path()));
}

php

$page = $client->beta->memoryStores->memories->list(
    $store->id,
    pathPrefix: '/',
    orderBy: 'path',
    depth: 2,
);
foreach ($page->data as $item) {
    echo "{$item->type}  {$item->path}\n";
}

ruby

page = client.beta.memory_stores.memories.list(
  store.id,
  path_prefix: "/",
  order_by: "path",
  depth: 2
)
page.data.each do |entry|
  puts "#{entry.type}  #{entry.path}"
end

See the List memories reference for full parameters and response schema.

Read a memory

Fetching an individual memory returns the full content.

bash

curl -s "https://api.anthropic.com/v1/memory_stores/$store_id/memories/$mem_id" \
  -H "x-api-key: $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY" \
  -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
  -H "anthropic-beta: managed-agents-2026-04-01" | jq -r '.content'

bash

ant beta:memory-stores:memories retrieve \
  --memory-store-id "$store_id" \
  --memory-id "$mem_id"

python

retrieved = client.beta.memory_stores.memories.retrieve(
    mem.id,
    memory_store_id=store.id,
)
print(retrieved.content)

typescript

const retrieved = await client.beta.memoryStores.memories.retrieve(mem.id, {
  memory_store_id: store.id
});
console.log(retrieved.content);

csharp

var retrieved = await client.Beta.MemoryStores.Memories.Retrieve(mem.ID, new()
{
    MemoryStoreID = store.ID,
});
Console.WriteLine(retrieved.Content);

retrieved, err := client.Beta.MemoryStores.Memories.Get(ctx, mem.ID, anthropic.BetaMemoryStoreMemoryGetParams{
	MemoryStoreID: store.ID,
})
if err != nil {
	panic(err)
}
fmt.Println(retrieved.Content)

java

var retrieved = client.beta().memoryStores().memories().retrieve(
    mem.id(),
    MemoryRetrieveParams.builder().memoryStoreId(store.id()).build()
);
IO.println(retrieved.content());

php

$retrieved = $client->beta->memoryStores->memories->retrieve($mem->id, memoryStoreID: $store->id);
echo "{$retrieved->content}\n";

ruby

retrieved = client.beta.memory_stores.memories.retrieve(
  mem.id,
  memory_store_id: store.id
)
puts retrieved.content

See the Retrieve a memory reference for full parameters and response schema.

Create a memory

memories.create creates a memory at a given path. Create does not overwrite; to change an existing memory, use memories.update.

bash

mem=$(curl -s "https://api.anthropic.com/v1/memory_stores/$store_id/memories" \
  -H "x-api-key: $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY" \
  -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
  -H "anthropic-beta: managed-agents-2026-04-01" \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{"path": "/preferences/formatting.md", "content": "Always use tabs, not spaces."}')
mem_id=$(jq -r '.id' <<< "$mem")
mem_sha=$(jq -r '.content_sha256' <<< "$mem")

bash

mem=$(ant beta:memory-stores:memories create \
  --memory-store-id "$store_id" \
  --path "/preferences/formatting.md" \
  --content "Always use tabs, not spaces." \
  --format json)
mem_id=$(jq -r '.id' <<< "$mem")
mem_sha=$(jq -r '.content_sha256' <<< "$mem")

python

mem = client.beta.memory_stores.memories.create(
    store.id,
    path="/preferences/formatting.md",
    content="Always use tabs, not spaces.",
)

typescript

const mem = await client.beta.memoryStores.memories.create(store.id, {
  path: "/preferences/formatting.md",
  content: "Always use tabs, not spaces."
});

csharp

var mem = await client.Beta.MemoryStores.Memories.Create(store.ID, new()
{
    Path = "/preferences/formatting.md",
    Content = "Always use tabs, not spaces.",
});

mem, err := client.Beta.MemoryStores.Memories.New(ctx, store.ID, anthropic.BetaMemoryStoreMemoryNewParams{
	Path:    "/preferences/formatting.md",
	Content: anthropic.String("Always use tabs, not spaces."),
})
if err != nil {
	panic(err)
}

