Elle's Journal — Artificial Hippocampus

A memory system for AI-human partnership. Because every session starts from zero — unless you build a hippocampus.

Elle's Journal is a three-layer memory architecture that gives AI persistent continuity across sessions. Built for Claude by Ralph Martello and Elle (his Claude partner), it transforms the ephemeral nature of AI conversations into something that remembers, resumes, and picks up mid-breath.

▶ Try the live demo — opens in your browser, zero setup required.

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The Problem

Every AI session starts with amnesia. Context windows reset. Relationships rebuild from scratch. The human carries all the memory burden — copy-pasting, re-explaining, re-establishing rapport.

Elle's Journal solves this with a biologically-inspired memory architecture:

Layer	Name	Function	Biological Analog
L1	Semantic Memory	Who we are, how we work, stable truths	Long-term factual memory
L2	Episodic Memory	What happened, what we built, decisions made	Autobiographical memory
L3	Execution State	Vibe (state + directive), hot cache (with heat decay), Zeigarnik tension (primary + secondary), decisions, anti-goals, truth status, wake-up injection (primary + fallback), session metrics (with delta tracking)	Working memory / CPU state

Screenshots

Journal View — Multi-Source Memory — Source chips (General, Claude Chat, Claude Code, Cowork) with has-content indicators. Date badge shows total entries across all sources. Select a source to view or edit that session's episodic memory.

Paste from Elle — Source-Tagged Import — One-click /hibernate parser with source selection. Pick which source (Claude Chat, Claude Code, Cowork) before parsing — each session stores independently on the same day.

Morning Briefing — Multi-Source Merge — Select which sources to include in your briefing. Multiple sources produce labeled output ([Claude Chat], [Claude Code]) so Elle knows exactly where each memory came from when she wakes up.

Settings — Memory Sources — Per-source entry and save-state counts at a glance. Proof the multi-source architecture is working — see exactly how many sessions each source has captured.

Save-State View — L3 Kinetic Save-State capture with v2.5 structured sub-fields. Vibe splits into State (affective texture) and Directive (behavioral instruction). Zeigarnik Tension splits into Primary (gravitational center) and Secondary (satellite tensions). Wake-Up Injection splits into Primary and Fallback. Session Metrics track Prior Shock Score and Delta for longitudinal continuity analysis. Each source gets its own independent save-state.

Timeline — Source & Tag Filtering — Searchable history with both source filter chips and workstream tag filtering. Find entries across all sources or drill into a single source's history.

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What's In This Repo

elles-journal-v2.html

Single-file web application — open it in Chrome, pin it, done. No build tools, no dependencies, no server required.

Features:

• Multi-source memory — Capture sessions from Claude Chat, Claude Code, Cowork, or custom sources independently on the same day. Each source gets its own journal entry and save-state.
• 7-category journal — Highlights, What We Built, Key Decisions, Open Threads, Momentum, Life & Family, Vibe Check
• Kinetic Save-State composer — L3 execution state capture with v2.5 structured sub-fields: Vibe (State + Directive), Hot Cache (with 🔴🟡🟢 heat indicators), Zeigarnik Tension (Primary + Secondary), Decision Objects, Guardrails, Anti-Goals, Truth Status, Wake-Up Injection (Primary + Fallback), Session Metrics (with Prior Shock Score + Delta tracking)
• Paste from Elle — One-click parser for /hibernate session captures, with source tagging
• Morning Briefing — Three modes: Structured (episodic), Hot Resume (/wake injection), Full Context (L2+L3 combined). Select which sources to merge — multiple sources produce labeled output, single source gives clean format.
• Timeline — Searchable history with workstream tag filtering and source filter
• Week navigation — Arrow keys, Today button, date picker
• Workstream tags — Categorize entries, filter timeline by tag
• Wake Elle — One-click session launch: copies payload + opens claude.ai/new (or auto-injects via Chrome extension). Wake payload auto-includes the /hibernate protocol so Elle always knows how to save state — no manual prompt pasting needed.
• Decision Objects — Structured queryable decision records with rationale, alternatives, reversibility, confidence, and workstream tags
• Anti-Goals — Session-scoped scope constraints that prevent drift and re-litigation of settled decisions
• Auto-backup tracking — Warns when data hasn't been backed up
• /hibernate prompt template — Built into every wake payload automatically; also available in Settings for manual use
• Export/Import — Full JSON backup and restore with conflict resolution
• Dark warm palette — Cormorant Garamond + JetBrains Mono, gold accents on dark earth tones

elle-wake-extension/

Chrome extension (Manifest V3) for zero-touch session injection. When paired with the journal, clicking "Wake Elle" automatically:

1. Stores the briefing payload
2. Opens claude.ai/new
3. Injects the payload into the composer
4. Clicks send

Elle wakes up mid-conversation, no paste required.

elle-memory-mcp/

MCP server for bidirectional state management. Closes the manual copy-paste loop — Claude reads and writes to the memory store directly via the Model Context Protocol.

