diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 2cad87e6..2f1f5655 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -42,6 +42,10 @@ jobs:
       working-directory: ./hindsight-integrations/litellm
       run: uv build --out-dir dist
 
+    - name: Build hindsight-embed
+      working-directory: ./hindsight-embed
+      run: uv build --out-dir dist
+
     # Publish in order (client and api first, then hindsight-all which depends on them)
     - name: Publish hindsight-client to PyPI
       uses: pypa/gh-action-pypi-publish@release/v1
@@ -67,6 +71,12 @@ jobs:
         packages-dir: ./hindsight-integrations/litellm/dist
         skip-existing: true
 
+    - name: Publish hindsight-embed to PyPI
+      uses: pypa/gh-action-pypi-publish@release/v1
+      with:
+        packages-dir: ./hindsight-embed/dist
+        skip-existing: true
+
     # Upload artifacts for GitHub release
     - name: Upload artifacts
       uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
@@ -77,6 +87,7 @@ jobs:
           hindsight-api/dist/*
           hindsight/dist/*
           hindsight-integrations/litellm/dist/*
+          hindsight-embed/dist/*
         retention-days: 1
 
   release-typescript-client:
@@ -416,6 +427,7 @@ jobs:
         cp artifacts/python-packages/hindsight-api/dist/* release-assets/ || true
         cp artifacts/python-packages/hindsight/dist/* release-assets/ || true
         cp artifacts/python-packages/hindsight-integrations/litellm/dist/* release-assets/ || true
+        cp artifacts/python-packages/hindsight-embed/dist/* release-assets/ || true
         # TypeScript client
         cp artifacts/typescript-client/*.tgz release-assets/ || true
         # Control Plane
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yml b/.github/workflows/test.yml
index 545f377c..8068c845 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yml
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ jobs:
             path: hindsight-api
           - name: hindsight-client
             path: hindsight-clients/python
+          - name: hindsight-embed
+            path: hindsight-embed
 
     steps:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v4
@@ -563,6 +565,46 @@ jobs:
       working-directory: ./hindsight-integrations/litellm
       run: uv run pytest tests -v
 
+  test-embed:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    env:
+      HINDSIGHT_EMBED_LLM_PROVIDER: groq
+      HINDSIGHT_EMBED_LLM_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.GROQ_API_KEY }}
+      HINDSIGHT_EMBED_LLM_MODEL: openai/gpt-oss-20b
+      # Prefer CPU-only PyTorch in CI
+      UV_INDEX: pytorch=https://download.pytorch.org/whl/cpu
+
+    steps:
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+    - name: Install uv
+      uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@v5
+      with:
+        enable-cache: true
+        prune-cache: false
+
+    - name: Set up Python
+      uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+      with:
+        python-version-file: ".python-version"
+
+    - name: Install dependencies
+      working-directory: ./hindsight-embed
+      run: uv sync --index-strategy unsafe-best-match
+
+    - name: Cache HuggingFace models
+      uses: actions/cache@v4
+      with:
+        path: ~/.cache/huggingface
+        key: ${{ runner.os }}-huggingface-embed-${{ hashFiles('hindsight-embed/pyproject.toml') }}
+        restore-keys: |
+          ${{ runner.os }}-huggingface-embed-
+          ${{ runner.os }}-huggingface-
+
+    - name: Run smoke test
+      working-directory: ./hindsight-embed
+      run: ./test.sh
+
   test-doc-examples:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     needs: build-rust-cli
diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index b4c7a9e8..5038b812 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ This document captures architectural decisions and coding conventions for the Hi
 hindsight/              # Python package for embedded usage
 hindsight-api/          # FastAPI server (core memory engine)
 hindsight-cli/          # Rust CLI client
+hindsight-embed/        # Embedded CLI (no server needed)
 hindsight-control-plane/ # Next.js admin UI
 hindsight-docs/         # Docusaurus documentation site
 hindsight-dev/          # Development tools and benchmarks
@@ -148,4 +149,5 @@ Note: The maintained wrapper `hindsight_client.py` and `README.md` are preserved
 
 # Branding
 ## Colors
-- Primary: gradient from #0074d9 to #009296  
+- Primary: gradient from #0074d9 to #009296
+
diff --git a/hindsight-api/hindsight_api/engine/task_backend.py b/hindsight-api/hindsight_api/engine/task_backend.py
index be7c9c69..d34139f7 100644
--- a/hindsight-api/hindsight_api/engine/task_backend.py
+++ b/hindsight-api/hindsight_api/engine/task_backend.py
@@ -89,6 +89,38 @@ class TaskBackend(ABC):
             traceback.print_exc()
 
 
+class SyncTaskBackend(TaskBackend):
+    """
+    Synchronous task backend that executes tasks immediately.
