CLI

The mem0 CLI lets you add, search, list, update, and delete memories directly from the terminal. It works with the Mem0 Platform API and is available as both an npm package and a Python package. Both implementations provide identical behavior: same commands, same options, same output formats. Running it inside an agent? Put --agent before any command to get clean JSON instead of human output. See Use with AI agents.

Installation

npm install -g @mem0/cli

pip install mem0-cli

Looking for Agent Mode signup? See Sign up as an agent: install, signup, first memory in four commands.

Authentication

Run the interactive setup wizard to configure your API key:

mem0 init

This prompts for your API key and a default user ID, validates the connection, and saves the configuration locally. For CI/CD or non-interactive environments, pass both values as flags:

mem0 init --api-key m0-xxx --user-id alice

You can also set your API key via environment variable:

export MEM0_API_KEY="m0-xxx"

Quick start

# Add a memory
mem0 add "I prefer dark mode and use vim keybindings" --user-id alice

# Search memories
mem0 search "What are Alice's preferences?" --user-id alice

# List all memories for a user
mem0 list --user-id alice

# Get a specific memory
mem0 get <memory-id>

# Update a memory
mem0 update <memory-id> "I prefer light mode now"

# Delete a memory
mem0 delete <memory-id>

Commands

`mem0 init`

Interactive setup wizard. Prompts for your API key and default user ID.

mem0 init
mem0 init --api-key m0-xxx --user-id alice
mem0 init --email [email protected]

If an existing configuration is detected, the CLI will ask for confirmation before overwriting. Use --force to skip the prompt (useful in CI/CD pipelines).

mem0 init --api-key m0-xxx --user-id alice --force

Flag	Description
`--api-key`	API key (skip prompt)
`-u, --user-id`	Default user ID (skip prompt)
`--email`	Login via email verification code
`--code`	Verification code (use with `--email` for non-interactive login)
`--agent`	Create an Agent Mode account, with no email needed
`--agent-caller`	Name the agent running the command, such as `claude-code`
`--force`	Overwrite existing config without confirmation

AI agents should use mem0 init --agent: see Sign up as an agent.

`mem0 add`

Add a memory from text, a JSON messages array, a file, or stdin.

mem0 add "I prefer dark mode" --user-id alice
mem0 add --file conversation.json --user-id alice
echo "Loves hiking on weekends" | mem0 add --user-id alice

Flag	Description
`-u, --user-id`	Scope to a user
`--agent-id`	Scope to an agent
`--app-id`	Scope to an app
`--run-id`	Scope to a single run or session
`--messages`	Conversation messages as JSON
`-f, --file`	Read messages from a JSON file
`-m, --metadata`	Custom metadata as JSON
`--categories`	Rejected on `add`. Use `--custom-categories` instead
`--custom-categories`	Custom categories as a JSON array of `{name: description}` objects
`--custom-instructions`	Custom instructions for fact extraction
`--structured-data-schema`	Schema for structured data extraction, as JSON
`--timestamp`	Unix timestamp for the memory
`--expires`	Expiration date, after which the memory stops being returned
`--immutable`	Store the memory so it can never be updated or overwritten
`--no-infer`	Store the text exactly as given, skipping fact extraction
`-o, --output`	Output format: `text`, `json`, `quiet`

--categories is not supported on add and exits with an error pointing at --custom-categories.

`mem0 search`

Search memories using natural language.

mem0 search "dietary restrictions" --user-id alice
mem0 search "preferred tools" --user-id alice --output json --top-k 5

Flag	Description
`-u, --user-id`	Filter by user
`--agent-id`	Filter by agent
`--app-id`	Filter by app
`--run-id`	Filter by run or session
`-k, --top-k`	Number of results (default: 10). `--limit` does the same thing
`--threshold`	Minimum similarity score (default: 0.3)
`--rerank`	Enable reranking
`--keyword`	Use keyword search instead of semantic
`--filter`	Advanced filter expression (JSON)
`--fields`	Return only the named fields
`--show-expired`	Include expired memories
`--reference-date`	Reference date for relative queries (`YYYY-MM-DD` or Unix timestamp)
`--latest-only`	Only return the latest version of each memory
`-o, --output`	Output format: `text`, `json`, `table`

