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Basic Memory Cloud CLI Guide

The Basic Memory Cloud CLI provides seamless integration between local and cloud knowledge bases using a cloud mode toggle. When cloud mode is enabled, all your regular bm commands work transparently with the cloud instead of locally.

Overview

The cloud CLI enables you to:

  • Toggle cloud mode with bm cloud login / bm cloud logout
  • Use regular commands in cloud mode: bm project, bm sync, bm tool all work with cloud
  • Upload local files directly to cloud projects via bm cloud upload
  • Bidirectional sync with rclone bisync (recommended for most users)
  • Direct file access via rclone mount (alternative workflow)
  • Integrity verification with bm cloud check
  • Automatic project creation from local directories

Prerequisites

Before using Basic Memory Cloud, you need:

If you attempt to log in without an active subscription, you'll receive a "Subscription Required" error with a link to subscribe.

The Cloud Mode Paradigm

Basic Memory Cloud follows the Dropbox/iCloud model - a single cloud space containing all your projects, not per-project connections.

How it works:

  • One login per machine: bm cloud login
  • One sync directory: ~/basic-memory-cloud-sync/ (all projects)
  • Projects are folders within your cloud space
  • All regular commands work in cloud mode

Why this model:

  • ✅ Single set of credentials (not N per project)
  • ✅ One rclone process (not N processes)
  • ✅ Familiar pattern (like Dropbox)
  • ✅ Simple operations (setup once, sync anytime)
  • ✅ Natural scaling (add projects = add folders)

Quick Start

1. Enable Cloud Mode

Authenticate and enable cloud mode for all commands:

bm cloud login

This command will:

  1. Open your browser to the Basic Memory Cloud authentication page
  2. Prompt you to authorize the CLI application
  3. Store your authentication token locally
  4. Enable cloud mode - all CLI commands now work against cloud

2. Set Up Sync

Set up bidirectional file synchronization:

bm cloud setup

This will:

  1. Install rclone automatically (if needed)
  2. Configure sync credentials
  3. Create ~/basic-memory-cloud-sync/ directory
  4. Establish initial sync baseline

Alternative: Use bm cloud setup --mount to set up mount instead of sync.

3. Verify Setup

Check that everything is working:

bm cloud status

You should see:

  • Mode: Cloud (enabled)
  • Cloud instance is healthy
  • Bisync status showing ✓ Initialized

4. Start Using Cloud

Now all your regular commands work with the cloud:

# List cloud projects
bm project list

# Create cloud project
bm project add "my-research"

# Use MCP tools on cloud
bm tool write-note --title "Hello" --folder "my-research" --content "Test"

# Sync with cloud
bm sync

# Watch mode for continuous sync
bm sync --watch

5. Disable Cloud Mode

Return to local mode:

bm cloud logout

All commands now work locally again.

Working with Cloud Projects

Important: When cloud mode is enabled, use regular bm project commands (not bm cloud project).

Listing Projects

View all projects (cloud projects when cloud mode is enabled):

# In cloud mode - lists cloud projects
bm project list

# In local mode - lists local projects
bm project list

Creating Projects

Create a new project (creates on cloud when cloud mode is enabled):

# In cloud mode - creates cloud project
bm project add my-new-project

# Create and set as default
bm project add my-new-project --default

Automatic Project Creation

New in SPEC-9: Projects are automatically created when you create local directories!

# Create a local directory in your sync folder
mkdir ~/basic-memory-cloud-sync/new-project
echo "# Notes" > ~/basic-memory-cloud-sync/new-project/readme.md

# Sync - automatically creates cloud project
bm sync

# Verify - project now exists on cloud
bm project list

This Dropbox-like workflow means you don't need to manually coordinate projects between local and cloud.

