Use with Copilot CLI

Make yourself at home

You’ll need Node.js 22.5 or later and a Copilot CLI that supports extensions and session hooks. Lore runs on your machine and keeps its memory in a local SQLite database. No build step or runtime dependency installation needed.

macOS is the primary supported platform. Linux is expected to work; Windows is unsupported. Using Pi? Start with Start with Pi instead. For Codex CLI, Claude Code, or Antigravity CLI, use the native hooks guide.

1. Add Lore to Copilot

Use the guided installer and select Copilot CLI:

git clone https://github.com/matt-riley/lore.git ~/dev/lore
cd ~/dev/lore
npm run setup

2. Turn memory on

Setup enables memory for you while preserving existing settings. Continue to step 3. The instructions below are only needed for manual configuration.

For a fresh install, create the Lore config directory, then create or edit ~/.config/lore/lore.json. If you already have Lore data under ~/.copilot, migrate it first; creating an empty new Lore home selects it and disables the legacy fallback. If that file already exists, keep it and add the Lore settings you want; do not replace it wholesale. If you set XDG_CONFIG_HOME, it must be an absolute path:

mkdir -p "${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}/lore"
${EDITOR:-vi} "${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}/lore/lore.json"

For a new file, start with this minimal config:

{ "enabled": true }

You can review lore.example.json for a fuller example, but it enables session-start maintenance, gradual archive import, and several experimental rollout features. Local inference remains disabled. Merge any settings you need into an existing config rather than copying over it.

See Configuration before changing optional features.

3. Save your first memory

Restart Copilot CLI so it rescans the extensions directory. Lore should initialise its local store from the session-start hook. Ask Copilot to use memory_status, or ask it to check Lore’s status. You should see database health and memory counts.

Then save a deliberately non-sensitive test note:

Remember that this project uses the example Lore verification note.

Ask Copilot to call memory_save, and in a later session ask it to recall that note. lore_recall is the main recall tool; memory_search provides keyword search. Use memory_explain when you want to see why a prompt would receive particular context.

Finish onboarding

Lore can ask for your preferred name naturally. You can also ask Copilot to call lore_onboard explicitly. This stores your name and Lore’s assistant/style profile in the local store.

Keep Lore up to date

Pull the latest changes, then restart Copilot CLI:

git -C ~/dev/lore pull
cd ~/dev/lore
npm run setup

If nothing appears

Run memory_validate and check that Node is at least 22.5.0. Confirm the Lore config contains "enabled": true, then restart Copilot CLI so it rescans extensions. Troubleshooting covers missing hooks, paths, and database errors.