Configuration

Remind is configured via a config file, environment variables, or CLI arguments. Settings resolve with this priority (highest first):

1. CLI arguments (--llm, --embedding)
2. Environment variables (ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, etc.)
3. Config file (~/.remind/remind.config.json)
4. Defaults

Config file

Create ~/.remind/remind.config.json:

{
  "llm_provider": "anthropic",
  "embedding_provider": "openai",
  "consolidation_threshold": 5,
  "auto_consolidate": true,

  "anthropic": {
    "api_key": "sk-ant-...",
    "model": "claude-sonnet-4-20250514",
    "ingest_model": "claude-haiku-4-20250414"
  },

  "openai": {
    "api_key": "sk-...",
    "base_url": null,
    "model": "gpt-4.1",
    "embedding_model": "text-embedding-3-small",
    "ingest_model": "gpt-4.1-mini"
  },

  "azure_openai": {
    "api_key": "...",
    "base_url": "https://your-resource.openai.azure.com",
    "api_version": "2024-02-15-preview",
    "deployment_name": "gpt-4",
    "embedding_deployment_name": "text-embedding-3-small",
    "embedding_size": 1536,
    "ingest_deployment_name": "gpt-4-mini"
  },

  "ollama": {
    "url": "http://localhost:11434",
    "llm_model": "llama3.2",
    "embedding_model": "nomic-embed-text",
    "ingest_model": "llama3.2:1b"
  },

  "decay": {
    "enabled": true,
    "decay_interval": 20,
    "decay_rate": 0.1
  },

  "ingest_buffer_size": 4000,
  "ingest_min_density": 0.4,

  "logging_enabled": false
}

You only need to include settings you want to change from defaults. A minimal config:

{
  "llm_provider": "anthropic",
  "embedding_provider": "openai",
  "anthropic": { "api_key": "sk-ant-..." },
  "openai": { "api_key": "sk-..." }
}

Environment variables

Anthropic (Claude)

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
LLM_PROVIDER=anthropic
EMBEDDING_PROVIDER=openai   # Anthropic has no embeddings

OpenAI

OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
LLM_PROVIDER=openai
EMBEDDING_PROVIDER=openai

Azure OpenAI

AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY=...
AZURE_OPENAI_API_BASE_URL=https://your-resource.openai.azure.com
AZURE_OPENAI_API_VERSION=2024-02-15-preview
AZURE_OPENAI_DEPLOYMENT_NAME=gpt-4
AZURE_OPENAI_EMBEDDING_DEPLOYMENT_NAME=text-embedding-3-small
LLM_PROVIDER=azure_openai
EMBEDDING_PROVIDER=azure_openai

Ollama (local)

No API keys needed. Install Ollama and pull models:

ollama pull llama3.2           # LLM
ollama pull nomic-embed-text   # Embeddings

# Optional overrides
OLLAMA_URL=http://localhost:11434
OLLAMA_LLM_MODEL=llama3.2
OLLAMA_EMBEDDING_MODEL=nomic-embed-text
LLM_PROVIDER=ollama
EMBEDDING_PROVIDER=ollama

Database location

Context	Default path
CLI (no --db flag)	<cwd>/.remind/remind.db (project-local)
CLI with --db name	~/.remind/name.db
MCP Server / Python API	~/.remind/{name}.db

Memory decay

Concepts that are rarely recalled gradually lose retrieval priority, mimicking how human memory fades.

Option	Default	Description
decay.enabled	true	Set false to disable
decay.decay_interval	20	Recalls between decay passes
decay.decay_rate	0.1	How much decay_factor drops per interval (0.0–1.0)

When a concept is recalled, it gets rejuvenated — its decay factor gets a boost proportional to match strength. Recently recalled concepts are protected by a 60-second grace window.

View decay stats with remind stats.

Consolidation

Option	Default	Description
consolidation_threshold	5	Episodes before auto-consolidation triggers
auto_consolidate	true	Whether to auto-consolidate after remember

Auto-ingest

Settings for the ingest() pipeline, which buffers raw text, scores information density, and extracts memory-worthy episodes automatically.

Option	Default	Description
ingest_buffer_size	4000	Character threshold before buffer flushes and triggers triage
ingest_min_density	0.4	Minimum information density score (0.0-1.0) to extract episodes

Each provider config has an optional ingest_model field (or ingest_deployment_name for Azure) to use a cheaper/faster model for triage without affecting consolidation quality. When unset, triage uses the same model as consolidation.

Provider	Config field	Env var	Example
Anthropic	anthropic.ingest_model	ANTHROPIC_INGEST_MODEL	claude-haiku-4-20250414
OpenAI	openai.ingest_model	OPENAI_INGEST_MODEL	gpt-4.1-mini
Azure OpenAI	azure_openai.ingest_deployment_name	AZURE_OPENAI_INGEST_DEPLOYMENT_NAME	gpt-4-mini
Ollama	ollama.ingest_model	OLLAMA_INGEST_MODEL	llama3.2:1b

Environment variable overrides:

INGEST_BUFFER_SIZE=4000
INGEST_MIN_DENSITY=0.4
ANTHROPIC_INGEST_MODEL=claude-haiku-4-20250414

Logging

When enabled, Remind writes detailed debug logs to remind.log in the same directory as the database. This includes full LLM prompts and responses for triage, extraction, and consolidation — useful for debugging why episodes were scored a certain way or how concepts were derived.

Option	Default	Description
logging_enabled	false	Write debug logs to remind.log next to the database

The log file location follows the database:

Database path	Log path
~/.remind/myproject.db	~/.remind/remind.log
<project>/.remind/remind.db	<project>/.remind/remind.log

Enable via config file:

{
  "logging_enabled": true
}

Or environment variable:

REMIND_LOGGING_ENABLED=true