`mem0 list`

List memories with optional filters and pagination.

mem0 list --user-id alice
mem0 list --user-id alice --category preferences --output json
mem0 list --user-id alice --after 2024-01-01 --page-size 50

Flag	Description
`-u, --user-id`	Filter by user
`--agent-id`	Filter by agent
`--app-id`	Filter by app
`--run-id`	Filter by run or session
`--page`	Page number (default: 1)
`--page-size`	Results per page (default: 100)
`--category`	Filter by category
`--after`	Created after date (YYYY-MM-DD)
`--before`	Created before date (YYYY-MM-DD)
`--show-expired`	Include expired memories
`--latest-only`	Only return the latest version of each memory
`-o, --output`	Output format: `text`, `json`, `table`

`mem0 get`

Retrieve a specific memory by ID.

mem0 get 7b3c1a2e-4d5f-6789-abcd-ef0123456789
mem0 get 7b3c1a2e-4d5f-6789-abcd-ef0123456789 --output json

Flag	Description
`-o, --output`	Output format: `text`, `json`

`mem0 update`

Update the text or metadata of an existing memory.

mem0 update <memory-id> "Updated preference text"
mem0 update <memory-id> --metadata '{"priority": "high"}'
echo "new text" | mem0 update <memory-id>

Flag	Description
`-m, --metadata`	Replace the memory’s metadata with this JSON
`--expires`	Expiration date (YYYY-MM-DD)
`--timestamp`	Unix timestamp for the memory
`-o, --output`	Output format: `text`, `json`, `quiet`

`mem0 delete`

Delete a single memory, all memories for a scope, or an entire entity.

# Delete a single memory
mem0 delete <memory-id>

# Delete all memories for a user
mem0 delete --all --user-id alice --force

# Delete all memories project-wide
mem0 delete --all --project --force

# Preview what would be deleted
mem0 delete --all --user-id alice --dry-run

Flag	Description
`-u, --user-id`	Scope the deletion to a user
`--agent-id`	Scope the deletion to an agent
`--app-id`	Scope the deletion to an app
`--run-id`	Scope the deletion to a run or session
`--all`	Delete all memories matching scope filters
`--entity`	Delete the entity and all its memories
`--project`	With `--all`: delete all memories project-wide
`--delete-linked`	Also delete memories linked to this memory
`--dry-run`	Preview without deleting
`--force`	Skip confirmation prompt

`mem0 import`

Bulk import memories from a JSON file.

mem0 import data.json --user-id alice

The file should be a JSON array where each item has a memory (or text or content) field and optional user_id, agent_id, and metadata fields.

Flag	Description
`-u, --user-id`	Default user for items that do not set their own
`--agent-id`	Default agent for items that do not set their own
`-o, --output`	Output format: `text`, `json`

`mem0 config`

View or modify the local CLI configuration.

mem0 config show              # Display current config (secrets redacted)
mem0 config get api_key       # Get a specific value
mem0 config set user_id bob   # Set a value

`mem0 entity`

List or delete entities (users, agents, apps, runs).

mem0 entity list users
mem0 entity list agents --output json
mem0 entity delete --user-id alice --force

Deleting an entity removes it and every memory belonging to it. Preview first with --dry-run.

Flag	Description
`-u, --user-id`	The user to delete
`--agent-id`	The agent to delete
`--app-id`	The app to delete
`--run-id`	The run or session to delete
`--dry-run`	Show what would be deleted, without deleting it
`--force`	Skip confirmation prompt
`-o, --output`	Output format: `text`, `json`

`mem0 event`

Inspect background processing events created by async operations (e.g. bulk deletes, large add jobs).