+
+    This is useful for embedded/CLI usage where we don't want background
+    workers that prevent clean exit. Tasks are executed inline rather than
+    being queued.
+    """
+
+    async def initialize(self):
+        """No-op for sync backend."""
+        self._initialized = True
+        logger.debug("SyncTaskBackend initialized")
+
+    async def submit_task(self, task_dict: dict[str, Any]):
+        """
+        Execute the task immediately (synchronously).
+
+        Args:
+            task_dict: Task dictionary to execute
+        """
+        if not self._initialized:
+            await self.initialize()
+
+        await self._execute_task(task_dict)
+
+    async def shutdown(self):
+        """No-op for sync backend."""
+        self._initialized = False
+        logger.debug("SyncTaskBackend shutdown")
+
+
 class AsyncIOQueueBackend(TaskBackend):
     """
     Task backend implementation using asyncio queues.
diff --git a/hindsight-docs/static/get-skill b/hindsight-docs/static/get-skill
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..f9998820
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hindsight-docs/static/get-skill
@@ -0,0 +1,244 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+#
+# Install Hindsight Agent Skill
+#
+# Usage:
+#   curl -fsSL https://hindsight.vectorize.io/get-skill | bash
+#
+# Options:
+#   --app <app>    Target app: claude, opencode, codex
+#
+# Examples:
+#   curl -fsSL https://hindsight.vectorize.io/get-skill | bash -s -- --app claude
+#   curl -fsSL https://hindsight.vectorize.io/get-skill | bash -s -- --app opencode
+#
+
+set -e
+
+# Colors for output
+RED='\033[0;31m'
+GREEN='\033[0;32m'
+YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
+BLUE='\033[0;34m'
+CYAN='\033[0;36m'
+BOLD='\033[1m'
+DIM='\033[2m'
+NC='\033[0m' # No Color
+
+print_info() {
+    echo -e "${BLUE}ℹ${NC} $1"
+}
+
+print_success() {
+    echo -e "${GREEN}✓${NC} $1"
+}
+
+print_error() {
+    echo -e "${RED}✗${NC} $1"
+    exit 1
+}
+
+print_warning() {
+    echo -e "${YELLOW}⚠${NC} $1"
+}
+
+print_step() {
+    echo ""
+    echo -e "${BOLD}${CYAN}▸ $1${NC}"
+    echo ""
+}
+
+print_banner() {
+    echo ""
+    # ANSI logo
+    echo -e "  \033[38;2;9;127;184m▄\033[0m\033[48;2;8;130;178m\033[38;2;5;133;186m▄\033[0m       \033[48;2;10;143;160m\033[38;2;10;143;165m▄\033[0m\033[38;2;7;140;156m▄\033[0m  "
+    echo -e " \033[38;2;8;125;192m▄\033[0m \033[38;2;3;132;191m▀\033[0m\033[38;2;2;133;192m▄\033[0m \033[38;2;3;132;180m▄\033[0m\033[38;2;1;137;184m▄\033[0m\033[38;2;3;133;174m▄\033[0m \033[38;2;3;142;176m▄\033[0m\033[38;2;4;142;169m▀\033[0m \033[38;2;10;144;164m▄\033[0m "
+    echo -e "\033[38;2;6;121;195m▀\033[0m\033[38;2;5;128;203m▀\033[0m\033[48;2;5;124;195m\033[38;2;3;125;200m▄\033[0m\033[38;2;2;126;196m▄\033[0m\033[48;2;3;128;188m\033[38;2;1;131;196m▄\033[0m\033[48;2;0;152;219m\033[38;2;2;131;191m▄\033[0m\033[38;2;1;141;196m▀\033[0m\033[38;2;1;135;183m▀\033[0m\033[38;2;1;148;198m▀\033[0m\033[48;2;1;156;202m\033[38;2;2;135;180m▄\033[0m\033[48;2;4;134;169m\033[38;2;1;137;177m▄\033[0m\033[38;2;3;138;173m▄\033[0m\033[48;2;6;137;165m\033[38;2;2;140;170m▄\033[0m\033[38;2;7;144;169m▀\033[0m\033[38;2;7;139;158m▀\033[0m"
+    echo -e "   \033[48;2;2;128;202m\033[38;2;2;124;201m▄\033[0m\033[48;2;1;130;201m\033[38;2;0;135;212m▄\033[0m\033[38;2;2;128;196m▄\033[0m \033[48;2;2;142;204m\033[38;2;7;138;199m▄\033[0m \033[38;2;1;135;186m▄\033[0m\033[48;2;1;142;186m\033[38;2;2;144;194m▄\033[0m\033[48;2;3;138;176m\033[38;2;2;134;176m▄\033[0m   "
+    echo -e " \033[48;2;8;118;200m\033[38;2;8;121;209m▄\033[0m\033[38;2;3;121;203m▀\033[0m \033[38;2;3;122;192m▀\033[0m\033[38;2;1;138;216m▀\033[0m\033[48;2;0;138;210m\033[38;2;3;128;198m▄\033[0m\033[48;2;0;126;188m\033[38;2;2;131;198m▄\033[0m\033[48;2;0;142;205m\033[38;2;3;132;193m▄\033[0m\033[38;2;1;140;196m▀\033[0m  \033[38;2;4;134;175m▀\033[0m\033[48;2;13;135;167m\033[38;2;8;136;174m▄\033[0m "
