Getting started with Home Memory Studio

Start with AI

Let your AI assistant set up Studio

Give the request below to an AI assistant that can access files and run programs on this Windows computer. It can extract the ZIP, create a database and set up its connection to Studio. It uses the included MCP server to access the database. No installer wizard or administrator rights are needed. An AI chat in a web browser without access to your computer cannot perform this setup.

The official Studio ZIP and its SHA256 checksum are available on the Studio download page. Your client may require permission to run commands or a restart before the new MCP connection becomes available.

Set up Home Memory Studio on this Windows PC for the AI assistant I am using now, which has access to this computer. Check this client's existing Studio MCP entry and documentation skill, any Studio MSI installation, and the default ZIP folder under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Home Memory Studio. Reuse a suitable existing copy. Preserve existing databases, client entries, and unrelated settings. Ask before replacing an installation, migrating a database, or changing a conflicting entry.

If a new copy is needed, use the official Studio ZIP and SHA256 published at https://home-memory.com/studio/, or an official ZIP and expected SHA256 I provide. If neither is available, ask me for them and stop. Verify the hash before extracting or running anything; stop on a mismatch. Extract the whole ZIP into an unused local folder under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Home Memory Studio and record the actual absolute path. Do not merge application versions. Use this ZIP setup method without an MSI wizard or screen automation, and do not disable Windows security checks. Do not install the separate standalone Home Memory MCP.

Use a database I explicitly identify, or create a new one at an unused local .scd path in my Documents folder, outside the application folder. Use HomeMemoryStudio.exe --create-database from the selected application folder with --content-language=en unless I request German, then use --content-language=de. Wait for the process to finish, check its exit code, and confirm the new file exists before configuring MCP. Do not select an existing database on your own, and never overwrite one. Configure this client to run MCP\HomeMemoryStudioMCP.exe from that same application folder with HOME_MEMORY_STUDIO_DB_PATH set to the database's absolute path. Use full resolved paths in the client configuration. If this client supports Agent Skills, install the bundled MCP\skills\home-memory-studio-documentation as a user skill; otherwise continue without it.

Keep Studio closed while using MCP on the same database. Verify the connection through this client's registered MCP. If the client needs a restart or a new session, report that step and resume verification afterward; do not claim setup is verified just because a configuration file was written. For a new database, confirm that its initial example structure is present. An empty result from an existing database is not a connection error. Then ask me for one real item, document it with the MCP, find it again, and show me how to open the same database in Studio. Report the version, application and database paths, skill status, and connection status. Ask only where a real choice, conflict, or required system approval remains.

You can also use Studio without AI. The steps below explain installation, working in Studio, backups, and manual MCP setup.

Install and start Studio yourself

Choose the Windows setup or ZIP. Both contain the Windows application, its MCP server and an optional skill with documentation guidance for AI assistants. The MSI adds Windows shortcuts and an Open with entry. Follow the ZIP steps below to run Studio from a folder in your user profile.

Windows setup (MSI)

Download the Windows installer from the Studio product page.
Confirm that the filename and SHA256 hash match the values shown for the Windows setup on the product page. This is especially important while the installer is unsigned.
Run the MSI and follow the English installer wizard. Windows may warn that the installer’s publisher is unknown because the installer is not yet digitally signed.
Start Home Memory Studio from the Start menu or desktop shortcut.

The MSI also registers Studio under Open with for .scd files. It preserves an existing default, such as Smartconstruct. To open databases in Studio by double-clicking, choose Studio as the default application for .scd in Windows.

ZIP without installation

Download the official Studio ZIP from the product page and compare its SHA256 checksum with the value shown there.
Extract the entire archive into a permanent, writable local folder, for example %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Home Memory Studio. Do not run the application from inside the ZIP.
Start HomeMemoryStudio.exe from the extracted folder. You can create your own shortcut to it.
Keep your database and linked files in a separate data folder, such as Documents\Home Memory Studio. Use the steps below to create your first database.

The ZIP requires no MSI installation or administrator rights. It does not add Start menu shortcuts or register file associations. Studio saves user settings in your Windows profile. Copying the application folder to a USB drive does not include those settings.

To open a database with the ZIP edition, use Windows Open with and select its HomeMemoryStudio.exe. You can also make it the default application for .scd. Keep that program folder in place. See Microsoft's instructions for changing default apps.

Windows security checks also apply to programs extracted from a ZIP. Early Access builds are unsigned. A matching checksum confirms that the downloaded file matches the published file. It does not replace the publisher’s digital signature. Do not proceed if the checksum differs or you see an unexpected warning.

Neither package includes an AI service or automatically changes your AI client configuration. Use the setup request or manual MCP instructions to connect your client.

