Install

One-Command Bootstrap

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zerkerlabs/zmem/main/install.sh | bash
cd "${ZERKER_MEMORY_HOME:-$HOME/.zerker-memory}/repo"
zmem status --summary-only

The installer creates the local environment, initializes .zerker/, runs the day-one checks, generates the manual agent pack, and ends on the compact readiness snapshot.

ZMem requires Python 3.10 or newer. Memory is stored in local SQLite files; encryption at rest is not included, so use your operating system's disk encryption when the workspace contains sensitive material.

From A Fresh Clone

bash install.sh

For a manual editable setup:

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
python3 -m pip install -e .
zmem init --with-policy --with-agent-prompt --with-mcp-config --with-provider-config
zmem status --summary-only
zmem eval
zmem doctor

For optional local semantic retrieval, install the dense runtime and explicitly cache the model:

python3 -m pip install -e '.[dense]'
zmem embeddings index --download-model --summary-only

No model is downloaded by ordinary search. See Local Dense Retrieval for indexing, fusion, proof fields, and current scale limits.

Readiness Check

zmem status --summary-only is the shortest truth surface. It reports workspace state, proof counts, agent handoff readiness, and the next useful command.

Use it after installs, restores, benchmark runs, receipt refreshes, and agent config changes.