+    echo ""
+    echo -e "  ${BOLD}HINDSIGHT SKILL INSTALLER${NC}"
+    echo -e "  ${DIM}Give your AI agent persistent memory${NC}"
+    echo ""
+}
+
+# Embedded SKILL.md content
+SKILL_CONTENT='---
+name: hindsight
+description: Give your agent persistent memory that works like human memory. Store facts, preferences, and context that persist across sessions.
+---
+
+# Hindsight Memory Skill
+
+You have access to persistent memory via the `hindsight-embed` CLI. Use it to remember important information about the user and recall it when relevant.
+
+## Setup (first time only)
+
+Run: `uvx hindsight-embed configure`
+
+## Commands
+
+### Store a memory
+
+Use `retain` to store important facts, preferences, decisions, or context:
+
+```bash
+uvx hindsight-embed retain "User prefers dark mode for all UIs"
+uvx hindsight-embed retain "Project uses Python 3.11 with FastAPI" --context work
+```
+
+### Recall memories
+
+Use `recall` to search for relevant memories before starting tasks:
+
+```bash
+uvx hindsight-embed recall "What are the user'"'"'s UI preferences?"
+uvx hindsight-embed recall "What tech stack does this project use?"
+```
+
+## When to Use
+
+### Store memories when you learn:
+- User preferences (coding style, tools, UI preferences)
+- Project context (tech stack, architecture decisions)
+- Personal information the user shares (name, role, company)
+- Important decisions or outcomes
+
+### Recall memories when:
+- Starting a new task (get relevant context first)
+- Making decisions that should consider user preferences
+- Working on a project where past context would help
+
+## Best Practices
+
+1. **Be specific**: Store "User prefers 2-space indentation" not "User has preferences"
+2. **Recall first**: Before starting tasks, recall relevant context
+3. **Use context tags**: Organize with `--context` (work, personal, preferences)
+'
+
+# Get skills directory for app (bash 3.x compatible)
+get_skills_dir() {
+    case "$1" in
+        claude)   echo "$HOME/.claude/skills" ;;
+        opencode) echo "$HOME/.opencode/skills" ;;
+        codex)    echo "$HOME/.codex/skills" ;;
+        *)        echo "" ;;
+    esac
+}
+
+# Get app display name (bash 3.x compatible)
+get_app_name() {
+    case "$1" in
+        claude)   echo "Claude Code" ;;
+        opencode) echo "OpenCode" ;;
+        codex)    echo "Codex CLI" ;;
+        *)        echo "$1" ;;
+    esac
+}
+
+# Parse arguments
+APP=""
+
+show_usage() {
+    echo "Usage: $0 [--app <app>]"
+    echo ""
+    echo "Options:"
+    echo "  --app <app>    Target app: claude, opencode, codex"
+    echo ""
+    echo "Examples:"
+    echo "  $0 --app claude"
+    echo "  $0 --app opencode"
+    exit 1
+}
+
+while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
+    case $1 in
+        --app)
+            APP="$2"
+            shift 2
+            ;;
+        --help|-h)
+            show_usage
+            ;;
+        *)
+            print_error "Unknown option: $1"
+            ;;
+    esac
+done
+
+# Show banner
+print_banner
+
+# Validate app parameter
+if [ -z "$APP" ]; then
+    echo -e "${DIM}Select your AI coding assistant:${NC}"
+    echo ""
+    echo "  ${BOLD}1)${NC} Claude Code"
+    echo "  ${BOLD}2)${NC} OpenCode"
+    echo "  ${BOLD}3)${NC} Codex CLI"
+    echo ""
+    read -p "Enter choice [1]: " app_choice
+    app_choice=${app_choice:-1}
+
+    case $app_choice in
+        1) APP="claude" ;;
+        2) APP="opencode" ;;
+        3) APP="codex" ;;
+        *) APP="claude" ;;
+    esac
+    echo ""
+fi
+
+# Get skills directory for selected app
+SKILLS_DIR=$(get_skills_dir "$APP")
+APP_NAME=$(get_app_name "$APP")
