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+---
+id: dc9c2638-360e-4e15-990c-76fcd16672c0
+type: decision
+title: "Cognitive memory data dir moved to XDG-compliant path (~/.local/share/cognitive-memory/)"
+tags: ["[\"cognitive-memory\"", "xdg", "architecture", "portability", "\"configuration\"]"]
+importance: 0.85
+confidence: 0.8
+created: "2026-02-28T20:56:13.079823+00:00"
+updated: "2026-02-28T20:56:13.079823+00:00"
+---
+
+# Cognitive Memory: XDG Base Directory Compliance
+
+Moved default data directory from hardcoded `~/.claude/memory/` to XDG Base Directory spec compliant location.
+
+## Resolution Order
+1. `COGNITIVE_MEMORY_DIR` env var
+2. `$XDG_DATA_HOME/cognitive-memory/`
+3. `~/.local/share/cognitive-memory/` (XDG default)
+
+## Rationale
+Makes the system distributable as a plugin without assuming Claude Code-specific paths.
+
+## Details
+- `GRAPHS_BASE_DIR` is now a sibling: `cognitive-memory-graphs/`
+- All scripts updated: `memory-git-sync.sh`, `ensure-symlinks.sh`, `edge-proposer.py`
+- Cal's data physically moved from `~/.claude/memory/` to `~/.local/share/cognitive-memory/`
+- Env var overrides removed from `bashrc`, fish config, and MCP server config — XDG default resolves naturally