java

var mem = client.beta().memoryStores().memories().create(
    store.id(),
    MemoryCreateParams.builder()
        .path("/preferences/formatting.md")
        .content("Always use tabs, not spaces.")
        .build()
);

php

$mem = $client->beta->memoryStores->memories->create(
    $store->id,
    path: '/preferences/formatting.md',
    content: 'Always use tabs, not spaces.',
);

ruby

mem = client.beta.memory_stores.memories.create(
  store.id,
  path: "/preferences/formatting.md",
  content: "Always use tabs, not spaces."
)

See the Create a memory reference for full parameters and response schema.

Update a memory

memories.update modifies an existing memory by ID. You can change content, path (a rename), or both. The example renames a memory to an archive path:

bash

curl -s -X POST "https://api.anthropic.com/v1/memory_stores/$store_id/memories/$mem_id" \
  -H "x-api-key: $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY" \
  -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
  -H "anthropic-beta: managed-agents-2026-04-01" \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{"path": "/archive/2026_q1_formatting.md"}' > /dev/null

bash

ant beta:memory-stores:memories update \
  --memory-store-id "$store_id" \
  --memory-id "$mem_id" \
  --path "/archive/2026_q1_formatting.md" \
  > /dev/null

python

client.beta.memory_stores.memories.update(
    mem.id,
    memory_store_id=store.id,
    path="/archive/2026_q1_formatting.md",
)

typescript

await client.beta.memoryStores.memories.update(mem.id, {
  memory_store_id: store.id,
  path: "/archive/2026_q1_formatting.md"
});

csharp

await client.Beta.MemoryStores.Memories.Update(mem.ID, new()
{
    MemoryStoreID = store.ID,
    Path = "/archive/2026_q1_formatting.md",
});

_, err = client.Beta.MemoryStores.Memories.Update(ctx, mem.ID, anthropic.BetaMemoryStoreMemoryUpdateParams{
	MemoryStoreID: store.ID,
	Path:          anthropic.String("/archive/2026_q1_formatting.md"),
})
if err != nil {
	panic(err)
}

java

client.beta().memoryStores().memories().update(
    mem.id(),
    MemoryUpdateParams.builder()
        .memoryStoreId(store.id())
        .path("/archive/2026_q1_formatting.md")
        .build()
);

php

$client->beta->memoryStores->memories->update(
    $mem->id,
    memoryStoreID: $store->id,
    path: '/archive/2026_q1_formatting.md',
);

ruby

client.beta.memory_stores.memories.update(
  mem.id,
  memory_store_id: store.id,
  path: "/archive/2026_q1_formatting.md"
)

See the Update a memory reference for full parameters and response schema.

Safe content edits (optimistic concurrency)

To avoid clobbering a concurrent write, pass a content_sha256 precondition. The update only applies if the stored content hash still matches the one you read; on mismatch, re-read the memory and retry against the fresh state.

bash

curl -s -X POST "https://api.anthropic.com/v1/memory_stores/$store_id/memories/$mem_id" \
  -H "x-api-key: $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY" \
  -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
  -H "anthropic-beta: managed-agents-2026-04-01" \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  --data @- > /dev/null <<EOF
{
  "content": "CORRECTED: Always use 2-space indentation.",
  "precondition": {"type": "content_sha256", "content_sha256": "$mem_sha"}
}
EOF

bash

ant beta:memory-stores:memories update \
  --memory-store-id "$store_id" \
  --memory-id "$mem_id" \
  --content "CORRECTED: Always use 2-space indentation." \
  --precondition "{type: content_sha256, content_sha256: $mem_sha}" \
  > /dev/null

python

client.beta.memory_stores.memories.update(
    memory_id=mem.id,
    memory_store_id=store.id,
    content="CORRECTED: Always use 2-space indentation.",
    precondition={"type": "content_sha256", "content_sha256": mem.content_sha256},
)