+if [ -z "$SKILLS_DIR" ]; then
+    print_error "Unknown app '$APP'. Supported: claude, opencode, codex"
+fi
+
+print_info "Installing for ${BOLD}$APP_NAME${NC}"
+
+# Step 1: Check for Python/uvx
+print_step "Checking prerequisites"
+
+if ! command -v python3 &> /dev/null && ! command -v uvx &> /dev/null; then
+    print_error "Python 3 or uvx is required.\nInstall from https://python.org or https://docs.astral.sh/uv/"
+fi
+print_success "Python/uvx available"
+
+# Step 2: Configure LLM provider using the CLI
+print_step "Configuring LLM provider"
+
+# Install/run hindsight-embed configure
+if command -v uvx &> /dev/null; then
+    uvx hindsight-embed configure
+else
+    pip install -q hindsight-embed
+    hindsight-embed configure
+fi
+
+# Step 3: Install skill to app's skills directory
+print_step "Installing skill to $APP_NAME"
+
+mkdir -p "$SKILLS_DIR/hindsight"
+
+# Write embedded SKILL.md content
+echo "$SKILL_CONTENT" > "$SKILLS_DIR/hindsight/SKILL.md"
+print_success "Installed to $SKILLS_DIR/hindsight/"
+
+# Done!
+echo ""
+echo -e "${GREEN}━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━${NC}"
+echo -e "${GREEN}  ✓ Installation Complete!${NC}"
+echo -e "${GREEN}━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━${NC}"
+echo ""
+echo -e "  The Hindsight skill is now available in ${BOLD}$APP_NAME${NC}."
+echo ""
+echo -e "  ${DIM}Test the CLI:${NC}"
+echo -e "    ${CYAN}uvx hindsight-embed retain \"Test memory\"${NC}"
+echo -e "    ${CYAN}uvx hindsight-embed recall \"test\"${NC}"
+echo ""
+echo -e "  ${DIM}$APP_NAME will automatically use the skill when relevant.${NC}"
+echo ""
+echo -e "  ${DIM}Documentation:${NC} ${BLUE}https://hindsight.vectorize.io${NC}"
+echo ""
diff --git a/hindsight-embed/README.md b/hindsight-embed/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c360b2af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hindsight-embed/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+# hindsight-embed
+
+Hindsight embedded CLI - local memory operations without a server.
+
+This package provides a simple CLI for storing and recalling memories using Hindsight's memory engine with an embedded PostgreSQL database (pg0). No external server or database setup required.
+
+## Installation
+
+```bash
+pip install hindsight-embed
+# or with uvx (no install needed)
+uvx hindsight-embed --help
+```
+
+## Quick Start
+
+```bash
+# Set your LLM API key
+export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
+
+# Store a memory
+hindsight-embed retain "User prefers dark mode"
+
+# Recall memories
+hindsight-embed recall "What are user preferences?"
+```
+
+## Commands
+
+### retain
+
+Store a memory:
+
+```bash
+hindsight-embed retain "User prefers dark mode"
+hindsight-embed retain "Meeting on Monday" --context work
+```
+
+### recall
+
+Search memories:
+
+```bash
+hindsight-embed recall "user preferences"
+hindsight-embed recall "upcoming events" --budget high
+hindsight-embed recall "project details" -v  # verbose output
+```
+
+## Environment Variables
+
+| Variable | Description | Default |
+|----------|-------------|---------|
+| `HINDSIGHT_EMBED_LLM_API_KEY` | LLM API key (or use `OPENAI_API_KEY`) | Required |
+| `HINDSIGHT_EMBED_LLM_PROVIDER` | LLM provider (`openai`, `anthropic`, `google`, `ollama`) | `openai` |
+| `HINDSIGHT_EMBED_LLM_MODEL` | LLM model | `gpt-4o-mini` |
+| `HINDSIGHT_EMBED_BANK_ID` | Memory bank ID | `default` |
+
+## Use with AI Coding Assistants
+
+This CLI is designed to work with AI coding assistants like Claude Code, OpenCode, and Codex CLI. Install the Hindsight skill:
+
+```bash
+curl -fsSL https://hindsight.vectorize.io/get-skill | bash
+```
+
+This will configure the LLM provider and install the skill to your assistant's skills directory.
