mem0/skills/mem0-oss-to-platform/SKILL.md

---
name: mem0-oss-to-platform
description: >-
  Plan, then execute, a migration of a project from the mem0 open-source / self-hosted SDK
  (local `Memory` class) to the mem0 Platform / hosted SDK (`MemoryClient`). TRIGGER when: the
  developer wants to move, switch, or migrate mem0 off OSS/self-hosted to the hosted API, e.g.
  "migrate my mem0 setup to the platform", "switch from self-hosted mem0 to MemoryClient", "use my
  mem0 API key instead of a local Qdrant", "replace my local vector store + embedder config with
  the platform", even without the word "migrate". Covers Python (`Memory` to `MemoryClient`) and
  TypeScript (`mem0ai/oss` to `mem0ai`). Produces a reviewable plan, then executes it after
  approval. Touches only the mem0 integration. DO NOT TRIGGER when: adding mem0 to a project that
  has none (use `mem0-integrate`) or answering SDK usage questions (use `mem0`).
license: Apache-2.0
metadata:
  author: mem0ai
  version: "0.2.0"
  category: ai-memory
  tags: "migration, oss, self-hosted, platform, hosted"
  mem0_tested_versions: "mem0ai (PyPI) >=2.0.0,<3.0.0; mem0ai (npm) >=3.0.0,<4.0.0"
---

# Migrate mem0 OSS → mem0 Platform (hosted)

This skill migrates a project's memory layer from the **self-hosted mem0 OSS SDK** to the
**hosted mem0 Platform SDK**, working for any project shape — an agent, a RAG pipeline, an API
service, a chatbot, a background worker. You discover where mem0 is actually used, write a plan the
developer reviews, and then execute it on approval.

## The mental model (read this first — it's why the migration is shaped the way it is)

OSS mem0 means **the developer runs the whole memory stack themselves**: a vector store
(Qdrant/pgvector/Chroma/…), an embedder, an LLM for fact extraction, and a local history DB. All of
that is wired up in a config object passed to `Memory`.

The Platform means **mem0 runs that stack for them**. The developer just holds an **API key**. So
the migration is mostly *subtraction*: the local infrastructure config collapses into a single
`MemoryClient(api_key=...)`. The method calls stay recognizable (`add`/`search`/`get_all`/…), but a
few parameter conventions tighten up and the return values are server responses.

So the core of every migration is:
1. `Memory` / `Memory.from_config({...})` → `MemoryClient()` (reads the API key from the env).
2. Delete the local `vector_store` / `llm` / `embedder` / `reranker` / `history_db_path` config (and any
   leftover `graph_store`).
3. Fix up each call site to the hosted call convention (entity IDs into `filters`, pagination, etc.).
4. Flag everything that *isn't* a clean 1:1 so the developer can decide (see `references/gotchas.md`).

**Scope discipline:** touch only mem0-related code, config, dependencies, and env. Preserve the
project's existing behavior, structure, and style. Do not rename things, "tidy" nearby code, or
change the app's logic. The developer asked to swap a backend, not to refactor their project.

## Workflow

Work through these phases in order. Phases 1–4 produce the plan; phase 5 runs only after approval.

### Phase 0 — Prerequisite check
The hosted SDK needs a mem0 API key (`MEM0_API_KEY`, obtainable at https://app.mem0.ai). Confirm
the developer has one. You don't need the key value to write the plan, but flag in the plan that it
must be set (in `.env` / secrets manager, never hardcoded) before execution and verification.

### Phase 1 — Discover the mem0 footprint
Do not assume the layout. Find every place mem0 appears. Detect the language and the **installed**
version first, then sweep for usage. Concretely, search for:
- **Imports / instantiation:** `from mem0 import Memory`, `AsyncMemory`, `Memory.from_config`,
  `Memory(`, `import ... from "mem0ai"`, `from "mem0ai/oss"`, `new Memory(`.
- **Config blocks:** keys like `vector_store`/`vectorStore`, `embedder`, `llm`, `reranker`,
  `graph_store`/`graphStore`, `history_db_path`/`historyDbPath`, `historyStore`,
  `custom_instructions`/`customInstructions`, `custom_fact_extraction_prompt`/`customPrompt`,
  `custom_update_memory_prompt`, `enable_graph`.
- **Every call site:** `.add(`, `.search(`, `.get_all(`/`.getAll(`, `.delete_all(`/`.deleteAll(`,
  `.get(`, `.update(`, `.delete(`, `.reset(`, `.history(`.
- **Dependencies & env:** `requirements.txt`/`pyproject.toml`/`package.json` for `mem0ai` and any
  local-infra deps that exist *only* for mem0 (e.g. `qdrant-client`, `chromadb`); `.env`/config for
  things like `OPENAI_API_KEY` used by the local embedder/LLM; any docker-compose service (e.g. a
  Qdrant container) that exists only to back mem0.