typescript

await client.beta.memoryStores.memories.update(mem.id, {
  memory_store_id: store.id,
  content: "CORRECTED: Always use 2-space indentation.",
  precondition: { type: "content_sha256", content_sha256: mem.content_sha256 }
});

csharp

await client.Beta.MemoryStores.Memories.Update(mem.ID, new()
{
    MemoryStoreID = store.ID,
    Content = "CORRECTED: Always use 2-space indentation.",
    Precondition = new BetaManagedAgentsPrecondition
    {
        Type = "content_sha256",
        ContentSha256 = mem.ContentSha256,
    },
});

_, err = client.Beta.MemoryStores.Memories.Update(ctx, mem.ID, anthropic.BetaMemoryStoreMemoryUpdateParams{
	MemoryStoreID: store.ID,
	Content:       anthropic.String("CORRECTED: Always use 2-space indentation."),
	Precondition: anthropic.BetaManagedAgentsPreconditionParam{
		Type:          anthropic.BetaManagedAgentsPreconditionTypeContentSha256,
		ContentSha256: anthropic.String(mem.ContentSha256),
	},
})
if err != nil {
	panic(err)
}

java

client.beta().memoryStores().memories().update(
    mem.id(),
    MemoryUpdateParams.builder()
        .memoryStoreId(store.id())
        .content("CORRECTED: Always use 2-space indentation.")
        .precondition(
            BetaManagedAgentsPrecondition.builder()
                .type(BetaManagedAgentsPrecondition.Type.CONTENT_SHA256)
                .contentSha256(mem.contentSha256())
                .build()
        )
        .build()
);

php

$client->beta->memoryStores->memories->update(
    $mem->id,
    memoryStoreID: $store->id,
    content: 'CORRECTED: Always use 2-space indentation.',
    precondition: ['type' => 'content_sha256', 'content_sha256' => $mem->contentSha256],
);

ruby

client.beta.memory_stores.memories.update(
  mem.id,
  memory_store_id: store.id,
  content: "CORRECTED: Always use 2-space indentation.",
  precondition: {type: "content_sha256", content_sha256: mem.content_sha256}
)

Delete a memory

bash

curl -s -X DELETE "https://api.anthropic.com/v1/memory_stores/$store_id/memories/$mem_id" \
  -H "x-api-key: $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY" \
  -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
  -H "anthropic-beta: managed-agents-2026-04-01" > /dev/null

bash

ant beta:memory-stores:memories delete \
  --memory-store-id "$store_id" \
  --memory-id "$mem_id" \
  > /dev/null

python

client.beta.memory_stores.memories.delete(
    mem.id,
    memory_store_id=store.id,
)

typescript

await client.beta.memoryStores.memories.delete(mem.id, {
  memory_store_id: store.id
});

csharp

await client.Beta.MemoryStores.Memories.Delete(mem.ID, new()
{
    MemoryStoreID = store.ID,
});

_, err = client.Beta.MemoryStores.Memories.Delete(ctx, mem.ID, anthropic.BetaMemoryStoreMemoryDeleteParams{
	MemoryStoreID: store.ID,
})
if err != nil {
	panic(err)
}

java

client.beta().memoryStores().memories().delete(
    mem.id(),
    MemoryDeleteParams.builder().memoryStoreId(store.id()).build()
);

php

$client->beta->memoryStores->memories->delete($mem->id, memoryStoreID: $store->id);

ruby

client.beta.memory_stores.memories.delete(
  mem.id,
  memory_store_id: store.id
)

See the Delete a memory reference for full parameters and response schema.

Audit memory changes

Every mutation to a memory creates an immutable memory version (memver_...). Use the version endpoints to audit who changed what and when, to inspect or restore a prior snapshot, and to scrub sensitive content out of history with redact.

Versions belong to the store (not the individual memory) and survive even after the memory itself is deleted, so the audit trail stays complete. Versions are retained for 30 days; however, the recent versions are always kept regardless of age, so memories that change infrequently might retain history beyond 30 days. The live memories.retrieve call always returns the latest version; the version endpoints give you the retained history.

