Help — Lampway in Claude Desktop

This page answers the questions you're most likely to have in the first hour: where Lampway shows up across Claude Desktop's three modes, how the Keeper stays reachable without typing "Keeper, …" every time, and how Lampway's Vault Memory differs from Anthropic's own Auto Memory.

1. Where Lampway shows up

Claude Desktop runs in three modes — Chat for conversation, Cowork for project work with file awareness, and Code (CCD) for the full Claude Code harness opened at a folder. Lampway sits behind all three, reading and writing one Vault on your machine. How Lampway reaches into each mode differs slightly because each mode handles instructions differently. The table below maps it out.

2. The three-layer customization stack

Claude Desktop doesn't ship one system-prompt slot that covers every mode. Profile Preferences flow into Chat and Cowork; Cowork has its own folder-scoped instructions; CCD reads a CLAUDE.md at the working directory's root. To make the Keeper proactive everywhere — so you don't have to type "Keeper, …" before every memory question — Lampway uses all three slots together.

We call this the three-layer customization stack: three places to paste short snippets, each covering different surfaces. The /introduce Skill handles Layers 1 and 2 during First-run by giving you paste text with your Vault path already substituted. Layer 3 ships pre-installed for new Vaults via the Vault Template.

What /introduce sets up for you

When you run /introduce in Claude Desktop chat after install, the Skill walks you through pasting two short templates — one for Profile Preferences, one for Cowork Folder Instructions — with your actual Vault path already filled in. Layer 3 is automatic for new Vaults. If you already had a CLAUDE.md in your Vault folder before installing Lampway, see §4 — Migrating an existing Vault.

3. Vault Memory vs Auto Memory

Lampway's Vault Memory and Anthropic's Auto Memory are two separate systems. They coexist by design, but they're not the same thing — and the distinction matters when you're deciding where something belongs.

Vault Memory is what Lampway maintains for you. It lives in your Vault as plain Markdown files; you read and edit them like any other file; and it's the same Memory across every Claude Desktop mode and every project. Curated. You decide what goes in.

Auto Memory is what Anthropic's Claude Code maintains for itself. It lives under ~/.claude/projects/<cwd>/memory/, is scoped to whichever working directory Claude Code happens to be in, and exists to hold the agent's working state — the model thinking out loud about a task. Scratch.

Both legitimate. Vault for what you decided; Auto Memory for what the agent is currently doing. The table below pins down the differences.

4. Migrating an existing Vault (CCD)

If you were already using Claude Code Desktop at a folder before installing Lampway, that folder almost certainly has a CLAUDE.md file you (or Claude Code's /init command) authored. CCD loads that file as part of the system prompt every time you open the folder.

When that CLAUDE.md doesn't mention Lampway's tools, Claude has no reason to call them — so in CCD only, memory questions route to Anthropic's native Memory Tool instead of keeper_recall. Chat and Cowork aren't affected; this is a CCD-specific bypass.

Three-step fix below: open the file, paste a short block at the bottom, reopen the folder.

Step 1 — Open your Vault's CLAUDE.md

Find the file at the root of your Vault folder. If you opened CCD at this folder before installing Lampway, you almost certainly already have one.

Step 2 — Paste this block at the bottom

## Writing to Memory — use the Lampway MCP tools

This Vault is tended by Lampway (https://lampway.dev). When the user
asks you to remember something, save a fact about themselves, or
record a decision, call the `keeper_remember` MCP tool — do NOT use
Claude Code's native Memory Tool here. When the user asks what you
know about them or about a topic, call `keeper_recall`.

The Vault's Memory Index lives at `00-meta/memory/MEMORY.md` and is
auto-maintained by Lampway. Don't hand-edit it.

Step 3 — Reopen the folder in CCD

Close and re-open Code mode at your Vault folder. Test by asking: "What do you know about me?" — Claude should call keeper_recall and return entries from <vault>/00-meta/memory/.

5. Common questions

Does Lampway send any data anywhere?

No. Lampway is the local server that Claude calls; it never sends data to a Lampway-controlled service. No telemetry, no analytics, no phone-home. Your Claude conversations are between you and Anthropic and are governed by Anthropic's own privacy policy — Lampway has no visibility into them. Full statement in Lampway's privacy policy.

What happens if I uninstall Lampway?

Your Vault stays put. It's a folder of plain Markdown files on your machine — you can browse it, version-control it, sync it, or keep using it with another tool. Lampway is the curator; the Vault is yours.

Can I sync my Vault across machines?

Yes. The Vault is a plain folder, so any sync tool that handles folders handles the Vault — iCloud, OneDrive, Dropbox, git, Syncthing, take your pick. Lampway never runs a sync server. Caveat: if two machines write to the same entry at the same instant, your sync tool's conflict-resolution rules apply (these are plain text files).

Where does the dashboard live?

A local HTTP server inside the MCP Server process, bound to 127.0.0.1:PORT. Lampway logs the URL to Claude Desktop's MCP stderr at startup and opens your browser to it on first install. Two themes (Terminal + Paper), six accent flavors. Loopback-only — no auth needed, no exposure beyond your machine.

I'm a developer — where's the source?

Source-available on GitHub at Keigyoku/agentic-os — agentic-os is the original internal codename, kept as the repo URL. Licensed PolyForm-style: free for any use, no redistribution, re-skinning, or attribution removal. PRs welcome — see CONTRIBUTING.md.

Missing something? Open a Discussion — we'll answer there and bake the answer into this page.