BERNARD Brain Kit (free mini)

First clip: what this free kit does (a brand-new chat finds the saved note). Clips two and three: the rule hooks that come with the full kit.

What it does

Claude Code forgets everything between sessions. This kit gives it a memory that finds itself: your notes live in a plain folder of Markdown files (a vault), a map of them is built for you, and on every prompt a small hook puts the notes that match in front of Claude before it answers. You see a short BERNARD brain: on line when a session starts and a BERNARD ROUTE packet under each prompt.

This is the free mini. The full kit adds: capture of every file Claude changes into a devlog and an in-progress session note, rule hooks (small Python files that block Claude when a rule is broken, four ready to use), the /bernard:save and /bernard:rule skills, and the guide.

Safety

No network calls, no keys, standard-library Python only. Scanned with AgentShield on 3 Nov 2026: 0 critical, 0 high, 0 medium findings (1 low: no session-end hook, by design in the free mini).

What you need

• A Mac (macOS 13 or later). Mac only for now: Linux and Windows are not supported.
• Claude Code 2.x, signed in.
• Python 3.8 or newer (a Mac with the command-line tools has 3.9). Nothing else to install: the kit uses only Python's standard library.

Install in three steps

1. Get it into a permanent folder (the plugin runs from there, so not ~/Downloads):

   git clone https://github.com/albygira-cmyk/claude-brain-kit ~/bernard-brain-kit-free
   

2. Open a terminal, cd to that folder and run:

   bash install.sh
   

3. Open Claude Code and start a new session. Its first lines of context read BERNARD brain: on.

What you will see

• Boot line - a short summary of the vault when the session starts.
• BERNARD ROUTE packet - on every prompt, up to five matching notes with their paths, or NO_RELEVANT_MEMORY when nothing matches (Claude is told never to invent a memory).

Writing a note Claude can find

Put a Markdown file in ~/brain/topics/<domain>/<two-or-more-words>.md (or patterns/, references/, projects/, sessions/). Under the title, write one plain sentence saying what the note is for, in the words you would search with. The map rebuilds itself on the next prompt; python3 bin/brain.py map rebuilds it now.

Skills

• /bernard:setup - creates the vault and turns memory on (install.sh already did this).
• /bernard:find - searches the vault by hand and answers with note paths.

Commands

python3 bin/brain.py status    # where the vault is, how many notes, is the map fresh
python3 bin/brain.py map       # rebuild MAP.md and the search index
python3 bin/brain.py check     # names and first sentences the router cannot use
python3 bin/brain.py doctor    # OK / FIX lines for every part of the install

Uninstall

bash uninstall.sh

Removes the plugin and its internal folder ~/.bernard. Your notes in ~/brain stay unless you add --remove-vault --yes.

What is in the folder

.claude-plugin/          plugin manifest
hooks/                   boot.py, route.py, brainlib.py
bin/brain.py             command-line interface
vault-template/          starter notes and templates
skills/                  /bernard:setup, /bernard:find
README.md                (this file)
LICENSE.md               MIT
install.sh / uninstall.sh

Tested and not tested

• Tested on macOS with Claude Code 2.1.x, Python 3.9 and 3.14.
• Not tested on Windows.
• Not tested on Linux.

Privacy

The plugin itself makes no network calls, stores no keys, and reads only your vault (~/brain by default) and its own folder ~/.bernard. The notes it puts in front of Claude become part of your Claude Code conversation, so they go to Anthropic like anything else you type there: keep passwords and keys out of your notes.

Licence

MIT (see LICENSE.md). Your notes are yours.

The full kit

The full kit (capture, four rule hooks, /bernard:save and /bernard:rule, the guide) is US$9, one time: https://www.waar.com.hk/brain/