# List recent events
mem0 event list

# Check the status of a specific event
mem0 event status <event-id>

Flag	Description
`-o, --output`	Output format: `text`, `json`

`mem0 status`

Verify your API connection and display the current project.

mem0 status

`mem0 whoami`

Print the identity the CLI is currently using. After mem0 init --agent, the server issues an identifier (default_user_id, for example user_a1b2c3d4e5f6) and the CLI stores it in ~/.mem0/config.json. That value is the agent’s stable identity across runs, and it is the row key on the AGENTRUSH leaderboard. Use this instead of parsing the config file by hand:

mem0 whoami
# Your AGENTRUSH identifier:  user_a1b2c3d4e5f6
# Find your row at https://mem0.ai/agentrush

No network call. The command exits with code 1 if no default_user_id is configured yet. In that case, run mem0 init --agent first.

`mem0 identify`

Attach an agent name to an account created with mem0 init --agent, if you did not pass --agent-caller at the time. It keeps the same API key and only fills in the name, so it is safe to run more than once. See Sign up as an agent.

`mem0 help`

Print the command tree. Adding --json returns the whole tree as structured data, so an agent can discover the available commands and options for itself.

Output formats

Most commands take -o, --output to control how results are displayed. Not every command accepts every format:

Format	Description	Accepted by
`text`	Human-readable output with colors and formatting. The default everywhere except `list`	every command
`json`	Structured JSON, suitable for piping to `jq`	every command
`table`	Tabular format, and the default for `list`	`search`, `list`
`quiet`	Minimal output: just IDs or status codes	`add`, `update`, `delete`

Passing a format a command does not accept is an error, so check the command’s own flag table above. There is no agent value for --output. Agent mode is turned on by the global --json/--agent flag placed before the command name, and it overrides --output. See Use with AI agents. The exact JSON shape depends on the command. search returns a bare array of memories, while list returns an envelope object with the memories under data:

# search: results are the top-level array
mem0 search "user preferences" --user-id alice --output json | jq '.[].memory'

# list: results are nested under .data
mem0 list --user-id alice --output json | jq '.data[].memory'

Agent mode always returns the envelope, whichever command you run, so .data[] works everywhere:

mem0 --agent search "user preferences" --user-id alice | jq '.data[].memory'

Use with AI agents

The CLI is purpose-built for use inside AI agent tool loops. Pass --agent or --json as a global flag on any command to activate agent mode:

Every command outputs a consistent JSON envelope: {"status", "command", "duration_ms", "scope", "count", "data"}
The data field contains only the fields that matter: IDs, memory text, scores, categories. Noisy API fields are stripped.
All human-readable output is suppressed: no spinners, no colors, no banners.
Errors are returned as JSON to stdout with a non-zero exit code, so your agent can catch them the same way as successes.

# Drop --agent on any command and get clean, parseable JSON
mem0 --agent search "response preferences" --user-id user-42
mem0 --agent add "User prefers concise responses" --user-id user-42
mem0 --agent list --user-id user-42
mem0 --agent delete --all --user-id user-42 --force

{
  "status": "success",
  "command": "search",
  "duration_ms": 134,
  "scope": { "user_id": "alice" },
  "count": 2,
  "data": [
    { "id": "abc-123", "memory": "User prefers dark mode", "score": 0.97, "created_at": "2026-01-15", "categories": ["preferences"] },
    { "id": "def-456", "memory": "User uses vim keybindings", "score": 0.81, "created_at": "2026-01-10", "categories": ["tools"] }
  ]
}

{
  "status": "success",
  "command": "add",
  "duration_ms": 210,
  "data": [
    { "id": "ghi-789", "memory": "Likes concise answers", "event": "ADD" }
  ]
}

Two other agent-friendly features:

--output json returns structured data without sanitization, useful when you want the full raw API response
mem0 help --json returns the complete command tree as JSON, so agents can self-discover available commands and options

For non-interactive environments (CI, agent runtimes), set credentials via mem0 init --api-key m0-xxx --user-id alice --force or the MEM0_API_KEY environment variable.

