MemStack™

The structured skill framework for Claude Code — 130 professional skills for deployment, security, databases, content, marketing, and more.

Skills activate automatically when you need them. Say "deploy this to Railway" and the right skill loads on demand.

Install

MemStack installs in two parts: the skills (via the Claude Code plugin marketplace) and the engine (the MCP skill loader, via PyPI). You need both — the loader reads skill files from the installed marketplace plugin. Every command below is labeled (in Claude Code) or (in terminal) — running one in the wrong place is the most common setup mistake.

Step 1 — Install the free skills · (in Claude Code):

/plugin marketplace add cwinvestments/memstack
/plugin install memstack@cwinvestments-memstack

Run both commands. This unlocks the 86 free skills right away.

SSH error? ("Host key verification failed" on a fresh server that's never used GitHub over SSH.) Default fix · (in terminal) — rewrite GitHub to HTTPS, then retry Step 1:

git config --global url."https://github.com/".insteadOf "git@github.com:"

Backup fix · (in terminal) — add GitHub's host key, then retry Step 1:

mkdir -p ~/.ssh && ssh-keyscan github.com >> ~/.ssh/known_hosts

Step 2 — Install the engine · (in terminal):

Windows:

pip install memstack-skill-loader

Linux / Mac — use the explicit interpreter (the same one you register in Step 3):

/usr/bin/python3 -m pip install memstack-skill-loader --break-system-packages

Find yours with which python3 and substitute it if it isn't /usr/bin/python3. The --break-system-packages flag is required on newer externally-managed Python. No pip for that interpreter? Run sudo apt install python3-pip first (Debian/Ubuntu).

Step 3 — Register the MCP server · (in terminal): register against the same interpreter you installed onto in Step 2.

Windows:

claude mcp add --scope user memstack-skills -- python -m memstack_skill_loader

Linux / Mac:

claude mcp add --scope user memstack-skills -- /usr/bin/python3 -m memstack_skill_loader

If this doesn't match Step 2's interpreter, the server won't launch (you'll see a "failed to reconnect" error and activate_license will be missing).

Step 4 — Activate your license · (in Claude Code, after a full restart): fully quit and reopen Claude Code first so it picks up the new MCP server, then run:

activate_license(key="your-key", email="you@example.com")

This unlocks the 44 Pro-exclusive skills (86 free + 44 Pro = 130 total). Free-tier users can skip this step — type list skills to verify the 86 free skills loaded.

See GETTING-STARTED.md for detailed setup, and the Troubleshooting section below.

Troubleshooting

error: externally-managed-environment (during Step 2) — pip refuses to install on a system-managed Python. Add --break-system-packages · (in terminal):

/usr/bin/python3 -m pip install memstack-skill-loader --break-system-packages

Plugin clone fails: "Host key verification failed" (during Step 1) — a fresh server that's never connected to GitHub over SSH. Default fix · (in terminal): git config --global url."https://github.com/".insteadOf "git@github.com:" then retry Step 1. Backup fix · (in terminal): mkdir -p ~/.ssh && ssh-keyscan github.com >> ~/.ssh/known_hosts then retry Step 1.

activate_license not found, or MCP "failed to reconnect (-32000)" — the loader was installed onto a different Python interpreter than the one Claude Code launches (the classic bare-python mismatch on Linux/Mac). Check · (in terminal):

/usr/bin/python3 -c "import memstack_skill_loader; print('ok')"

If it prints ok, make sure Step 3 registered that exact path, then fully restart Claude Code. If it errors with ModuleNotFoundError, reinstall onto the explicit interpreter and re-register against that same path · (in terminal):

/usr/bin/python3 -m pip install memstack-skill-loader --break-system-packages
claude mcp add --scope user memstack-skills -- /usr/bin/python3 -m memstack_skill_loader

Then fully restart Claude Code. Rule of thumb: whatever interpreter you import-check as ok is the path that must appear in your claude mcp add command.

No module named pip (during Step 2) — that interpreter ships without pip (common on minimal Debian/Ubuntu server images). Install it, then retry the Step 2 install · (in terminal):

sudo apt install python3-pip

Tier Structure

Architecture note: Pro skills are license-gated — when you activate a valid Pro key, the loader downloads them from our server to ~/.memstack/pro-skills. Free users see free skills only; Pro license holders unlock the full catalog. This design keeps a single source codebase with no separate repos or branches for Pro content.

Pro-exclusive skills (44): advanced-security, api-docs, api-load-tester, branching, browser-use, burn, checkpoint, claude-api-helper, codebase-index, config-audit, consolidate, context-db, council, database-architect, database-migration, dependency-auditor, developer-growth-analysis, diagram-generator, doc-index, drift-detection, env-manager-pro, error-handler, frontend-design, git-worktrees, governor-pro, gtm-validator, hooks-integration, ios-app-store, log-analyzer, mcp-builder, meeting-insights-analyzer, model-router, multi-agent, nextjs-conventions, performance-profiler, python-conventions, rag-builder, session-restore, social-media, test-generator, us-privacy-compliance, video-pipeline, video-review, web-scraper — these require an active Pro license.

New skill rule: All newly added skills default to Pro-exclusive. After 90 days, they drop to the free tier unless marked permanent-Pro.

Unlock Pro Skills

Complete the Install steps above first (marketplace + engine). Then, in Claude Code, ask Claude to run:

activate_license(key="your-key", email="you@example.com")

Pro skills download automatically from our server to ~/.memstack/pro-skills — there is no separate marketplace step for Pro. Your key is saved permanently — no environment variables needed.

Alternative: You can also set MEMSTACK_PRO_LICENSE_KEY as an environment variable instead of using activate_license. Use setx on Windows or add to ~/.bashrc on Mac/Linux, then restart your terminal and Claude Code.

Updating

MemStack updates through three independent channels — refresh whichever you need, then restart Claude Code:

1. Free skills (including newly released ones) — in Claude Code:

/plugin marketplace update cwinvestments-memstack

then /reload-plugins (or restart Claude Code).

Fallback: if a new skill doesn't appear (marketplace version-detection can be unreliable), re-run /plugin install memstack@cwinvestments-memstack. As a last resort, clear the cached plugin and reinstall it.

2. Pro skills — auto-update within 24 hours. To force an immediate re-download, ask Claude to run the refresh_pro_skills tool.

3. Engine (the skill loader itself) — in your terminal:

pip install --upgrade memstack-skill-loader

Free Base (Included)

Everything from MemStack free:

• SQLite-backed persistent memory with semantic vector search
• Deterministic hooks (commit safety, build verification, secret scanning)
• 17 core skills (Echo, Diary, Work, Forge, Scan, Governor, etc.)
• TTS voice notifications (task complete, needs attention, error alerts)
• TokenStack™ context compression
• Always-on rules and slash commands

All Skills (130 total — 86 free + 44 Pro-exclusive)

All 130 skills are fully implemented with complete protocols, context guards, activation messages, and level history. Skills load on-demand via the MCP catalog system — only the skill matching your current task is loaded, preventing context bloat. 44 Pro-exclusive skills require an active license key. Get a key at memstack.pro.

Core (16 — 7 free + 9 Pro)