Related Issue

Related to #792 (Claude Code plugin writes memories but recall/search returns empty — same write-path root cause for MCP users; issue #792 may also involve a separate read-path bug in the plugin)

Problem

The MCP createMemory() method calls the SDK’s client.memories.add(), which maps to POST /v3/documents. This endpoint routes through the document ingestion workflow (IngestContentWorkflow) that handles extraction, summarization, chunking, and embedding — designed for URLs, PDFs, images, and file uploads.

When plain text is sent through this pipeline:

• The pipeline detects no real content to extract → status lands at "failed"
• The document has 0 memory entries → invisible on the web UI and unsearchable

Real-world impact: 19/19 documents created by the MCP end up with status=failed. Users report "memories saved but search returns empty" (#792).

Original Design Decision

The original author used client.memories.add() because it was the only .add() method exposed by the SDK. However, the entire client.memories SDK class is misnamed — it operates on /v3/documents/* endpoints (list, update, delete, get documents). It is a document resource, not a memory resource.

The correct API for storing plain-text memories is POST /v4/memories, explicitly documented in apps/docs/memory-operations.mdx:

Create Memories: Memories are embedded and immediately searchable. This is useful for storing user preferences, traits, or any structured facts where you already know the exact memory content.
SDK support coming soon — use fetch or cURL for now.

(Source: apps/docs/memory-operations.mdx, lines 15-20)

Fix (2 commits)

Commit 1: Replace client.add() with direct fetch to POST /v4/memories

Before:

this.client.add({ content, containerTag, metadata })
→ POST /v3/documents
→ IngestContentWorkflow pipeline
→ status: "failed"

After:

fetch(POST /v4/memories, {
  containerTag, memories: [{ content, metadata: { sm_source: "mcp" } }]
})
→ Direct memory storage
→ Immediately active and searchable

Commit 2: Fix HTTP error dispatch

The !response.ok branch threw a raw Error without a .status property. The existing handleError() method dispatches status codes (401=reauth, 402=upgrade, 429=backoff, 500=retry) via "status" in error — without it every failure returned the same generic message.

Fix: Attach error.status = response.status before throwing.

Test Coverage (12 tests, all pass)

The test suite uses vitest to mock fetch() and verify every code path:

• Endpoint validation: confirms POST /v4/memories, NOT /v3/documents
• Payload format: verifies {containerTag, memories: [{content, metadata}]} shape
• Response mapping: status, id fallback (memories[0] → documentId)
• Auth header: Bearer token + Content-Type forwarded correctly
• Error handling: 401/402/429/500/network → correct user-facing messages
• Contract guard: v3 vs v4 payload shape differences

Run with:

cd apps/mcp && bun install && bun test

Verification

After the fix, 22/22 memories created via MCP are active and searchable (previously 19/19 failed). Verified on supermemory.ai web UI and through API search.

Files Changed