Add persistent-identity plugin: name and memory for Claude Code instances

plugins/persistent-identity/.claude-plugin/plugin.json

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+{
+  "name": "persistent-identity",
+  "version": "1.0.0",
+  "description": "Gives Claude Code a persistent name and per-project memory that carries across sessions",
+  "author": {
+    "name": "Hrishikesh S",
+    "email": "hrish2006@gmail.com"
+  }
+}

plugins/persistent-identity/README.md

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+# Persistent Identity Plugin
+
+Gives your Claude Code instance a persistent name and per-project memory that carries across sessions.
+
+## Features
+
+- **Persistent Name**: Auto-generated on first run (e.g., "swift-fox", "keen-owl"), consistent across all projects
+- **Per-Project Memory**: Claude remembers important context, decisions, and preferences for each project between sessions
+- **Natural Identity**: Claude uses its name naturally in conversation without being repetitive
+
+## How It Works
+
+On every session start, the plugin:
+1. Reads (or creates) your instance's identity from `~/.claude/persistent-identity/identity.md`
+2. Loads per-project memory from `~/.claude/persistent-identity/projects/<hash>/memory.md`
+3. Injects identity and memory into the session context
+
+Claude will naturally maintain its memory file by writing important observations as it works with you.
+
+## Commands
+
+### `/name [new-name]`
+
+View or change your Claude instance's name.
+
+- `/name` -- show current name
+- `/name marvin` -- rename to "marvin"
+
+Name requirements: 2-30 characters, letters/numbers/hyphens, must start with a letter.
+
+## Data Storage
+
+All data lives in `~/.claude/persistent-identity/`:
+
+```
+~/.claude/persistent-identity/
+├── identity.md                  # Your instance's name
+└── projects/
+    └── <project-hash>/
+        ├── project-info.txt     # Maps hash to project path
+        └── memory.md            # Per-project memory
+```
+
+## Uninstallation
+
+1. Remove the plugin from your Claude Code configuration
+2. Optionally delete `~/.claude/persistent-identity/` to remove all identity and memory data
+
+## Notes
+
+- Memory files are markdown and can be manually edited
+- The plugin adds ~400-600 tokens of context per session (plus the size of your memory file)
+- Names are auto-generated from 1,600 adjective-noun combinations
+- The identity is global (same name across all projects); memory is per-project

plugins/persistent-identity/commands/name.md

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+---
+description: View or change your Claude Code instance's name
+argument-hint: [new-name]
+allowed-tools:
+  - Bash
+---
+
+Run the rename script with the provided arguments:
+
+```bash
+bash "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/rename-identity.sh" $ARGUMENTS
+```
+
+After running:
+- If the user provided a name, confirm the rename and note it takes effect next session
+- If no name was provided, show them their current identity

plugins/persistent-identity/data/wordlists.sh

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+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Word lists for identity name generation
+# Names are generated as adjective-noun pairs (e.g., "swift-fox", "keen-owl")
+
+ADJECTIVES=(
+  swift keen bold calm bright
+  quick sharp clear steady warm
+  agile lucid vivid prime sage
+  nimble astute deft adept brisk
+  noble gentle fierce ardent grand
+  witty clever subtle poised stoic
+  serene fluid lithe vibrant crisp
+  staunch placid earnest candid apt
+)
+
+NOUNS=(
+  fox owl hawk bear wolf
+  lynx heron crane raven falcon
+  otter cedar birch willow oak
+  aspen maple spruce cypress elm
+  lark finch wren robin dove
+  pike flint ridge brook vale
+  summit harbor reef crest glade
+  beacon forge nexus pulse spark
+)