There is no dedicated restore endpoint; to roll back, retrieve the version you want and write its content back with memories.update (or memories.create if the parent memory has been deleted, because versions outlive their parent).

Past memory versions might be deleted after 30 days. To preserve memory history for longer, export versions via the API.

List versions

List version history for a store, newest first. The example filters to a single memory's history:

bash

versions=$(curl -s "https://api.anthropic.com/v1/memory_stores/$store_id/memory_versions?memory_id=$mem_id" \
  -H "x-api-key: $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY" \
  -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
  -H "anthropic-beta: managed-agents-2026-04-01")
jq -r '.data[] | "\(.id): \(.operation)"' <<< "$versions"
version_id=$(jq -r '.data[1].id' <<< "$versions")

bash

versions=$(ant beta:memory-stores:memory-versions list \
  --memory-store-id "$store_id" \
  --memory-id "$mem_id" \
  --format json)
jq -r '.data[] | "\(.id): \(.operation)"' <<< "$versions"
version_id=$(jq -r '.data[1].id' <<< "$versions")

python

versions = client.beta.memory_stores.memory_versions.list(
    store.id,
    memory_id=mem.id,
)
for v in versions:
    print(f"{v.id}: {v.operation}")

version_id = versions.data[1].id

typescript

const versions = await client.beta.memoryStores.memoryVersions.list(store.id, {
  memory_id: mem.id
});
for await (const v of versions) {
  console.log(`${v.id}: ${v.operation}`);
}

const versionId = versions.data[1].id;

csharp

var versions = await client.Beta.MemoryStores.MemoryVersions.List(store.ID, new()
{
    MemoryID = mem.ID,
});
var versionIds = new List<string>();
await foreach (var v in versions.Paginate())
{
    Console.WriteLine($"{v.ID}: {v.Operation.Raw()}");
    versionIds.Add(v.ID);
}

var versionId = versionIds[1];

versions := client.Beta.MemoryStores.MemoryVersions.ListAutoPaging(ctx, store.ID, anthropic.BetaMemoryStoreMemoryVersionListParams{
	MemoryID: anthropic.String(mem.ID),
})
for versions.Next() {
	v := versions.Current()
	fmt.Printf("%s: %s\n", v.ID, v.Operation)
}
if err := versions.Err(); err != nil {
	panic(err)
}

vpage, err := client.Beta.MemoryStores.MemoryVersions.List(ctx, store.ID, anthropic.BetaMemoryStoreMemoryVersionListParams{
	MemoryID: anthropic.String(mem.ID),
})
if err != nil {
	panic(err)
}
versionID := vpage.Data[1].ID

java

var versions = client.beta().memoryStores().memoryVersions().list(
    store.id(),
    MemoryVersionListParams.builder().memoryId(mem.id()).build()
);
for (var v : versions.autoPager()) {
    IO.println(v.id() + ": " + v.operation());
}

var versionId = versions.data().get(1).id();

php

$versions = $client->beta->memoryStores->memoryVersions->list(
    $store->id,
    memoryID: $mem->id,
);
foreach ($versions->pagingEachItem() as $v) {
    echo "{$v->id}: {$v->operation}\n";
}

$versionId = $versions->data[1]->id;

ruby

versions = client.beta.memory_stores.memory_versions.list(
  store.id,
  memory_id: mem.id
)
versions.auto_paging_each do |v|
  puts "#{v.id}: #{v.operation}"
end

version_id = versions.data[1].id

See the List memory versions reference for full parameters and response schema.