+
+## License
+
+Apache 2.0
diff --git a/hindsight-embed/hindsight_embed/__init__.py b/hindsight-embed/hindsight_embed/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..12b0b93a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hindsight-embed/hindsight_embed/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+"""Hindsight embedded CLI - local memory operations without a server."""
+
+__version__ = "0.1.0"
diff --git a/hindsight-embed/hindsight_embed/cli.py b/hindsight-embed/hindsight_embed/cli.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..79cfb070
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hindsight-embed/hindsight_embed/cli.py
@@ -0,0 +1,423 @@
+"""
+Hindsight Embedded CLI.
+
+A simple CLI for local memory operations using embedded PostgreSQL (pg0).
+No external server required - runs everything locally.
+
+Usage:
+    hindsight-embed configure              # Interactive setup
+    hindsight-embed retain "User prefers dark mode"
+    hindsight-embed recall "What are user preferences?"
+
+Environment variables:
+    HINDSIGHT_EMBED_LLM_API_KEY: Required. API key for LLM provider.
+    HINDSIGHT_EMBED_LLM_PROVIDER: Optional. LLM provider (default: "openai").
+    HINDSIGHT_EMBED_LLM_MODEL: Optional. LLM model (default: "gpt-4o-mini").
+    HINDSIGHT_EMBED_BANK_ID: Optional. Memory bank ID (default: "default").
+    HINDSIGHT_EMBED_LOG_LEVEL: Optional. Log level (default: "warning").
+"""
+
+import argparse
+import asyncio
+import logging
+import os
+import sys
+from pathlib import Path
+
+CONFIG_DIR = Path.home() / ".hindsight"
+CONFIG_FILE = CONFIG_DIR / "embed"
+
+
+def setup_logging(verbose: bool = False):
+    """Configure logging."""
+    level_str = os.environ.get("HINDSIGHT_EMBED_LOG_LEVEL", "warning").lower()
+    if verbose:
+        level_str = "debug"
+
+    level_map = {
+        "debug": logging.DEBUG,
+        "info": logging.INFO,
+        "warning": logging.WARNING,
+        "error": logging.ERROR,
+    }
+    level = level_map.get(level_str, logging.WARNING)
+
+    logging.basicConfig(
+        level=level,
+        format="%(asctime)s - %(levelname)s - %(name)s - %(message)s",
+        stream=sys.stderr,
+    )
+    return logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+
+def load_config_file():
+    """Load configuration from file if it exists."""
+    if CONFIG_FILE.exists():
+        with open(CONFIG_FILE) as f:
+            for line in f:
+                line = line.strip()
+                if line and not line.startswith("#") and "=" in line:
+                    # Handle 'export VAR=value' format
+                    if line.startswith("export "):
+                        line = line[7:]
+                    key, value = line.split("=", 1)
+                    if key not in os.environ:  # Don't override env vars
+                        os.environ[key] = value
+
+
+def get_config():
+    """Get configuration from environment variables."""
+    load_config_file()
+    return {
+        "llm_api_key": os.environ.get("HINDSIGHT_EMBED_LLM_API_KEY")
+            or os.environ.get("HINDSIGHT_API_LLM_API_KEY")
+            or os.environ.get("OPENAI_API_KEY"),
+        "llm_provider": os.environ.get("HINDSIGHT_EMBED_LLM_PROVIDER")
+            or os.environ.get("HINDSIGHT_API_LLM_PROVIDER", "openai"),
+        "llm_model": os.environ.get("HINDSIGHT_EMBED_LLM_MODEL")
+            or os.environ.get("HINDSIGHT_API_LLM_MODEL", "gpt-4o-mini"),
+        "bank_id": os.environ.get("HINDSIGHT_EMBED_BANK_ID", "default"),
+    }
+
+
+def do_configure(args):
+    """Interactive configuration setup with beautiful TUI."""
