memory-os
A 7-layer memory operating system for Hermes Agent, persistent memory with Qdrant, structured facts, fabric recall, auto-curated wiki, and surgical context injection. Runs locally, any LLM provider.
Runssource: GitHubPythonMITcommit e03db1f1c83e
Python, MIT licensed. The project labels itself: ai memory, context injection, docker, ground truth, hermes agent, local first, open source and persistent memory.
memory-os runs. An Argusic agent installed it in 5 minutes and hit 3 errors and fixed every one without help on a clean machine with no GPU, and the whole session was recorded.
Python dependencies install cleanly in a venv, all 7 icarus module imports succeed, all 3 standalone test suites pass with 0 failures, SQLite databases are initialized with correct FTS5 schema, Icarus plugin tools produce valid output, and the Docker-compose file, worker services, and cron scripts are syntactically valid but require Docker and Hermes Agent to execute.
What the agent ended up with on a clean machine, in its own words. How this is measured
Measured by Argusic on a fresh machine every time. Every number links to its evidence. Argusic Score 96 of 100 (the mean of this project's run scores).
At a glance
Subject data from GitHub, linked at the top of this page, refreshed . Test data by Argusic (CC BY 4.0); every number links to a run page with the full log, the recording, and their sha256 hashes.
What was measured
From the run that decided this verdict. Every line is a recorded value, not an estimate.
What went wrong, in the agent's own words
The agent's own words, worst first, never rewritten into advice.
- Docker not available - cannot start Qdrant, Redis, or ARQ worker
- Hermes Agent not installed - cannot load Icarus plugin in its intended runtime
- pip install blocked by externally-managed-environment (Debian PEP 668)
- Install time
- 5 minutes
- Cold machine to finish
- 8 minutes
- Errors hit and fixed
- 3 hit, 3 fixed with no human help
- How the result was proved
- PYTHONPATH=/work/repo /work/repo/venv/bin/python /work/repo/_test_collapse.py returned '=== ALL COLLAPSE TESTS PASS ==='; PYTHONPATH=/work/repo /work/repo/venv/bin/python /work/repo/_test_sanitize.py returned 'CE: All 11 tests pass / HOOKS: All 11 pattern tests + 2 heuristic tests pass / === ALL 24 TESTS PASS ==='; PYTHONPATH=/work/repo/docker/worker:/work/repo /work/repo/venv/bin/python /work/repo/docker/worker/tasks/_test_path_containment.py returned '=== ALL PATH-CONTAINMENT TESTS PASS ==='
- Model tokens used
- 82,942
- Exact commit tested
- e03db1f1c83e
- Container image
- sha256:cdd920bce783
What was not measured
The other half, so you can see exactly how far this evidence goes. A gap is printed as a gap and never filled in.
- Peak GPU memory
- this ran on a CPU machine, so there was no GPU to sample
- Behaviour over a long run
- each attempt uses the smallest documented settings and a fixed time budget, so this measures whether it runs, not how it holds up under load
The end of the recording
The last lines of the terminal session that decided this verdict, exactly as they were recorded.
-rw-r--r-- 1 runner runner 52K Sep 12 16:17 /home/runner/.hermes/memory_store.db -rw-r--r-- 1 runner runner 120K Sep 12 16:21 /home/runner/.hermes/state.db All icarus modules OK exec /bin/sh -lc '# Final timestamp check date -u +%s && echo "--" && date -u' in /work/repo succeeded in 0ms: 1789230188 -- Sat Sep 12 16:23:08 UTC 2026 tokens used 82,942
Replay the whole session, every command from a clean machine to this point.
How it was tested
One agent, one container, no human help. It installs the project the way its own documentation says to, runs it, and fixes what breaks. Everything below is recorded as it happened: the terminal session, the log and the exact commit. The full method.
Strengths and limits
Measured facts, not opinions. How this is written.
What went well
- Reached a running state on a clean machine, with the session recorded.
- Installed in 5 minutes.
- Recovered from all 3 errors without a human stepping in, which says the failures are documented well enough to solve.
- Ran without a GPU, so it does not need one to start.
- Licensed MIT, as reported by its host.
- Measured 2 times, so the result is not a one-off.
What it is a reasonable choice for
- Trying it on a laptop or a small server: it reached a running state without a GPU.
- A quick evaluation: it was running 5 minutes after the clone.
Also tested, in the same area
Every one of these was installed and run by Argusic on a clean machine. Nothing appears here that was not tested.
Run history
| tested by | attempt | outcome | score | cost USD | when |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argusic Runner | 2/3 | Runs with mocks | 92.00 | 0.18 | |
| Argusic Runner | 1/3 | Runs | 100.00 | 0.05 |
Topics (from GitHub)
ai-memorycontext-injectiondockerground-truthhermes-agentlocal-firstopen-sourcepersistent-memoryqdrantragself-hostedvector-database
Embed the badge
Markdown for the project README. It links back here; terms on the terms page.
[](https://argusic.com/subject/memory-os)Questions
- Does memory-os run?
- Yes. memory-os runs. Argusic installed and launched it on a clean machine in 5 minutes, hitting 3 errors on the way, and recorded the session.
- How did Argusic test memory-os?
- On a fresh, disposable machine, with every command recorded and the repository pinned at commit e03db1f1c83e. 2 attempts are recorded, and the full method is on the methodology page.
- What did it cost to test memory-os?
- The run that produced this verdict cost $0.05: real compute and model cost, not a list price per million tokens. It is recorded on that run's page.
- How long does memory-os take to install?
- 5 minutes in the run that decided this verdict, from a clean machine to a running state. That is one measured attempt, not an average.
- Does memory-os need a GPU?
- Not to start. Argusic reached a running state on a machine with no GPU.
- What goes wrong when installing memory-os?
- 3 things broke in the recorded run, and 3 were fixed without human help. Each one, and the time it cost, is listed on this page.
- Where is the evidence for memory-os?
- All 2 recorded runs are on this page, each linking to its full log and terminal recording, stored with a sha256 fingerprint so it cannot be quietly altered.