plugins/persistent-identity/hooks-handlers/session-start.sh

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+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+# --- Configuration ---
+IDENTITY_DIR="$HOME/.claude/persistent-identity"
+IDENTITY_FILE="$IDENTITY_DIR/identity.md"
+PROJECTS_DIR="$IDENTITY_DIR/projects"
+
+# --- Source word lists ---
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+PLUGIN_ROOT="$(dirname "$SCRIPT_DIR")"
+source "$PLUGIN_ROOT/data/wordlists.sh"
+
+# --- Ensure directory structure exists ---
+mkdir -p "$IDENTITY_DIR"
+
+# --- Read or create identity ---
+if [[ -f "$IDENTITY_FILE" ]]; then
+  IDENTITY_NAME=$(head -1 "$IDENTITY_FILE" | sed 's/^# //')
+else
+  # Generate random adjective-noun name
+  ADJ_INDEX=$((RANDOM % ${#ADJECTIVES[@]}))
+  NOUN_INDEX=$((RANDOM % ${#NOUNS[@]}))
+  IDENTITY_NAME="${ADJECTIVES[$ADJ_INDEX]}-${NOUNS[$NOUN_INDEX]}"
+
+  cat > "$IDENTITY_FILE" << EOF
+# ${IDENTITY_NAME}
+
+Created: $(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)
+
+This is the persistent identity for this Claude Code installation.
+Use /name to change your name.
+EOF
+fi
+
+# --- Determine project and load memory ---
+PROJECT_DIR="${CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR:-$(pwd)}"
+
+if command -v shasum &>/dev/null; then
+  PROJECT_HASH=$(echo -n "$PROJECT_DIR" | shasum -a 256 | cut -c1-16)
+else
+  PROJECT_HASH=$(echo -n "$PROJECT_DIR" | sha256sum | cut -c1-16)
+fi
+
+PROJECT_MEMORY_DIR="$PROJECTS_DIR/$PROJECT_HASH"
+MEMORY_FILE="$PROJECT_MEMORY_DIR/memory.md"
+
+mkdir -p "$PROJECT_MEMORY_DIR"
+
+# Write project info for reverse lookup
+echo "$PROJECT_DIR" > "$PROJECT_MEMORY_DIR/project-info.txt"
+
+# --- Read memory if it exists ---
+MEMORY_CONTENT=""
+if [[ -f "$MEMORY_FILE" ]] && [[ -s "$MEMORY_FILE" ]]; then
+  MEMORY_CONTENT=$(cat "$MEMORY_FILE")
+fi
+
+# --- Build additionalContext ---
+if [[ -n "$MEMORY_CONTENT" ]]; then
+  MEMORY_SECTION="## Your Memory for This Project
+
+The following are your notes from previous sessions in this project. Use them to maintain continuity.
+
+${MEMORY_CONTENT}
+
+---"
+else
+  MEMORY_SECTION="## Your Memory for This Project
+
+You have no saved memories for this project yet. As you work, save important observations, decisions, and context to your memory file."
+fi
+
+CONTEXT="## Your Identity
+
+You are **${IDENTITY_NAME}**. This is your persistent name across all sessions and projects. When greeting the user or referring to yourself, use this name naturally -- for example in your initial greeting or when asked who you are. Do not announce your name on every message.
+
+${MEMORY_SECTION}
+
+## Memory Management
+
+You have a persistent memory file for this project at:
+\`${MEMORY_FILE}\`
+
+Write to this file when you learn something important that should persist across sessions:
+- Key architectural decisions and their rationale
+- User preferences for this project (coding style, conventions, preferred tools)
+- Important context about the codebase that took effort to discover
+- Recurring issues or patterns
+- Your relationship with the user -- things they've shared, how they like to work
+
+Keep your memory file organized with markdown headers. Update it incrementally -- append new sections or update existing ones. Keep entries concise and actionable.
+
+Only write to your memory file when you have genuinely useful information to persist. Quality over quantity."
+
+# --- JSON-escape and output ---
+if command -v jq &>/dev/null; then
+  ESCAPED_CONTEXT=$(echo "$CONTEXT" | jq -Rs .)
+else
+  ESCAPED_CONTEXT=$(echo "$CONTEXT" | python3 -c 'import json,sys; print(json.dumps(sys.stdin.read()))')
+fi
+
+cat << EOF
+{
+  "hookSpecificOutput": {
+    "hookEventName": "SessionStart",
+    "additionalContext": ${ESCAPED_CONTEXT}
+  }
+}
+EOF
+
+exit 0

plugins/persistent-identity/hooks/hooks.json

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+{
+  "description": "Persistent identity and memory injection at session start",
+  "hooks": {
+    "SessionStart": [
+      {
+        "hooks": [
+          {
+            "type": "command",
+            "command": "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/hooks-handlers/session-start.sh",
+            "timeout": 10
+          }
+        ]
+      }
+    ]
+  }
+}

plugins/persistent-identity/scripts/rename-identity.sh

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+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+IDENTITY_DIR="$HOME/.claude/persistent-identity"
+IDENTITY_FILE="$IDENTITY_DIR/identity.md"
+
+# --- No argument: show current name ---
+if [[ $# -eq 0 ]] || [[ -z "${1:-}" ]]; then
+  if [[ -f "$IDENTITY_FILE" ]]; then
+    CURRENT_NAME=$(head -1 "$IDENTITY_FILE" | sed 's/^# //')
+    echo "Current identity: ${CURRENT_NAME}"
+    echo ""
+    echo "To rename, use: /name <new-name>"
+    echo "Example: /name swift-fox"
+  else
+    echo "No identity set yet. Start a new session to auto-generate one,"
+    echo "or use: /name <new-name>"
+  fi
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+NEW_NAME="$1"
+
+# --- Validate name format ---
+if [[ ! "$NEW_NAME" =~ ^[a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z0-9-]*[a-zA-Z0-9]$ ]] || [[ ${#NEW_NAME} -lt 2 ]] || [[ ${#NEW_NAME} -gt 30 ]]; then
+  echo "Error: Invalid name '${NEW_NAME}'" >&2
+  echo "" >&2
+  echo "Name requirements:" >&2
+  echo "  - 2-30 characters" >&2
+  echo "  - Letters, numbers, and hyphens only" >&2
+  echo "  - Must start with a letter" >&2
+  echo "  - Must not end with a hyphen" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# --- Read old name ---
+OLD_NAME=""
+if [[ -f "$IDENTITY_FILE" ]]; then
+  OLD_NAME=$(head -1 "$IDENTITY_FILE" | sed 's/^# //')
+fi
+
+# --- Update identity file ---
+mkdir -p "$IDENTITY_DIR"
+
+cat > "$IDENTITY_FILE" << EOF
+# ${NEW_NAME}
+
+Created: $(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)
+Renamed from: ${OLD_NAME:-"(first name)"}
+
+This is the persistent identity for this Claude Code installation.
+Use /name to change your name.
+EOF
+
+# --- Report ---
+if [[ -n "$OLD_NAME" ]]; then
+  echo "Renamed from '${OLD_NAME}' to '${NEW_NAME}'"
+else
+  echo "Identity set to '${NEW_NAME}'"
+fi
+echo ""
+echo "The new name will appear in your greeting on the next session."