Claude Code Branch Memory Manager

March 19, 2026 · View on GitHub

Automatic branch-specific CLAUDE.md memory management for Claude Code. When you switch git branches, your Claude Code context switches with you.

The Problem

When working across multiple git branches, your CLAUDE.md file contains context specific to one branch. Switching branches means Claude Code loses that context, or worse, has the wrong context for your current work.

The Solution

Branch Memory Manager saves and loads branch-specific CLAUDE.md files automatically. Each branch gets its own memory, stored in .claude/memories/.

As a Claude Code plugin — memories switch automatically when you run git checkout or git switch inside Claude Code. No manual intervention needed.

As a CLI — manually save, load, and manage branch memories from your terminal.

Quick Start

Install as a Claude Code Plugin (Recommended)

# Install the npm package in your project
npm install --save-dev claude-code-branch-memory-manager

# Or install globally
npm install -g claude-code-branch-memory-manager

Then load as a plugin:

claude --plugin-dir ./node_modules/claude-code-branch-memory-manager

Once installed, branch memory switching happens automatically:

You run git checkout feature/auth inside Claude Code
The plugin saves your current CLAUDE.md to .claude/memories/main.md
It loads .claude/memories/feature_auth.md into CLAUDE.md
Claude Code now has the right context for your feature/auth work

Use as a Standalone CLI

# Initialize in your repo
branch-memory init

# Save current context
branch-memory save "Implemented user auth"

# Switch branches (saves + loads automatically)
branch-memory switch feature/api

# List all saved memories
branch-memory list

# Check status
branch-memory status

Commands

Command	Description
`branch-memory save [description]`	Save current `CLAUDE.md` to branch memory
`branch-memory load <branch>`	Load memory from a specific branch
`branch-memory list`	List all stored branch memories
`branch-memory status`	Show current branch and memory status
`branch-memory switch <branch>`	Git switch + memory swap in one command
`branch-memory copy <src> <dst>`	Copy memory between branches
`branch-memory clean`	Remove memories for deleted branches
`branch-memory restore [branch]`	Restore from backup
`branch-memory init`	Set up branch memory in current repo
`branch-memory version`	Show version

How It Works

Storage

Branch memories are stored in .claude/memories/ within your repository:

your-repo/
├── CLAUDE.md                          # Active memory (read by Claude Code)
├── .claude/
│   └── memories/
│       ├── main.md                    # Memory for main branch
│       ├── feature_auth.md            # Memory for feature/auth
│       ├── feature_api.md             # Memory for feature/api
│       └── .backups/                  # Automatic backups
│           └── main.2025-03-18T...md

Plugin Integration

When installed as a Claude Code plugin, two hooks handle automatic switching:

SessionStart — Loads the correct branch memory when Claude Code starts
PostToolUse (Bash) — Detects git checkout / git switch commands and swaps memories

Fallback Behavior

When switching to a branch with no saved memory, the tool looks for a fallback in this order: main → master → develop. This is configurable.

Configuration

Create a .branch-memory.json in your repo root:

{
  "memoryDir": ".claude/memories",
  "memoryFileName": "CLAUDE.md",
  "autoSaveOnSwitch": true,
  "fallbackToDefault": true,
  "fallbackBranches": ["main", "master", "develop"]
}

Environment Variables

Variable	Description
`BRANCH_MEMORY_DIR`	Memory storage directory
`BRANCH_MEMORY_FILE`	Memory file name
`BRANCH_MEMORY_AUTO_SAVE`	Enable/disable auto-save (`true`/`false`)
`BRANCH_MEMORY_FALLBACK`	Enable/disable fallback (`true`/`false`)
`BRANCH_MEMORY_FALLBACK_BRANCHES`	Comma-separated fallback branches

Plugin Skills

When installed as a Claude Code plugin, these skills are available:

/branch-memory:save — Save current context
/branch-memory:load — Load a branch's context
/branch-memory:status — Show memory status
/branch-memory:list — List all memories

Tips

Add .claude/memories/ to .gitignore if you don't want to share memories across the team
Commit .claude/memories/ if you want shared branch context
Run branch-memory clean periodically to remove memories for deleted branches
Branch names are sanitized for filenames: feature/auth becomes feature_auth.md

Requirements

Node.js 18+
Git 2.0+

License

MIT

Author

David Pastor