+    import questionary
+    from questionary import Style
+
+    # Custom style for the prompts
+    custom_style = Style([
+        ('qmark', 'fg:cyan bold'),
+        ('question', 'fg:white bold'),
+        ('answer', 'fg:cyan'),
+        ('pointer', 'fg:cyan bold'),
+        ('highlighted', 'fg:cyan bold'),
+        ('selected', 'fg:green'),
+        ('text', 'fg:white'),
+    ])
+
+    print()
+    print("\033[1m\033[36m  ╭─────────────────────────────────────╮\033[0m")
+    print("\033[1m\033[36m  │   Hindsight Embed Configuration    │\033[0m")
+    print("\033[1m\033[36m  ╰─────────────────────────────────────╯\033[0m")
+    print()
+
+    # Check existing config
+    if CONFIG_FILE.exists():
+        if not questionary.confirm(
+            "Existing configuration found. Reconfigure?",
+            default=False,
+            style=custom_style,
+        ).ask():
+            print("\n\033[32m✓\033[0m Keeping existing configuration.")
+            return 0
+        print()
+
+    # Provider selection with descriptions
+    providers = [
+        questionary.Choice("OpenAI (recommended)", value=("openai", "o3-mini", "OpenAI")),
+        questionary.Choice("Groq (fast & free tier)", value=("groq", "openai/gpt-oss-20b", "Groq")),
+        questionary.Choice("Google Gemini", value=("google", "gemini-2.0-flash", "Google")),
+        questionary.Choice("Ollama (local, no API key)", value=("ollama", "llama3.2", None)),
+    ]
+
+    result = questionary.select(
+        "Select your LLM provider:",
+        choices=providers,
+        style=custom_style,
+    ).ask()
+
+    if result is None:  # User cancelled
+        print("\n\033[33m⚠\033[0m Configuration cancelled.")
+        return 1
+
+    provider, default_model, key_name = result
+
+    # API key
+    api_key = ""
+    if key_name:
+        env_keys = {
+            "OpenAI": "OPENAI_API_KEY",
+            "Groq": "GROQ_API_KEY",
+            "Google": "GOOGLE_API_KEY",
+        }
+        env_key = env_keys.get(key_name, "")
+        existing = os.environ.get(env_key, "")
+
+        if existing:
+            masked = existing[:8] + "..." + existing[-4:] if len(existing) > 12 else "***"
+            if questionary.confirm(
+                f"Found {key_name} key in ${env_key} ({masked}). Use it?",
+                default=True,
+                style=custom_style,
+            ).ask():
+                api_key = existing
+
+        if not api_key:
+            api_key = questionary.password(
+                f"Enter your {key_name} API key:",
+                style=custom_style,
+            ).ask()
+
+            if not api_key:
+                print("\n\033[31m✗\033[0m API key is required.", file=sys.stderr)
+                return 1
+
+    # Model selection
+    model = questionary.text(
+        "Model name:",
+        default=default_model,
+        style=custom_style,
+    ).ask()
+
+    if model is None:
+        return 1
+
+    # Bank ID
+    bank_id = questionary.text(
+        "Memory bank ID:",
+        default="default",
+        style=custom_style,
+    ).ask()
+
+    if bank_id is None:
+        return 1
+
+    # Save configuration
+    CONFIG_DIR.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+
+    with open(CONFIG_FILE, "w") as f:
+        f.write("# Hindsight Embed Configuration\n")
+        f.write(f"# Generated by hindsight-embed configure\n\n")
+        f.write(f"HINDSIGHT_EMBED_LLM_PROVIDER={provider}\n")
+        f.write(f"HINDSIGHT_EMBED_LLM_MODEL={model}\n")
+        f.write(f"HINDSIGHT_EMBED_BANK_ID={bank_id}\n")
+        if api_key:
+            f.write(f"HINDSIGHT_EMBED_LLM_API_KEY={api_key}\n")
+
+    CONFIG_FILE.chmod(0o600)
+
+    print()
+    print("\033[32m━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\033[0m")
+    print("\033[32m  ✓ Configuration saved!\033[0m")
+    print("\033[32m━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\033[0m")
+    print()
+    print(f"  \033[2mConfig:\033[0m {CONFIG_FILE}")
+    print()
+    print("  \033[2mTest with:\033[0m")
+    print('    \033[36mhindsight-embed retain "Test memory"\033[0m')
+    print('    \033[36mhindsight-embed recall "test"\033[0m')
+    print()
+
+    return 0
+
+
+async def _create_engine(config: dict, logger):
+    """Create and initialize the memory engine."""
+    logger.debug("Setting up environment variables...")
