Import existing conversations
Local coding sessions, vendor export files, and one-off browser capture—what Mem can pull in today.
Mem can bring in prior chats in three ways: coding agents we discover on disk, files you export from an app, and the browser extension on the tab you are looking at. This page matches those options to the buttons in Threads → Import (and Integrations → Thread Import).
Threads reference
Bulk filenames, Markdown headers, and odd edge cases live in Threads.
Pick what matches you
| You have… | In Mem | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code, Cursor, Codex CLI, or OpenCode logs on disk | Threads → Import → Find AI Conversations (same entry under Integrations → Thread Import) | Pick sessions after Mem scans |
| A full export from ChatGPT, Claude (claude.ai / Claude Desktop), DeepSeek, ChatWise, Alma, or Raycast AI (via exporter JSON) | Threads → Import → Bulk Import | One file (see table below) |
One .md thread or similar | Threads → Import → Single Thread | See Single thread |
| A chat open in the browser right now | Browser extension | Sends the focused session from the tab you use with the extension—not your full account history |
Coding agents (disk)
Find AI Conversations looks for local session data from Claude Code, Cursor, Codex CLI, and OpenCode. Nothing is saved until you choose what to import.
Plugins can also keep threads in sync over time; this scan is mainly for catching up (new machine, or first setup).
Export files (bulk)
Bulk Import expects the real export each vendor hands you:
| App | File | Export |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | chat.html (inside their ZIP) | Settings → Data controls → Export data |
| Claude | data-…-batch-….zip (contains conversations.json + memories.json) | Web or Desktop: initials → Settings → Privacy → Export data — Anthropic emails a download link (see their guide). Not available from Claude mobile apps. |
| DeepSeek | deepseek_conversations.json | chat.deepseek.com → Settings → Data → Export data |
| ChatWise | .zip of chats | Export all chats from ChatWise |
| Alma | alma-backup-…zip with threads.json | Settings → Data → Export all threads |
| Raycast AI | raycast_ai_chats.json (or any .json from the tool) | No built-in export — use raycast-ai-exporter (macOS; see its README) |
Drop the file in as downloaded; Mem figures out the format.
Claude export ZIP
Use the ZIP from the email (for example data-2026-04-01-08-10-35-batch-0000.zip). Mem imports all chats from conversations.json and saves Claude's profile memory from memories.json as a labeled memory card after the threads you selected finish importing. If you only extract conversations.json, you get threads only.
Raycast AI (macOS)
The exporter is a third-party script: you keep Raycast’s AI Chat window open, grant Accessibility to your terminal, and it writes structured JSON (sessions with role / content messages). Dates in the file are approximate (sidebar groupings). Same JSON works in Bulk Import and nmem t import --file.
Browser: focused tab only
The extension does not download your entire web chat history. It works with the session in the active tab when you capture—useful for what you are doing now. For everything the provider ships in one archive, use Bulk Import (or your coding-agent scan where that applies).
Where to click
- Threads → Import: Find AI, Bulk, Single.
- Integrations → Thread Import: same story, plus shortcuts into Threads.
Next
- Threads — formats and distillation
- Getting Started — first day in the app
- Integrations — plugins, MCP, extension