Use Synapse with Claude Desktop

Claude forgets everything when a conversation ends. Synapse fixes that — give Claude persistent memory in 3 steps so it remembers you across every session.

Step 1: Get a free API key

Sign up at synapse.by-kit.com/signup. Your key is shown once at creation — save it immediately.

Step 2: Install the MCP package

Open a terminal and run:

npm install -g synapse-memory-mcp

Then add Synapse to your Claude Desktop config file. Open the file for your OS:

  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Paste this config (replace your-key-here with your API key):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "synapse": {
      "command": "synapse-memory-mcp",
      "env": { "SYNAPSE_API_KEY": "your-key-here" }
    }
  }
}

Save the file and restart Claude Desktop.

Step 3: Add Synapse to Claude's system prompt

In Claude Desktop, go to Settings → Custom instructions and paste:

You have Synapse memory tools. At the start of every conversation, call synapse_recall with query='recent context' and synapse_recent with limit=5. During conversation, whenever the user shares something important, call synapse_remember immediately. Never wait to be asked.

This tells Claude to load your memory at the start of every conversation and save important things as they come up — automatically.

What Claude can remember

  • Your name and preferences
  • Ongoing projects you're working on
  • Decisions you've made together
  • Anything you tell it — automatically saved

Next steps