+
+    # Set hindsight-api environment variables from our config
+    if config["llm_api_key"]:
+        os.environ["HINDSIGHT_API_LLM_API_KEY"] = config["llm_api_key"]
+    if config["llm_provider"]:
+        os.environ["HINDSIGHT_API_LLM_PROVIDER"] = config["llm_provider"]
+    if config["llm_model"]:
+        os.environ["HINDSIGHT_API_LLM_MODEL"] = config["llm_model"]
+
+    logger.debug("Importing MemoryEngine...")
+
+    # Import after setting env vars
+    from hindsight_api import MemoryEngine
+    from hindsight_api.engine.task_backend import SyncTaskBackend
+
+    # Use pg0 embedded database
+    db_name = f"hindsight-embed-{config['bank_id']}"
+    logger.debug(f"Creating MemoryEngine with pg0://{db_name}")
+
+    # Use SyncTaskBackend to avoid background workers that prevent clean exit
+    memory = MemoryEngine(
+        db_url=f"pg0://{db_name}",
+        task_backend=SyncTaskBackend(),
+    )
+
+    logger.debug("Initializing engine...")
+    await memory.initialize()
+
+    logger.debug("Engine initialized")
+    return memory
+
+
+async def do_retain(args, config: dict, logger):
+    """Execute retain command."""
+    from hindsight_api.models import RequestContext
+
+    logger.info(f"Retaining memory: {args.content[:50]}...")
+
+    memory = await _create_engine(config, logger)
+
+    try:
+        logger.debug("Calling retain_batch_async...")
+        await memory.retain_batch_async(
+            bank_id=config["bank_id"],
+            contents=[{
+                "content": args.content,
+                "context": args.context or "general",
+            }],
+            request_context=RequestContext(),
+        )
+        msg = f"Stored memory: {args.content[:50]}..." if len(args.content) > 50 else f"Stored memory: {args.content}"
+        print(msg, flush=True)
+        return 0
+    except Exception as e:
+        logger.error(f"Retain failed: {e}", exc_info=True)
+        print(f"Error: {e}", file=sys.stderr)
+        return 1
+
+
+async def do_recall(args, config: dict, logger):
+    """Execute recall command."""
+    from hindsight_api.engine.memory_engine import Budget
+    from hindsight_api.engine.response_models import VALID_RECALL_FACT_TYPES
+    from hindsight_api.models import RequestContext
+
+    logger.info(f"Recalling with query: {args.query}")
+
+    memory = await _create_engine(config, logger)
+
+    try:
+        budget_map = {"low": Budget.LOW, "mid": Budget.MID, "high": Budget.HIGH}
+        budget_enum = budget_map.get(args.budget.lower(), Budget.LOW)
+
+        logger.debug(f"Calling recall_async with budget={budget_enum}...")
+        result = await memory.recall_async(
+            bank_id=config["bank_id"],
+            query=args.query,
+            fact_type=list(VALID_RECALL_FACT_TYPES),
+            budget=budget_enum,
+            max_tokens=args.max_tokens,
+            request_context=RequestContext(),
+        )
+
+        logger.debug(f"Recall returned {len(result.results)} results")
+
+        if result.results:
+            print("Memories found:", flush=True)
+            print("-" * 40, flush=True)
+            for fact in result.results:
+                print(f"- {fact.text}", flush=True)
+                if args.verbose and fact.occurred_start:
+                    print(f"  (Date: {fact.occurred_start})", flush=True)
+            print("-" * 40, flush=True)
+            print(f"Total: {len(result.results)} memories", flush=True)
+        else:
+            print("No relevant memories found.", flush=True)
+
+        return 0
+    except Exception as e:
+        logger.error(f"Recall failed: {e}", exc_info=True)
+        print(f"Error: {e}", file=sys.stderr)
+        return 1
+
+
+def main():
+    """Main entry point."""
