---
id: 7a391397-2276-42bf-bca6-e1bb468029cd
type: configuration
title: "Hourly embedding refresh timer with --if-changed flag"
tags: [cognitive-memory, systemd, automation, embedding, configuration]
importance: 0.7
confidence: 0.8
created: "2026-02-19T20:53:09.280113+00:00"
updated: "2026-03-03T05:32:47.987847+00:00"
relations:
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    direction: incoming
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---

Created systemd user timer `cognitive-memory-embed.timer` that runs hourly. Uses `claude-memory embed --if-changed` which compares memory IDs in _index.json vs _embeddings.json — skips in ~0.1s when nothing changed, full re-embed (~27s) only when memories were added or deleted. Removed embed from daily timer (cognitive-memory-daily.service) since hourly covers it. Daily timer now only runs decay, core, and symlinks. Both services need `export PATH="/home/cal/.local/bin:$PATH"` because systemd doesn't load user shell profile and `uv` lives in ~/.local/bin. Files: ~/.config/systemd/user/cognitive-memory-embed.{service,timer}.