Knowledge Locator

A spatial indexing and retrieval system for finding information within and across memory palaces. Enables multi-modal search using spatial, semantic, sensory, and associative queries.

What It Is

The Knowledge Locator provides efficient information retrieval across your memory palace network by:

• Building and maintaining spatial indices for fast lookup
• Supporting multiple search modalities (spatial, semantic, sensory)
• Mapping cross-references between palaces
• Tracking access patterns for optimization

Quick Start

Search Palaces

python scripts/memory_palace_cli.py search "authentication" --type semantic

Verification: Run python --version to verify Python environment.

List All Palaces

python scripts/memory_palace_cli.py list

Verification: Run python --version to verify Python environment.

When To Use

• Finding specific concepts within one or more memory palaces
• Cross-referencing information across different palaces
• Discovering connections between stored information
• Finding information using partial or contextual queries
• Analyzing access patterns for palace optimization

When NOT To Use

• Creating new palace structures - use memory-palace-architect
• Processing new external resources - use knowledge-intake
• Creating new palace structures - use memory-palace-architect
• Processing new external resources - use knowledge-intake

Search Modalities

Mode	Description	Best For
Spatial	Query by location path	"Find concepts in the Workshop"
Semantic	Search by meaning/keywords	"Find authentication-related items"
Sensory	Locate by sensory attributes	"Blue-colored concepts"
Associative	Follow connection chains	"Related to OAuth"
Temporal	Find by creation/access date	"Recently accessed"

Core Workflow

1. Build Index - Create spatial index of all palaces
2. Optimize Search - Configure search strategies and heuristics
3. Map Cross-References - Identify inter-palace connections
4. Test Retrieval - Validate search accuracy and speed
5. Analyze Patterns - Track and optimize based on usage

Target Metrics

• Retrieval latency: ≤ 150ms cached, ≤ 500ms cold
• Top-3 accuracy: ≥ 90% for semantic queries
• Robustness: ≥ 80% success with incomplete queries

Detailed Resources

• Index Structure: See modules/index-structure.md
• Search Strategies: See modules/search-strategies.md
• Cross-Reference Mapping: See modules/index-structure.md

PR Review Search

Search the review chamber within project palaces for past decisions and patterns.

Quick Commands

The CLI has no room-scoped search: search runs across every palace, and --palace, --room, list-reviews and search-reviews do not exist (this file cited them until 2026-09-18). Filter by the palace name in the output, or use Skill(memory-palace:review-chamber), which owns the chamber's own retrieval.

python scripts/memory_palace_cli.py search "authentication"

Review Chamber Rooms

Room	Content	Example Query
decisions/	Architectural choices	"JWT vs sessions"
patterns/	Recurring solutions	"error handling pattern"
standards/	Quality conventions	"API error format"
lessons/	Post-mortems	"outage learnings"

Context-Aware Surfacing

When starting work in a code area, surface relevant review knowledge:

There is no context-search command. Search for the area's own words instead:

python scripts/memory_palace_cli.py search "auth"

Integration

Works with:

• memory-palace-architect - Indexes palaces created by architect
• session-palace-builder - Searches session-specific palaces
• digital-garden-cultivator - Finds garden content and links
• review-chamber - Searches PR review knowledge in project palaces

Exit Criteria

• scripts/memory_palace_cli.py search "<query>" returns results, and says "No palaces indexed" rather than "No matches" when there is nothing to search within 500ms for a cold query against an indexed palace
• At least one of the five search modalities (spatial, semantic, sensory, associative, temporal) returns ranked results for a valid query against an existing palace
• Top-3 accuracy target of ≥ 90% is met for semantic queries when the queried concept is present in the indexed palace
• Incomplete or partial queries return results rather than errors, satisfying the ≥ 80% robustness target
• If no palace exists to search, user is directed to memory-palace-architect rather than returning an empty result silently