Interface language, content language, and your first database

You can choose the language in two places:

Interface language sets the language of menus, labels and messages for your Windows user account. You can change it with Application language. Studio restarts to apply the change.
Content language sets the language of the categories, statuses and examples included in a new database. Choose it when you create that database.

Changing the interface language does not change the names or text in your saved records. A German database can be used with an English interface, and the reverse is also possible.

On the database selection screen, choose Create new database.
Save the file in a local folder you can back up, for example Documents\Home Memory Studio\MyHome.scd. Keep the database on your computer, not on a network drive.
Select English or German for the initial content. The current interface language is offered as the default.
Open the database and use the included examples as a starting point. Keep the entries you need and add your own.

Already use Home Memory MCP? See Moving your existing documentation to Studio. For a Smartconstruct database, read Use an existing database before opening it in Studio.

Start small

Document one item, then find it again

Choose something you already know, such as a lamp in one room. In Studio, select its room in the element tree, add an element, give it a clear name and choose a suitable category. Save it, select another room, then return and find the item again. You do not need to fill every field or document the whole room.

If you have connected your assistant, you can instead ask: “Add a desk lamp to the living room.” Use the room name from your own home. In a new conversation, ask where the lamp is recorded. Close Studio before the assistant accesses the database, then reopen the same file to see the result.

Once this works, add a detail you will want later, a photo, or a document. The next example shows how to document a concealed route between two objects.

Document a cable in the kitchen wall

Where does the cable to a kitchen worktop socket run? Record its two endpoints, its route inside the wall and a photo taken before plastering. The examples here follow the same fictional household as the screenshots on the product page. A new database contains only a small example structure, not the full household shown in the screenshots.

Use the initial element tree as a starting point. Add any missing places: House / Basement / Utility room and House / Ground floor / Kitchen / North wall.
Place Distribution board under Utility room and Worktop outlet west under North wall. These are the actual objects at the cable's endpoints.
Create a line from the distribution board to the socket. Name it Cable for kitchen worktop power from distribution board to west worktop outlet and choose the category Electrical / Cable.
Record its route: From the distribution board across the utility-room ceiling, through the kitchen service riser, then horizontally in the north wall installation zone. The example length is 17.6 m.
Link an installation photo to the line. In the example household, this is Kitchen electrical rough-in before plastering. The Kitchen electrical plan covers the whole installation and belongs to the distribution board. When following along in your own database, use your own files; these example attachments are not part of a new database.

You can now find the socket in the tree, follow its line back to the board, and open the installation photo. Use names that make sense for your own home. To locate a concealed cable precisely, add measurements from fixed reference points; the total length and a general route description do not provide its exact position. A type and a status can remain empty when they add no useful information.

Elements, lines, and optional statuses

Record	Use it for	Example
Element	A place or item. Organize elements by location in a tree.	House, kitchen, north wall, socket, heat pump, drill
Line	A cable, pipe or duct between two elements, with its own route and details.	Cable, conduit, pipe, duct
Status	Optional information about the state of an element, line, or type.	In use, Planned, Removed

Rooms and walls are elements too. Place an object where you would look for it, such as a socket under Kitchen / North wall. Add walls, floors, or ceilings only where they help you locate information. A cable between a distribution board and a socket is a line between those objects.

Create a line when its endpoints or route will matter later. A short, clearly visible pipe may need only a note on the related element. Create a separate line record with an installation photo for a concealed pipe or cable you will need to trace later.

You can leave the status empty for existing items unless you need to distinguish their state. In the example household, Heat pump is In use, EV charging point is Planned, and Oil boiler is Removed. A status describes that object itself: an installed connection point is not planned merely because the appliance is still missing. A planned maintenance visit belongs in a work order.

Types, companies, work orders, images, and documents

Depending on the item or project, you can add more information:

Type: Product information such as manufacturer, model, specifications, and product manual. A type can be useful for a single device. Several identical items can share a type, such as two sockets of type JUNG A 1520 WW. Keep serial number, installation details, and service history on the individual element.
Company: A manufacturer or supplier whose details you may need later. Start with a name, then add an address or contact details as needed.
Work order: One planned, completed, or cancelled piece of work on one specific element or line, such as annual boiler service or replacing a valve.
Image: A photo or sketch. Link it to the specific item or line it shows. If it shows several relevant objects, you can link it to more than one record.
Document: A manual, plan, invoice, or other external file. Link the document to the item or area it applies to.

For work orders, record a day, month, or year only as precisely as you know it. If you do not know when the work was completed, leave the completion date empty.

Images and documents remain external files. Studio records their paths and assignments. Linking a file does not copy its contents into the .scd database.