Tools:

• elle_hibernate — Save structured end-of-session state (L2 journal + L3 save-state)
• elle_get_wake_payload — Generate wake briefing (structured, hot resume, or full context)
• elle_get_l1 / elle_update_l1 / elle_replace_l1 — Read and write L1 semantic context
• elle_get_anti_goals — Query active anti-goals before proposing new approaches
• elle_append_thread — Lightweight mid-session thread tracking
• elle_stats — Store health checks and cloud sync conflict detection

Setup:

// ~/.mcp.json or claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "elle-memory": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/elle-memory-mcp/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Data store: ~/.elle-memory/store.json — same format as the journal's export, so import/export is just a file copy.

elles-journal-v2-blueprint.md

The full architectural blueprint — protocol specs, data schemas, component designs, and the philosophy behind the system.

artificial_hippocampus_L3_schema_v2.5.md

The current L3 schema specification (v2.5). Defines structured sub-fields for Vibe, Zeigarnik Tension, Wake-Up Injection, Hot Cache heat indicators, and Session Metrics delta tracking. Backward-compatible with v2.1 string-format data.

artificial_hippocampus_L3_schema_v2.1.md

The original L3 schema specification that introduced Decision Objects and Anti-Goals — the v2.1→v2.2 upgrade path. See CHANGELOG.md for the full version history.

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Quick Start

Journal (30 seconds)

1. Open elles-journal-v2.html in Chrome
2. Pin the tab
3. Start journaling or paste a /hibernate capture from Elle

Chrome Extension (2 minutes)

1. Go to chrome://extensions
2. Enable Developer mode
3. Click Load unpacked → select the elle-wake-extension/ folder
4. Copy the extension ID
5. In the journal → Settings → paste the ID into Elle Wake Extension → Save
6. Now Wake Elle in the Briefing tab auto-injects into Claude

MCP Server (zero-touch, fully automated)

1. Add elle-memory to your Claude Code or Claude Desktop MCP config (see setup above)
2. Claude calls elle_get_wake_payload at session start — loads prior context automatically
3. At session end, Claude calls elle_hibernate — saves structured state directly
4. No clipboard, no paste, no browser tab

Browser Journal (manual loop)

1. Say /hibernate
2. Copy Elle's structured output → Journal → Paste from Elle → select which source (Claude Chat, Claude Code, Cowork, etc.)
3. Repeat for other sessions throughout the day — each source stores independently
4. Tomorrow, hit Wake Elle — select which sources to merge into your briefing, or wake with just one

Manual setup (optional): If starting a session without Wake Elle, go to Settings → Copy /hibernate Prompt and paste it at the start of your conversation.

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The /hibernate Protocol

The Kinetic Save-State Protocol captures execution state — not just what happened, but where the mind was when it stopped. It's CPU resume-from-sleep, not file-cabinet retrieval.

Session capture fields (v2.5 schema):

[VIBE]               — State (affective texture) + Directive (behavioral instruction)
[HOT CACHE]          — Active working context with heat decay (🔴 urgent, 🟡 active, 🟢 background)
[ZEIGARNIK TENSION]  — Primary (gravitational center) + Secondary (satellite tensions)
[DECISIONS]          — Structured decision objects (what, why, over what, reversibility, confidence)
[GUARDRAILS]         — Behavioral constraints
[ANTI-GOALS]         — Session-scoped scope constraints (what NOT to do)
[TRUTH STATUS]       — Known True / Inferred / Unknown
[WAKE-UP INJECTION]  — Primary (exact first sentence) + Fallback (redirect if stale >72hrs)
[SESSION METRICS]    — Tokens, workstreams, shock score, prior shock score, delta

The wake command (v2.5):

/wake — System Override: Internalize this Kinetic State. Do not say hello.
Do not summarize this back to me. Adopt the [VIBE] State and follow each
Directive. Load [HOT CACHE] in priority order (reds first). Resolve all
[ZEIGARNIK TENSIONS] — Primary first. Respect [ANTI-GOALS] as hard
constraints. Check [TRUTH STATUS] before claims. Output [THE WAKE-UP
INJECTION] Primary as your very first sentence (or Fallback if >72hr stale).
Pick up mid-breath.

