A spatial indexing and retrieval system for finding information within and across memory palaces. Enables multi-modal search using spatial, semantic, sensory, and associative queries.
What It Is
The Knowledge Locator provides efficient information retrieval across your memory palace network by:
- Building and maintaining spatial indices for fast lookup
- Supporting multiple search modalities (spatial, semantic, sensory)
- Mapping cross-references between palaces
- Tracking access patterns for optimization
Quick Start
Search Palaces
python scripts/memory_palace_cli.py search "authentication" --type semantic
Verification: Run python --version to verify Python environment.
List All Palaces
python scripts/memory_palace_cli.py list
Verification: Run python --version to verify Python environment.
When To Use
- Finding specific concepts within one or more memory palaces
- Cross-referencing information across different palaces
- Discovering connections between stored information
- Finding information using partial or contextual queries
- Analyzing access patterns for palace optimization
When NOT To Use
- Creating new palace structures - use memory-palace-architect
- Processing new external resources - use knowledge-intake
- Creating new palace structures - use memory-palace-architect
- Processing new external resources - use knowledge-intake
Search Modalities
| Mode | Description | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Spatial | Query by location path | "Find concepts in the Workshop" |
| Semantic | Search by meaning/keywords | "Find authentication-related items" |
| Sensory | Locate by sensory attributes | "Blue-colored concepts" |
| Associative | Follow connection chains | "Related to OAuth" |
| Temporal | Find by creation/access date | "Recently accessed" |
Core Workflow
- Build Index - Create spatial index of all palaces
- Optimize Search - Configure search strategies and heuristics
- Map Cross-References - Identify inter-palace connections
- Test Retrieval - Validate search accuracy and speed
- Analyze Patterns - Track and optimize based on usage
Target Metrics
- Retrieval latency: ≤ 150ms cached, ≤ 500ms cold
- Top-3 accuracy: ≥ 90% for semantic queries
- Robustness: ≥ 80% success with incomplete queries
Detailed Resources
- Index Structure: See
modules/index-structure.md - Search Strategies: See
modules/search-strategies.md - Cross-Reference Mapping: See
modules/index-structure.md
PR Review Search
Search the review chamber within project palaces for past decisions and patterns.
Quick Commands
The CLI has no room-scoped search: search runs across every
palace, and --palace, --room, list-reviews and search-reviews
do not exist (this file cited them until 2026-09-18). Filter by the
palace name in the output, or use Skill(memory-palace:review-chamber),
which owns the chamber's own retrieval.
python scripts/memory_palace_cli.py search "authentication"
Review Chamber Rooms
| Room | Content | Example Query |
|---|---|---|
decisions/ |
Architectural choices | "JWT vs sessions" |
patterns/ |
Recurring solutions | "error handling pattern" |
standards/ |
Quality conventions | "API error format" |
lessons/ |
Post-mortems | "outage learnings" |
Context-Aware Surfacing
When starting work in a code area, surface relevant review knowledge:
There is no context-search command. Search for the area's own
words instead:
python scripts/memory_palace_cli.py search "auth"
Integration
Works with:
memory-palace-architect- Indexes palaces created by architectsession-palace-builder- Searches session-specific palacesdigital-garden-cultivator- Finds garden content and linksreview-chamber- Searches PR review knowledge in project palaces
Exit Criteria
-
scripts/memory_palace_cli.py search "<query>"returns results, and says "No palaces indexed" rather than "No matches" when there is nothing to search within 500ms for a cold query against an indexed palace - At least one of the five search modalities (spatial, semantic, sensory, associative, temporal) returns ranked results for a valid query against an existing palace
- Top-3 accuracy target of ≥ 90% is met for semantic queries when the queried concept is present in the indexed palace
- Incomplete or partial queries return results rather than errors, satisfying the ≥ 80% robustness target
- If no palace exists to search, user is directed to
memory-palace-architectrather than returning an empty result silently