More examples: garden irrigation and heating

Find a buried irrigation pipe

The line Pipe for vegetable garden irrigation from valve to irrigation outlet connects Vegetable garden valve in the front garden's valve box to Vegetable garden irrigation outlet in the southwest garden. The pipe ends at the outlet. The garden area tells you where that outlet is located.

Its route follows the north garden edge, crosses below the stepping stone at marker G2, then turns south to the outlet. The recorded length is 18.4 m. The photo Irrigation pipe below marker G2 and the document Irrigation route sketch both belong to this line. The completed work order Extend irrigation to vegetable garden records the extension. Leave the type field empty until you know which pipe product was installed.

Keep product information separate from service history

Heat pump is the installed unit in House / Basement / Utility room. Its type, Bosch Compress 7800i LW CS7800ILW 8 F, holds the manufacturer's product data. The Heat pump commissioning report belongs to the installed heat pump.

The heat pump has two work orders: Annual heat pump service 2026 is completed, and Next annual heat pump service is planned. The heat pump remains In use; planning a service does not change the unit's status.

Backup and restore, including linked files

You need to arrange regular backups of your database and linked files. A complete backup has two parts:

the Studio database file, such as MyHome.scd
every external image and document linked from that database

Recommended folder layout

Home Memory Studio\
  MyHome.scd
  Files\
    Heating\
      heat-pump-manual.pdf
    Garden\
      irrigation-installation.jpg

Create a consistent backup

Save your changes and close Home Memory Studio.
Let any AI requests finish, then stop the Studio MCP server in your AI client for the duration of the backup so no new request changes the database during copying.
Copy the .scd file and all linked images and documents to your backup destination. Include files stored outside the recommended folder tree.
Check that the database and every linked file are included and that the copy completed without errors.

Test a restore

Restore the database and external files into a separate local test folder while preserving their folder structure.
Open the restored .scd file in Studio and confirm that its database path points to the test folder.
File links use absolute paths and may still point to the originals. In the restored database only, select the affected records in the image and document lists. Use Change file path... to replace the original folder path with the corresponding path in the test folder, then save. Repeat for other folders as needed. If Studio reports missing files, check the paths and restore the files before continuing.
Check that the linked paths now point to the restored files. Open a sample image and document from Studio and confirm their full paths are inside the restore folder, not the original location.

A copy of the database alone is not a copy of linked files. Always back up both. Opening a sample of files confirms that you can use them, but you still need to check that every linked file is included.

Set up the Studio MCP manually

If your assistant cannot handle the setup, you can configure the MCP connection yourself in a compatible AI application. Studio works without AI. First create or open a database in Studio, then close Studio and add a local stdio server. Its executable is MCP\HomeMemoryStudioMCP.exe inside your Studio application folder. If you installed the MSI with its default settings, the path is:

C:\Program Files (x86)\impact software\Home Memory Studio\MCP\HomeMemoryStudioMCP.exe

For a ZIP extracted to the suggested folder, the path is:

C:\Users\YOUR_NAME\AppData\Local\Programs\Home Memory Studio\MCP\HomeMemoryStudioMCP.exe

Use your actual extraction folder, including any version subfolder. Replace the command path in the examples below as well as the database path. Use full absolute paths rather than %LOCALAPPDATA% in client configuration.

Set the following environment variable to the full path of your database:

HOME_MEMORY_STUDIO_DB_PATH=C:\Users\YOUR_NAME\Documents\Home Memory Studio\MyHome.scd

No command line arguments and no separate Firebird or .NET installation are required for the MCP. Neither MSI nor ZIP configures your AI client automatically. The optional documentation skill gives your assistant guidance on recording and organizing information. You can find it in MCP\skills\home-memory-studio-documentation under the same Studio application folder. If your client supports Agent Skills, install that folder as a user skill. MCP also works without it.

ChatGPT Desktop / Codex

This setup is for local MCP access on your Windows computer. The ChatGPT desktop app and Codex clients share the configuration for the same Codex host. Add the entry below to %USERPROFILE%\.codex\config.toml, keeping any existing entries. Replace the database path with your own. Single quoted TOML strings keep Windows backslashes literal. See the OpenAI MCP setup guide for supported clients and current settings.

[mcp_servers.home_memory_studio]
command = 'C:\Program Files (x86)\impact software\Home Memory Studio\MCP\HomeMemoryStudioMCP.exe'
args = []

[mcp_servers.home_memory_studio.env]
HOME_MEMORY_STUDIO_DB_PATH = 'C:\Users\YOUR_NAME\Documents\Home Memory Studio\MyHome.scd'

Save the file and restart the MCP server in your app, or restart the client to load the configuration. This local executable is not a server URL you can add to ChatGPT in a web browser.