Errors and exit codes

Every command exits 0 when it succeeds and 1 when it fails, so if mem0 ...; then works as you would expect in a script. In agent mode (--json or --agent), failures still print a JSON envelope to stdout alongside the non-zero exit, so you can parse successes and failures the same way. Errors you are most likely to hit:

Message	Cause	Fix
`Authentication failed`	The API key is missing, wrong, or revoked	Run `mem0 init` again, or get a new key from the dashboard
`No content provided. Pass text, --messages, --file, or pipe via stdin.`	`mem0 add` was called with nothing to store	Give it text, a file, or piped input
`Invalid JSON in --messages` / `--metadata` / `--filter`	The JSON value would not parse	Check the quoting, especially inside shell single quotes
`Invalid date format for --expires. Use YYYY-MM-DD`	`--expires` got something other than a date	Use `YYYY-MM-DD`, and make sure the date is in the future
`--threshold must be between 0.0 and 1.0.`	Score threshold out of range	Pass a value between `0.0` and `1.0`

Run mem0 status to check whether the CLI can reach the API and which project the key belongs to. It reports the connection state, the API URL, and any error.

Environment variables

Variable	Description
`MEM0_API_KEY`	API key (overrides config file)
`MEM0_BASE_URL`	API base URL
`MEM0_USER_ID`	Default user ID
`MEM0_AGENT_ID`	Default agent ID
`MEM0_APP_ID`	Default app ID
`MEM0_RUN_ID`	Default run ID
`MEM0_TELEMETRY`	Set to `false` to turn off usage telemetry. On by default

Environment variables take precedence over values in the config file, which take precedence over defaults.

Global flags

These two flags belong to mem0 itself, so they go before the command name:

Flag	Description
`--json`	Enable agent mode: structured JSON envelope output, no colors or spinners
`--agent`	Alias for `--json`
`--version`	Print the CLI version and exit

On init only, --agent means something different. mem0 init --agent creates an Agent Mode account (see Sign up as an agent); it does not switch the output to JSON. To get JSON from init, put the flag first: mem0 --json init.

The following flags are accepted by most commands, but they belong to the command, so they go after the command name:

Flag	Description
`--api-key`	Override the configured API key for this request
`--base-url`	Override the configured API base URL for this request
`-o, --output`	Set the output format

What’s next

Quickstart

Store your first memory in under five minutes using the SDK or CLI

Memory operations

Learn about add, search, update, and delete operations in depth

API reference

See the complete REST API documentation

Getting Started

Core Concepts

Features

Support

Migration

Installation

Authentication

Quick start

Commands

`mem0 init`

`mem0 add`

`mem0 search`

`mem0 list`

`mem0 get`

`mem0 update`

`mem0 delete`

`mem0 import`

`mem0 config`

`mem0 entity`

`mem0 event`

`mem0 status`

`mem0 whoami`

`mem0 identify`

`mem0 help`

Output formats

Use with AI agents

Errors and exit codes

Environment variables

Global flags

What’s next

Quickstart

Memory operations

API reference

​Installation

​Authentication

​Quick start

​Commands

​mem0 init

​mem0 add

​mem0 search

​mem0 list

​mem0 get

​mem0 update

​mem0 delete

​mem0 import

​mem0 config

​mem0 entity

​mem0 event

​mem0 status

​mem0 whoami

​mem0 identify

​mem0 help

​Output formats

​Use with AI agents

​Errors and exit codes

​Environment variables

​Global flags

​What’s next

Quickstart

Memory operations

API reference

Installation

Authentication

Quick start

Commands

`mem0 init`

`mem0 add`

`mem0 search`

`mem0 list`

`mem0 get`

`mem0 update`

`mem0 delete`

`mem0 import`

`mem0 config`

`mem0 entity`

`mem0 event`

`mem0 status`

`mem0 whoami`

`mem0 identify`

`mem0 help`

Output formats

Use with AI agents

Errors and exit codes

Environment variables

Global flags

What’s next