Uploading Local Files

You can directly upload local files or directories to cloud projects using bm cloud upload. This is useful for:

  • Migrating existing local projects to the cloud
  • Quickly uploading specific files or directories
  • One-time bulk uploads without setting up sync

Basic Usage:

# Upload a directory to existing project
bm cloud upload ~/my-notes --project research

# Upload a single file
bm cloud upload important-doc.md --project research

Create Project On-the-Fly:

If the target project doesn't exist yet, use --create-project:

# Upload and create project in one step
bm cloud upload ~/local-project --project new-research --create-project

Skip Automatic Sync:

By default, the command syncs the project after upload to index the files. To skip this:

# Upload without triggering sync
bm cloud upload ~/bulk-data --project archives --no-sync

File Filtering:

The upload command respects .bmignore and .gitignore patterns, automatically excluding:

  • Hidden files (.git, .DS_Store)
  • Build artifacts (node_modules, __pycache__)
  • Database files (*.db, *.db-wal)
  • Environment files (.env)

To customize what gets uploaded, edit ~/.basic-memory/.bmignore.

Complete Example:

# 1. Login to cloud
bm cloud login

# 2. Upload local project (creates project if needed)
bm cloud upload ~/Documents/research-notes --project research --create-project

# 3. Verify upload
bm project list

Notes:

  • Files are uploaded directly via WebDAV (no sync setup required)
  • Uploads are immediate and don't require bisync or mount
  • Use this for migration or one-time uploads; use bm sync for ongoing synchronization

File Synchronization

The bm sync Command (Cloud Mode Aware)

The bm sync command automatically adapts based on cloud mode:

In local mode:

bm sync              # Indexes local files into database

In cloud mode:

bm sync              # Runs bisync + indexes files
bm sync --watch      # Continuous sync every 60 seconds
bm sync --interval 30  # Custom interval

The same command works everywhere - no need to remember different commands for local vs cloud!

Bidirectional Sync (bisync) - Recommended

Bidirectional sync is the recommended approach for most users. It provides:

  • ✅ Offline access to all files
  • ✅ Automatic bidirectional synchronization
  • ✅ Conflict detection and resolution
  • ✅ Works with any editor or tool
  • ✅ Background watch mode

Setup

Set up bisync (runs automatically if you used bm cloud setup):

bm cloud setup

Or set up with custom directory:

bm cloud setup --dir ~/my-sync-folder

Running Sync

Use the cloud-aware bm sync command:

# Manual sync
bm sync

# Watch mode (continuous sync)
bm sync --watch

# Custom interval (30 seconds)
bm sync --watch --interval 30

Bisync Profiles

Bisync supports three conflict resolution strategies with different safety levels:

Profile Conflict Resolution Max Deletes Use Case
balanced newer 25 Default, recommended for most users
safe none 10 Keep both versions on conflict
fast newer 50 Rapid iteration, higher delete tolerance

Profile Details:

  • safe:

    • Conflict resolution: none (creates .conflict files for both versions)
    • Max delete: 10 files per sync
    • Best for: Critical data where you want manual conflict resolution

  • balanced (default):

    • Conflict resolution: newer (auto-resolve to most recent file)
    • Max delete: 25 files per sync
    • Best for: General use with automatic conflict handling

  • fast:

    • Conflict resolution: newer (auto-resolve to most recent file)
    • Max delete: 50 files per sync
    • Best for: Rapid development iteration with less restrictive safety checks

How to Select a Profile:

The default profile (balanced) is used automatically with bm sync:

# Uses balanced profile (default)
bm sync

For advanced control, use bm cloud bisync with the --profile flag:

# Use safe mode
bm cloud bisync --profile safe

# Use fast mode
bm cloud bisync --profile fast

# Preview changes with specific profile
bm cloud bisync --profile safe --dry-run

Check Available Profiles:

bm cloud status

This shows all available profiles with their settings.

Current Limitations:

  • Profiles are hardcoded and cannot be customized
  • No config file option to change default profile
  • Profile settings (max_delete, conflict_resolve) cannot be modified without code changes
  • Profile selection only available via bm cloud bisync --profile (advanced command)

Establishing New Baseline

If you need to force a complete resync:

bm cloud bisync --resync

Warning: This overwrites the sync state. Use only when recovering from errors.