Claude Desktop

Merge this entry into the existing mcpServers object in claude_desktop_config.json. Do not replace other server entries.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "home-memory-studio": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "C:\\Program Files (x86)\\impact software\\Home Memory Studio\\MCP\\HomeMemoryStudioMCP.exe",
      "args": [],
      "env": {
        "HOME_MEMORY_STUDIO_DB_PATH": "C:\\Users\\YOUR_NAME\\Documents\\Home Memory Studio\\MyHome.scd"
      }
    }
  }
}

Save the configuration and fully restart Claude Desktop.

Switch between Studio and your AI assistant

Use the same database in turn from Studio and your AI assistant. While Studio has the database open, other programs may be unable to access it.

Save your changes and close Studio before asking the assistant to read or change this database.
If the assistant reports that the database is in use, close the application using it and repeat the request. You do not need to restart MCP after an ordinary access conflict.
Wait for the assistant to finish before reopening the same database in Studio. You do not need to stop the MCP server if it is not processing a request. Check any changes in Studio.

For a first check, ask the assistant to find an element you just created. The database stays on your computer; information retrieved by the AI client you choose may be sent to that client's AI provider.

Updates, switching to Studio and uninstallation

Updates

Back up the database and linked files before installing an update. Studio is updated separately from Smartconstruct and does not replace an existing Smartconstruct installation.

ZIP updates: Let AI requests finish, then close Studio and stop its MCP process. Extract the new ZIP into a new application folder without merging versions. Update the MCP executable path and any shortcuts to that folder, and keep the database path unchanged. Refresh the optional skill from the new package if you use it. Check the connection and your records before removing the old application folder. Read any database upgrade instructions before opening the data with the new version.

Coming from Home Memory MCP

Studio includes its own MCP server with additional features. You do not need to install the standalone Home Memory MCP as well. To bring your existing documentation, make a separate copy of the database you already use and follow the upgrade procedure below. Keep the original for your existing Home Memory setup.

After checking the copy in Studio, configure the Studio MCP with that copy's path. Its executable and environment variable differ from the standalone server: use HomeMemoryStudioMCP.exe and HOME_MEMORY_STUDIO_DB_PATH. Disable the old Home Memory entry in this client's Studio workflow so your assistant has one unambiguous database connection. Keep it if you still use a separate Home Memory workflow, but do not point it at the upgraded Studio file without checking compatibility.

For Studio, use the bundled home-memory-studio-documentation skill if your client supports skills. It also covers the additional information you can record in Studio. The Home Memory MCP skill covers only that server’s features. Restart the client or start a fresh session, then ask for a familiar item and check its details before adding new information.

Use an existing Home Memory or Smartconstruct database

If Studio reports that your existing database needs an upgrade, use the following procedure on a copy. Normal MCP requests do not perform the upgrade.

Close Smartconstruct, Studio, and all MCP servers using the database. Back up the database and every linked file, then create a separate working copy of the .scd file for Studio.
Open PowerShell in the MCP folder of your installed or extracted Studio application. In the commands below, replace the example path with the full path to that working copy, not the original database.

$env:HOME_MEMORY_STUDIO_DB_PATH='C:\Users\YOUR_NAME\Documents\Home Memory Studio\MyHome-Studio.scd'
.\HomeMemoryStudioMCP.exe --migrate --yes

Continue only after a success message. If migration fails, keep the original unchanged and share the error through the feedback link below. Do not try to bypass the checks for an unsupported database.

Open the upgraded copy in Studio and check familiar elements, lines, and any linked files. File links still refer to their existing locations; copying the database does not copy its attachments. To keep a fully separate Studio data set, copy the linked files too and adjust the paths as described under Backup and restore. Keep the original for your previous application. Do not open the upgraded copy in Smartconstruct 3.x or assume an older standalone Home Memory server supports it.

Uninstallation and your data

Your .scd database and linked files are your data. Keep that data folder when you uninstall Studio, and back it up first.

For the ZIP edition, close Studio and stop its MCP process before deleting the application folder. Remove the corresponding MCP client entry and any shortcut or optional skill you no longer use. Your separately stored database, linked files, and Windows profile settings are not removed with the ZIP folder.

Feedback

Include the Studio version, what you were trying to do, and the exact error or unexpected result. Do not attach a personal home database to a public issue.

Share feedback Back to Studio

Early Access limitations

Windows only.
Early Access programs are unsigned, including those in the ZIP.
You need to arrange regular backups of your database and linked files. The connection to your AI assistant must be set up separately.
Use Studio and your AI assistant in turn when they access the same database.
This guide covers the first steps. It does not yet cover every report or advanced feature.