Use Grep/Glob broadly; a single missed call site is a runtime break later. Record `file:line` for
each finding — the plan's inventory is built from this.

### Phase 2 — Verify the API against the installed SDK (don't guess)
Versions drift, and the OSS and hosted classes have subtly different signatures. Before mapping,
confirm the **real** signatures of the installed package rather than trusting memory:
- **Python:** `python -c "import inspect; from mem0 import MemoryClient; print(inspect.signature(MemoryClient.search))"`
  for each method you'll touch, and read the installed source under
  `site-packages/mem0/client/main.py` if anything is ambiguous (e.g. whether a method *rejects*
  top-level entity params). Also check the OSS side the project currently uses.
- **TypeScript:** read the installed types/dist under `node_modules/mem0ai/` to confirm option names
  (`limit` vs `topK`, `userId` vs a nested `filters: { user_id }`) and the default vs `mem0ai/oss`
  export.

This verification step is the single most important habit — it's what keeps the plan correct across
mem0 versions. Then consult `references/api-mapping.md` for the OSS→hosted translation of each
method (Python and TypeScript). The docs guide is https://docs.mem0.ai/migration/oss-to-platform
(verify its code samples against the installed SDK); OSS upgrade changes are at
https://docs.mem0.ai/migration/oss-v2-to-v3.

### Phase 3 — Map each site and flag the gaps
For every call site and config block from Phase 1, determine the hosted equivalent using the
mapping. Most calls map cleanly. Some don't — and those matter more than the mechanical edits.
Read `references/gotchas.md` and flag anything that needs a human decision: self-hosted/data-
residency setups, local model choices moving server-side, graph-memory usage, custom prompts, hot-
path calls that now make network round-trips, and **existing locally-stored memories not carrying
over** (data migration is out of scope unless the developer asks: note it, don't silently attempt it;
if they do ask, see `references/gotchas.md` #1, which covers the hosted-Qdrant migration script).

### Phase 4 — Write the plan and stop
Write the full plan to `MEM0_MIGRATION_PLAN.md` at the repo root, following the structure in
`references/plan-template.md`. It must be concrete enough to execute from and honest about the gaps.
Then **stop and present it for review.** Do not start editing code in the same turn — the whole
point is that the developer reads and approves the plan first.

### Phase 5 — Execute on approval (guided)
Once the developer approves (they may ask for changes first — incorporate them), execute the plan:
- Make the edits file by file, staying strictly within mem0 scope.
- Update dependencies and env (`MEM0_API_KEY`; remove now-dead local-infra deps/services only if
  they exist solely for mem0 and you're confident).
- **Verify**, mirroring how you'd confirm any backend swap:
  - It imports / type-checks / byte-compiles.
  - A smoke test exercises `add` → `search`/`get_all` → `delete_all` against the hosted API with a
    real `MEM0_API_KEY`, and the app's own entry point still runs. Hosted `add` is asynchronous, so
    allow a short wait before expecting the fact to show up in `search`/`get_all`.
  - No local OSS storage gets created anymore (e.g. `~/.mem0/history.db`, a local Qdrant path). The
    client itself still creates `~/.mem0/config.json`, so don't use the bare `.mem0/` directory as
    the check.
- Report what changed, what was verified, and any flagged concerns the developer still needs to act
  on (e.g. re-applying custom instructions with `project.update`, migrating old data).

## Reference files
- `references/api-mapping.md` — exact OSS→hosted method/param/return mapping for Python and
  TypeScript, plus dependency and env changes. Read during Phase 2–3.
- `references/gotchas.md` — the things that aren't a clean 1:1 and need a human decision. Read
  during Phase 3 so the plan's "Concerns" section is complete.
- `references/plan-template.md` — the exact structure for `MEM0_MIGRATION_PLAN.md`. Use in Phase 4.