On hosts running a long-lived opencode-devbox (or equivalent)
container, mempalace-session lives INSIDE the container, not on
the host. The existing contrib/* templates install a scheduler on
the machine that runs the tool; for the devbox case the scheduler
has to live on the host and reach into the container via
'docker exec'. This was noted in passing in contrib/README.md but
no templates were actually shipped for it.
Adds parallel *-devbox templates for systemd and cron:
contrib/systemd/mempalace-session-devbox.service
- Type=oneshot, same 2h TimeoutStartSec + low Nice as the direct
variant.
- Two Environment knobs (CONTAINER, CONTAINER_USER) default to
opencode-devbox/developer, overrideable via
'systemctl --user edit'.
- ExecCondition checks 'docker ps --filter name= --filter
status=running' so the unit no-ops cleanly when the container
is currently down. systemd reports this as a successful
'condition failed' state — no alert noise across dev cycles
of teardown/rebuild.
- ExecStart is plain /usr/bin/docker exec with no shell; systemd
does the env-var expansion.
- Stdout/stderr go to journalctl --user -u <unit> (nothing to
redirect, since docker exec surfaces container output to the
calling process).
contrib/systemd/mempalace-session-devbox.timer
- Mon 03:00 Persistent=true RandomizedDelaySec=30m, mirrors the
direct timer.
contrib/cron/mempalace-session-devbox.cron
- Equivalent shell-wrapped form for hosts using cron instead of
systemd. 'docker ps | grep -q .' short-circuits if the container
isn't running. Log goes to $HOME/.cache/mempalace-session/
cron-devbox.log on the HOST (outside the container) so it's
inspectable without dropping into the devbox.
contrib/README.md:
- Replaces the two-paragraph 'Running inside a container' note
with a proper section: preconditions, install recipes for both
the systemd and cron devbox variants, verify/uninstall commands,
customization via 'systemctl --user edit', behaviour when the
container is down.
- Chooser table gains a dedicated row pointing devbox users at
the *-devbox templates, and mentions the systemd vs cron pick
for that case.
- New 'When to pick devbox variants vs direct ones' table covers
the rare both-installed case (host mempalace AND in-container
mempalace see separate palaces — they don't cross-pollinate).
Top-level README.md 'Keeping it fresh' subsection gains a quick-start
block for the devbox variant alongside the existing Linux/macOS
quick-starts.
Tested: all four systemd units parse cleanly as INI via
configparser (sections + key=value pairs); validated file sizes
and locations match the layout described in docs. Runtime
validation (systemctl --user enable; actual docker exec) requires
a host with docker + an opencode-devbox container up — deferred
to the user's Mac/Linux boxes.
Until opencode session-stopping hooks land upstream, mempalace-session
is the entire mechanism that gets opencode conversations into the
palace — skip it and session history stays trapped in a local SQLite
DB, invisible to semantic search. Previous docs covered setup well
but were thin on when and how often to run it.
- ARCHITECTURE.md §5: replace the one-line 'When to re-mine' note with
a full Operational Routine section — triggers, cadence, relationship
to the session lifecycle, automation pointers, verification.
- SKILL.md: add an Operational Routine section aimed at agents —
when to suggest invoking the tool, cadence guidance, how to
distinguish this producer-side tool from the consumer-side
mempalace skill's in-session habits.
- README.md: add 'Keeping it fresh' subsection pointing at contrib/
and the full docs.
contrib/ ships three ready-to-use templates:
- systemd/mempalace-session.{service,timer} — user units with weekly
Mon 03:00 schedule, Persistent=true catch-up, RandomizedDelaySec for
fleet-wide jitter, ConditionPathExists guard for opencode-less boxes,
Nice+IOSchedulingClass=idle so it never fights interactive work.
- cron/mempalace-session.cron — sample crontab entry with log
redirection and clear USER-substitution instructions.
- README.md with install/verify/uninstall recipes for both, a chooser
table (systemd vs cron), container/devbox caveats, and tuning notes
(daily vs weekly vs monthly trade-offs).
The user's LATER-list item 'wrap mempalace-session in cron/systemd
timer for true auto-save coverage' is now actionable: a single
systemctl --user enable --now command stands it up.
Joakim Persson