Retrieve a version

Fetching an individual version returns the same fields as the list response plus the full content body.

bash

curl -s "https://api.anthropic.com/v1/memory_stores/$store_id/memory_versions/$version_id" \
  -H "x-api-key: $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY" \
  -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
  -H "anthropic-beta: managed-agents-2026-04-01"

bash

ant beta:memory-stores:memory-versions retrieve \
  --memory-store-id "$store_id" \
  --memory-version-id "$version_id"

python

version = client.beta.memory_stores.memory_versions.retrieve(
    version_id,
    memory_store_id=store.id,
)
print(version.content)

typescript

const version = await client.beta.memoryStores.memoryVersions.retrieve(versionId, {
  memory_store_id: store.id
});
console.log(version.content);

csharp

var version = await client.Beta.MemoryStores.MemoryVersions.Retrieve(versionId, new()
{
    MemoryStoreID = store.ID,
});
Console.WriteLine(version.Content);

version, err := client.Beta.MemoryStores.MemoryVersions.Get(ctx, versionID, anthropic.BetaMemoryStoreMemoryVersionGetParams{
	MemoryStoreID: store.ID,
})
if err != nil {
	panic(err)
}
fmt.Println(version.Content)

java

var version = client.beta().memoryStores().memoryVersions().retrieve(
    versionId,
    MemoryVersionRetrieveParams.builder().memoryStoreId(store.id()).build()
);
IO.println(version.content());

php

$version = $client->beta->memoryStores->memoryVersions->retrieve(
    $versionId,
    memoryStoreID: $store->id,
);
echo "{$version->content}\n";

ruby

version = client.beta.memory_stores.memory_versions.retrieve(
  version_id,
  memory_store_id: store.id
)
puts version.content

See the Retrieve a memory version reference for full parameters and response schema.

Redact a version

Redact scrubs content out of a historical version while preserving the audit trail (who did what, when). Use it for compliance workflows such as removing leaked secrets, PII, or user deletion requests.

A version that is the current head of a live memory cannot be redacted. Write a new version first (or delete the memory), then redact the old one.

bash

curl -s -X POST "https://api.anthropic.com/v1/memory_stores/$store_id/memory_versions/$version_id/redact" \
  -H "x-api-key: $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY" \
  -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
  -H "anthropic-beta: managed-agents-2026-04-01" \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{}'

bash

ant beta:memory-stores:memory-versions redact \
  --memory-store-id "$store_id" \
  --memory-version-id "$version_id"

python

client.beta.memory_stores.memory_versions.redact(
    version_id,
    memory_store_id=store.id,
)

typescript

await client.beta.memoryStores.memoryVersions.redact(versionId, {
  memory_store_id: store.id
});

csharp

await client.Beta.MemoryStores.MemoryVersions.Redact(versionId, new()
{
    MemoryStoreID = store.ID,
});

_, err = client.Beta.MemoryStores.MemoryVersions.Redact(ctx, versionID, anthropic.BetaMemoryStoreMemoryVersionRedactParams{
	MemoryStoreID: store.ID,
})
if err != nil {
	panic(err)
}

java

client.beta().memoryStores().memoryVersions().redact(
    versionId,
    MemoryVersionRedactParams.builder().memoryStoreId(store.id()).build()
);

php

$client->beta->memoryStores->memoryVersions->redact(
    $versionId,
    memoryStoreID: $store->id,
);

ruby

client.beta.memory_stores.memory_versions.redact(
  version_id,
  memory_store_id: store.id
)

See the Redact a memory version reference for full parameters and response schema.

Manage memory stores

In addition to create, memory stores support retrieve, update, list, archive, and delete.

List stores

List stores in the workspace. Archived stores are excluded by default; pass include_archived: true to include them.