Checking Sync Status

View current sync status:

bm cloud status

This shows:

  • Cloud mode status
  • Instance health
  • Sync directory location
  • Last sync time
  • Available bisync profiles

Verifying Sync Integrity

Check that local and cloud files match:

# Full integrity check
bm cloud check

# Faster one-way check
bm cloud check --one-way

This uses rclone check to verify files match without transferring data.

Working with Bisync

Create and edit files in ~/basic-memory-cloud-sync/:

# Create a new note
echo "# My Research" > ~/basic-memory-cloud-sync/my-project/notes.md

# Edit with your favorite editor
code ~/basic-memory-cloud-sync/my-project/

# Sync changes to cloud
bm sync

In watch mode, changes sync automatically:

# Start watch mode
bm sync --watch

# Edit files - they sync automatically every 60 seconds
code ~/basic-memory-cloud-sync/my-project/

Filter Configuration

Bisync uses .bmignore patterns from ~/.basic-memory/.bmignore:

# View current ignore patterns
cat ~/.basic-memory/.bmignore

# Edit ignore patterns
code ~/.basic-memory/.bmignore

Example .bmignore:

# This file is used by 'bm cloud bisync' and file sync
# Patterns use standard gitignore-style syntax

# Hidden files (files starting with dot)
- .*

# Basic Memory internal files
- memory.db/**
- memory.db-shm/**
- memory.db-wal/**
- config.json/**

# Version control
- .git/**

# Python
- __pycache__/**
- *.pyc
- .venv/**

# Node.js
- node_modules/**

Key points:

  • ✅ Global configuration - One ignore file for all projects
  • ✅ rclone filter syntax - Patterns with - prefix
  • ✅ Automatic creation - Created with defaults on first use
  • ✅ Shared patterns - Same patterns used by sync service

NFS Mount (Direct Access) - Alternative

NFS mount provides direct file system access as an alternative to bisync. Use this if you prefer mounting files like a network drive.

Setup

Set up mount instead of bisync:

bm cloud setup --mount

Mounting Files

Mount your cloud files:

# Mount with default settings
bm cloud mount

# Mount with specific profile
bm cloud mount --profile fast

Mount Profiles

  • balanced (default): Balanced caching for general use
  • streaming: Optimized for large files
  • fast: Minimal verification for rapid access

Checking Mount Status

View current mount status:

bm cloud status --mount

Unmounting Files

Unmount when done:

bm cloud unmount

Working with Mounted Files

Once mounted, files appear at ~/basic-memory-cloud/:

# List cloud files
ls ~/basic-memory-cloud/

# Edit with your favorite editor
code ~/basic-memory-cloud/my-project/

# Changes are immediately synced to cloud
echo "# Notes" > ~/basic-memory-cloud/my-project/readme.md

Note: Changes are written through to cloud immediately. There's no "sync" step needed.

Instance Management

Health Check

Check if your cloud instance is healthy:

bm cloud status

This shows:

  • Cloud mode enabled/disabled
  • Instance health status
  • Instance version
  • Sync or mount status

Troubleshooting

Authentication Issues

Problem: "Authentication failed" or "Invalid token"

Solution: Re-authenticate:

bm cloud logout
bm cloud login

Subscription Issues

Problem: "Subscription Required" error when logging in

Solution: You need an active Basic Memory Cloud subscription to use cloud features.

  1. Visit the subscribe URL shown in the error message
  2. Sign up for a subscription
  3. Once your subscription is active, run bm cloud login again

Problem: "Subscription Required" error for existing user

Solution: Your subscription may have expired or been cancelled.

  1. Check your subscription status at https://basicmemory.com/account
  2. Renew your subscription if needed
  3. Run bm cloud login again

Note: Access is immediately restored when your subscription becomes active.

