v8.5.3 - Critical Memory Hooks Bug Fixes

Fixed 6 critical bugs preventing memory retrieval in Claude Code session-start hooks. Memory awareness now works correctly with both semantic and time-based searches.

Problem

Memory hooks showed "No relevant memories found" despite 1,419 memories in database. Retrieved memories were unrelated (from wrong projects) and sorted incorrectly (oldest first).

Root Causes Fixed

1. Empty Semantic Query Bug (search.py:264-272)

• Issue: storage.retrieve("") with empty string returned no results
• Fix: Now uses get_recent_memories() when semantic_query is empty
• Impact: Time-based searches without semantic filtering now work correctly

2. Missing Time Expression (search.py:401-403)

• Issue: Hook sends 'last-2-weeks' but parser didn't recognize it
• Fix: Added support for 'last 2 weeks', 'past 2 weeks', 'last-2-weeks'
• Impact: Phase 2 fallback queries now work properly

3. Performance Optimization (search.py:36)

• Change: Reduced candidate pool from 1000 to 100 for time filtering
• Rationale: Prevents timeout on large databases, improves response time
• Impact: Search completes in <100ms vs timing out

4. CRITICAL: Missing await Keywords (hybrid.py:912, 916, 935, 947)

• Issue: 4 async methods returned unawaited coroutines, causing server hangs
• Methods Fixed:
  • Line 912: get_all_tags()
  • Line 916: get_recent_memories(n) (THE CRITICAL ONE)
  • Line 935: recall_memory(query, n_results)
  • Line 947: get_memories_by_time_range(start_time, end_time)
• Impact: Hybrid backend now works perfectly (11ms response time!)

5. JavaScript Refactoring (memory-client.js:213-293)

• Issue: ~100 lines of duplicated HTTP request code
• Fix: Created _performApiPost() helper to eliminate duplication
• Impact: Improved maintainability, DRY compliance

6. Port Consistency (memory-client.js:166)

• Issue: Health checks used standard web ports (443/80) while API calls used dev ports (8443/8889)
• Fix: Made both use development ports consistently
• Impact: Prevents connection failures with development endpoints

Testing & Verification

Before fix:

curl "http://127.0.0.1:8889/api/search/by-time" -d '{"query":"last-2-weeks","n_results":10}'
# Result: Hangs indefinitely

After fix:

curl "http://127.0.0.1:8889/api/search/by-time" -d '{"query":"last-2-weeks","n_results":10}'
# Status: 200 (11ms)
# Results: 5 memories retrieved

Files Modified

• src/mcp_memory_service/web/api/search.py - Empty query fix, time expression, pool size, UTC timezone
• src/mcp_memory_service/storage/hybrid.py - Fixed 4 missing await keywords
• claude-hooks/utilities/memory-client.js - Refactored HTTP helpers, port consistency, API contract
• claude-hooks/core/session-start.js - Updated hardcoded endpoint fallbacks
• claude-hooks/config.json - HTTP endpoint configuration

Code Review

All fixes reviewed and approved by Gemini Code Assist with PEP 8 compliance, timezone-aware datetimes, list comprehensions, and proper error handling.

PR Reference: #156