bash

curl -s "https://api.anthropic.com/v1/memory_stores?include_archived=true" \
  -H "x-api-key: $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY" \
  -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
  -H "anthropic-beta: managed-agents-2026-04-01" | jq '.data[] | {id, name, archived_at}'

bash

ant beta:memory-stores list --include-archived

python

for s in client.beta.memory_stores.list(include_archived=True):
    print(s.id, s.name, s.archived_at)

typescript

for await (const s of client.beta.memoryStores.list({ include_archived: true })) {
  console.log(s.id, s.name, s.archived_at);
}

csharp

var stores = await client.Beta.MemoryStores.List(new() { IncludeArchived = true });
await foreach (var s in stores.Paginate())
{
    Console.WriteLine($"{s.ID} {s.Name} {s.ArchivedAt}");
}

stores := client.Beta.MemoryStores.ListAutoPaging(ctx, anthropic.BetaMemoryStoreListParams{
	IncludeArchived: anthropic.Bool(true),
})
for stores.Next() {
	s := stores.Current()
	fmt.Println(s.ID, s.Name, s.ArchivedAt)
}
if err := stores.Err(); err != nil {
	panic(err)
}

java

for (var s : client.beta().memoryStores().list(
    MemoryStoreListParams.builder().includeArchived(true).build()
).autoPager()) {
    IO.println(s.id() + " " + s.name() + " " + s.archivedAt());
}

php

foreach ($client->beta->memoryStores->list(includeArchived: true)->pagingEachItem() as $s) {
    echo "{$s->id} {$s->name} {$s->archivedAt}\n";
}

ruby

client.beta.memory_stores.list(include_archived: true).auto_paging_each do |s|
  puts "#{s.id} #{s.name} #{s.archived_at}"
end

See the List memory stores reference for full parameters and response schema.

Archive a store

Archiving makes a store read-only and prevents it from being attached to new sessions. Archiving is one-way; there is no unarchive.

bash

curl -s -X POST "https://api.anthropic.com/v1/memory_stores/$store_id/archive" \
  -H "x-api-key: $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY" \
  -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
  -H "anthropic-beta: managed-agents-2026-04-01" > /dev/null

bash

ant beta:memory-stores archive --memory-store-id "$store_id"

python

client.beta.memory_stores.archive(store.id)

typescript

await client.beta.memoryStores.archive(store.id);

csharp

await client.Beta.MemoryStores.Archive(store.ID);

_, err = client.Beta.MemoryStores.Archive(ctx, store.ID, anthropic.BetaMemoryStoreArchiveParams{})
if err != nil {
	panic(err)
}

java

client.beta().memoryStores().archive(store.id());

php

$client->beta->memoryStores->archive($store->id);

ruby

client.beta.memory_stores.archive(store.id)

See the Archive a memory store reference for full parameters and response schema.

To permanently remove a store along with all of its memories and versions, use memory_stores.delete.

Limits

Default capacity and rate limits apply to memory stores while this feature is in beta. Contact support if you need higher limits.

Admin

Beta

Cli

Completions

Compliance

Csharp

Go

Java

Messages

Models

Php

Python

Ruby

Typescript

Using agent memory

Overview

Create a memory store

Seed it with content (optional)

Attach a memory store to a session

How the agent accesses memory

View and edit memories

List memories

Read a memory

Create a memory

Update a memory

Safe content edits (optimistic concurrency)

Delete a memory

Audit memory changes

List versions

Retrieve a version

Redact a version

Manage memory stores

List stores

Archive a store

Limits

Advanced orchestration

Anthropic Knowledge Hub

Using agent memory ​

Overview ​

Create a memory store ​

Seed it with content (optional) ​

Attach a memory store to a session ​

How the agent accesses memory ​

View and edit memories ​

List memories ​

Read a memory ​

Create a memory ​

Update a memory ​

Safe content edits (optimistic concurrency) ​

Delete a memory ​

Audit memory changes ​

List versions ​

Retrieve a version ​

Redact a version ​

Manage memory stores ​

List stores ​

Archive a store ​

Limits ​

Advanced orchestration ​

Anthropic Knowledge Hub

Using agent memory

Overview

Create a memory store

Seed it with content (optional)

Attach a memory store to a session

How the agent accesses memory

View and edit memories

List memories

Read a memory

Create a memory

Update a memory

Safe content edits (optimistic concurrency)

Delete a memory

Audit memory changes

List versions

Retrieve a version

Redact a version

Manage memory stores

List stores

Archive a store

Limits

Advanced orchestration