Sync Issues

Problem: "Bisync not initialized"

Solution: Run setup or initialize with resync:

bm cloud setup
# or
bm cloud bisync --resync

Problem: "Too many deletes" error

Solution: Bisync detected many deletions (safety check). Review changes and use a higher delete limit profile or force resync:

bm cloud bisync --profile fast  # Higher delete limit
# or
bm cloud bisync --resync        # Force baseline

Problem: Conflicts detected

Solution: Bisync found files changed in both locations. Check sync directory for .conflict files:

ls ~/basic-memory-cloud-sync/**/*.conflict

Resolve conflicts manually, then sync again.

Connection Issues

Problem: "Cannot connect to cloud instance"

Solution: Check cloud status:

bm cloud status

If instance is down, wait a few minutes and retry. If problem persists, contact support.

Mount Issues

Problem: "Mount point is busy"

Solution: Unmount and remount:

bm cloud unmount
bm cloud mount

Problem: "Permission denied" when accessing mounted files

Solution: Check mount status and remount:

bm cloud status --mount
bm cloud unmount
bm cloud mount

Security

  • Authentication: OAuth 2.1 with PKCE flow
  • Tokens: Stored securely in ~/.basic-memory/auth/token
  • Transport: All data encrypted in transit (HTTPS)
  • Credentials: Scoped S3 credentials for sync/mount (read-write access to your tenant only)
  • Isolation: Your data is isolated from other tenants
  • Ignore patterns: Sensitive files (.env, credentials) automatically excluded

Command Reference

Cloud Mode Management

bm cloud login                   # Authenticate and enable cloud mode
bm cloud logout                  # Disable cloud mode
bm cloud status                  # Check cloud mode and sync status
bm cloud status --mount          # Check cloud mode and mount status

Setup

bm cloud setup                   # Setup bisync (default, recommended)
bm cloud setup --mount           # Setup mount (alternative)
bm cloud setup --dir ~/sync      # Custom sync directory

Project Management (Cloud Mode Aware)

When cloud mode is enabled, these commands work with cloud:

bm project list                  # List projects
bm project add <name>            # Create project
bm project add <name> --default  # Create and set as default
bm project rm <name>             # Delete project
bm project set-default <name>    # Set default project

File Synchronization

bm sync                          # Sync files (local or cloud depending on mode)
bm sync --watch                  # Continuous sync (cloud mode only)
bm sync --interval 30            # Custom interval for watch mode

# Advanced bisync commands
bm cloud bisync                  # Run bisync manually
bm cloud bisync --profile safe   # Use specific profile
bm cloud bisync --dry-run        # Preview changes
bm cloud bisync --resync         # Force new baseline
bm cloud bisync --watch          # Continuous sync
bm cloud bisync --verbose        # Show detailed output

# Integrity verification
bm cloud check                   # Full integrity check
bm cloud check --one-way         # Faster one-way check

File Upload

# Upload files/directories to cloud projects
bm cloud upload <path> --project <name>              # Upload to existing project
bm cloud upload <path> -p <name> --create-project    # Upload and create project
bm cloud upload <path> -p <name> --no-sync           # Upload without syncing

Direct File Access (Mount)

bm cloud mount                   # Mount cloud files
bm cloud mount --profile fast    # Use specific profile
bm cloud unmount                 # Unmount files

Summary

Basic Memory Cloud provides two workflows:

Recommended: Bidirectional Sync (bisync)

  1. bm cloud login - Authenticate once
  2. bm cloud setup - Configure sync once
  3. bm sync - Sync anytime (or use --watch)
  4. Work in ~/basic-memory-cloud-sync/
  5. Changes sync bidirectionally

Alternative: Direct Mount

  1. bm cloud login - Authenticate once
  2. bm cloud setup --mount - Configure mount once
  3. bm cloud mount - Mount when needed
  4. Work in ~/basic-memory-cloud/
  5. Changes write through immediately

Both approaches work seamlessly with cloud mode - all your regular bm commands work with either workflow!