Delete Memory

Permanently delete a memory entry and its associated embeddings

Permanently removes a memory entry from the user’s memory store. This action cannot be undone.

This operation is irreversible. Once a memory is deleted, it cannot be recovered.

cURL

curl -X DELETE 'https://api.memchat.io/memories/mem_123abc' \
  -H 'X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY'

Path Parameters

memory_id · string · required

The unique identifier of the memory to delete

Query Parameters

cascade · boolean · default: "false"

Whether to cascade delete related data (e.g., derived insights, profile updates)

backup · boolean · default: "true"

Whether to create a backup before deletion (for compliance/audit purposes)

Response

success · boolean

Indicates if the deletion was successful

memory_id · string

ID of the deleted memory

deleted_at · string

ISO 8601 timestamp when the memory was deleted

cascade_deletions · object

Information about related data that was also deleted (if cascade=true)

Show Cascade Deletions

profile_updates · number

Number of profile updates removed

derived_insights · number

Number of derived insights removed

embeddings · number

Number of embedding vectors removed

backup_id · string

ID of the backup created (if backup=true)

Response

{
  "success": true,
  "memory_id": "mem_123abc",
  "deleted_at": "2024-01-15T16:45:00Z",
  "cascade_deletions": {
    "profile_updates": 2,
    "derived_insights": 1,
    "embeddings": 1
  },
  "backup_id": "backup_456def"
}

Error Responses

404 · object

Memory not found

{
  "error": "Memory not found",
  "code": "MEMORY_NOT_FOUND",
  "memory_id": "mem_123abc"
}

401 · object

Unauthorized access

{
  "error": "Invalid or expired token",
  "code": "UNAUTHORIZED"
}

403 · object

Access denied - memory belongs to another user

{
  "error": "Access denied",
  "code": "FORBIDDEN"
}

409 · object

Cannot delete - memory is being processed

{
  "error": "Memory is currently being processed and cannot be deleted",
  "code": "DELETION_CONFLICT",
  "processing_status": "embedding_generation"
}

500 · object

Internal server error during deletion

{
  "error": "Failed to delete memory",
  "code": "DELETION_FAILED",
  "retry_after": 30
}

Batch Deletion

For deleting multiple memories at once, use the batch endpoint:

POST /memories/batch-delete
{
  "memory_ids": ["mem_123abc", "mem_456def", "mem_789ghi"],
  "cascade": true,
  "backup": true
}

Recovery Options

While deleted memories cannot be restored through the API, backups are created for compliance purposes:

• Backups: Available for 30 days for compliance/audit purposes
• Contact Support: For accidental deletions, contact support with the backup_id
• Data Export: Consider using the data export feature before bulk deletions

Impact on User Profile

Deleting memories may affect:

• Profile Bio: Auto-generated bio may be updated
• Category Profiles: Statistics and insights for the memory’s category
• Derived Insights: Any insights based on the deleted memory
• Search Results: Memory will no longer appear in search results

Use the cascade=true parameter to automatically clean up related data, or cascade=false to preserve derived insights for analysis.