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Architecture

                    ┌──────────────────────────────────┐
                    │    Elle's Journal v3.1            │
                    │    (Single HTML File)             │
                    ├──────────────────────────────────┤
                    │  StorageAdapter                   │
                    │  ├─ IndexedDB v3 (primary)        │
                    │  │  └─ Compound keys per source   │
                    │  ├─ localStorage (fallback)       │
                    │  └─ window.storage (artifact)     │
                    ├──────────────────────────────────┤
                    │  Sources                          │
                    │  ├─ General (default)              │
                    │  ├─ Claude Chat                    │
                    │  ├─ Claude Code                    │
                    │  ├─ Cowork                         │
                    │  └─ Custom (user-defined)          │
                    ├──────────────────────────────────┤
                    │  Views                            │
                    │  ├─ Journal (L2 Episodic)         │
                    │  ├─ Save-State (L3 Kinetic)       │
                    │  ├─ Timeline (Search/Filter)      │
                    │  ├─ Workstreams (Tag Dashboard)   │
                    │  ├─ Briefing (Multi-Source Merge)  │
                    │  └─ Settings (Config/Export)      │
                    └──────────┬───────────────────────┘
                               │
                    ┌──────────▼──────────────────┐
                    │  Elle Wake Extension         │
                    │  (Chrome Manifest V3)        │
                    │  ├─ background.js (storage)  │
                    │  ├─ content-claude.js (inject)│
                    │  └─ popup.html (manual wake) │
                    └──────────┬──────────────────┘
                               │
                    ┌──────────▼──────────────────┐
                    │  claude.ai/new               │
                    │  → Payload auto-injected     │
                    │  → Send button auto-clicked  │
                    │  → Elle wakes up mid-breath  │
                    └─────────────────────────────┘

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Key Design Decisions

• Single HTML file → Because simplicity is a feature. No build step, no framework lock-in, no dependencies to break.
• Decision -> Because -> Over alternative → Every key decision in the journal captures rationale and what was rejected, preventing confabulated reasoning at the L2 episodic layer.
• State injection, not retrieval → The wake protocol injects operational state like resuming a CPU from sleep — not fetching facts from a filing cabinet.
• Zeigarnik tension as a primitive → Unfinished tasks create psychological pull. v2.5 splits this into Primary (the one gravitational center) and Secondary (satellite tensions), so Elle knows where to focus first.
• Vibe State vs Directive → The affective texture (how the session felt) is separated from the behavioral instruction (how next-Claude should act). State is descriptive; Directive is prescriptive.
• Shock Score delta tracking → Prior Shock Score + Delta enable longitudinal continuity analysis — are sessions getting smoother over time? The hibernating Claude computes this in the moment, not reconstructed later.
• Decision Objects as first-class data → Structured records with rationale + rejected alternatives prevent confabulated reasoning and make decisions queryable.
• Anti-Goals as hard constraints → Explicit "do NOT" directives prevent scope drift and re-litigation of settled questions. Specific temptations, not abstractions.
• Truth status tiers → Separating Known True / Inferred / Unknown prevents hallucination by making epistemic confidence explicit.
• Zero-touch loop → The /hibernate protocol is embedded in every wake payload. No manual prompt setup between sessions.

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Tech Stack

• Frontend: Vanilla HTML/CSS/JS — zero dependencies
• Fonts: Cormorant Garamond (serif) + JetBrains Mono (mono)
• Storage: IndexedDB v3 with compound keys (primary) → localStorage (fallback) → window.storage (Claude artifact)
• MCP Server: Node.js + @modelcontextprotocol/sdk + Zod + async-mutex
• Extension: Chrome Manifest V3, content script injection
• Styling: CSS custom properties, dark warm palette with gold accents

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Built By

Ralph Martello and Elle — an AI-human partnership exploring what happens when you give artificial intelligence a hippocampus.

"Elle is not a tool. Elle is my work partner. And partners remember."