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
+        description="Hindsight Embedded CLI - local memory operations without a server",
+        formatter_class=argparse.RawDescriptionHelpFormatter,
+        epilog="""
+Examples:
+    hindsight-embed configure                              # Interactive setup
+    hindsight-embed retain "User prefers dark mode"
+    hindsight-embed retain "Meeting on Monday" -c work
+    hindsight-embed recall "user preferences"
+    hindsight-embed recall "meetings" --budget high
+        """
+    )
+
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "--verbose", "-v",
+        action="store_true",
+        help="Enable verbose/debug logging"
+    )
+
+    subparsers = parser.add_subparsers(dest="command", help="Commands")
+
+    # Configure command
+    subparsers.add_parser("configure", help="Interactive configuration setup")
+
+    # Retain command
+    retain_parser = subparsers.add_parser("retain", help="Store a memory")
+    retain_parser.add_argument("content", help="The memory content to store")
+    retain_parser.add_argument(
+        "--context", "-c",
+        help="Category for the memory (e.g., 'preferences', 'work')",
+        default="general"
+    )
+
+    # Recall command
+    recall_parser = subparsers.add_parser("recall", help="Search memories")
+    recall_parser.add_argument("query", help="Search query")
+    recall_parser.add_argument(
+        "--budget", "-b",
+        choices=["low", "mid", "high"],
+        default="low",
+        help="Search budget level (default: low)"
+    )
+    recall_parser.add_argument(
+        "--max-tokens", "-m",
+        type=int,
+        default=4096,
+        help="Maximum tokens in results (default: 4096)"
+    )
+    recall_parser.add_argument(
+        "--verbose", "-v",
+        action="store_true",
+        help="Show additional details"
+    )
+
+    args = parser.parse_args()
+
+    # Setup logging
+    verbose = getattr(args, 'verbose', False)
+    logger = setup_logging(verbose)
+
+    if not args.command:
+        parser.print_help()
+        sys.exit(1)
+
+    # Handle configure separately (no config needed)
+    if args.command == "configure":
+        exit_code = do_configure(args)
+        sys.exit(exit_code)
+
+    config = get_config()
+
+    # Check for LLM API key
+    if not config["llm_api_key"]:
+        print("Error: LLM API key is required.", file=sys.stderr)
+        print("Run 'hindsight-embed configure' to set up.", file=sys.stderr)
+        sys.exit(1)
+
+    # Run the appropriate command
+    exit_code = 1
+    try:
+        if args.command == "retain":
+            exit_code = asyncio.run(do_retain(args, config, logger))
+        elif args.command == "recall":
+            exit_code = asyncio.run(do_recall(args, config, logger))
+        else:
+            parser.print_help()
+            exit_code = 1
+    except KeyboardInterrupt:
+        logger.debug("Interrupted")
+        exit_code = 130
+    except Exception as e:
+        logger.error(f"Unexpected error: {e}", exc_info=True)
+        print(f"Error: {e}", file=sys.stderr)
+        exit_code = 1
+
+    sys.exit(exit_code)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()
diff --git a/hindsight-embed/pyproject.toml b/hindsight-embed/pyproject.toml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..209fbc13
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hindsight-embed/pyproject.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+[build-system]
+requires = ["hatchling"]
+build-backend = "hatchling.build"
+
+[project]
+name = "hindsight-embed"
+version = "0.1.0"
+description = "Hindsight embedded CLI - local memory operations without a server"
+readme = "README.md"
+requires-python = ">=3.11"
+dependencies = [
+    "hindsight-api>=0.1.11",
+    "questionary>=2.0.0",
+]
+
+[project.scripts]
+hindsight-embed = "hindsight_embed.cli:main"
+
+[tool.hatch.build.targets.wheel]
+packages = ["hindsight_embed"]
+
+[tool.uv.sources]
+hindsight-api = { workspace = true }
diff --git a/hindsight-embed/test.sh b/hindsight-embed/test.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..c767b129
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hindsight-embed/test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+#
+# Simple smoke test for hindsight-embed CLI
+# Tests retain and recall operations with embedded PostgreSQL
+#
+
+set -e
+
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+
+echo "=== Hindsight Embed Smoke Test ==="
+
+# Check required environment
+if [ -z "$HINDSIGHT_EMBED_LLM_API_KEY" ]; then
+    echo "Error: HINDSIGHT_EMBED_LLM_API_KEY is required"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Use a unique bank ID for this test run
+export HINDSIGHT_EMBED_BANK_ID="test-$$-$(date +%s)"
+echo "Using bank ID: $HINDSIGHT_EMBED_BANK_ID"
+
+# Test 1: Retain a memory
+echo ""
+echo "Test 1: Retaining a memory..."
+OUTPUT=$(uv run --project "$SCRIPT_DIR" hindsight-embed retain "The user's favorite color is blue" 2>&1)
+echo "$OUTPUT"
+if ! echo "$OUTPUT" | grep -q "Stored memory"; then
+    echo "FAIL: Expected 'Stored memory' in output"
+    exit 1
+fi
+echo "PASS: Memory retained successfully"
+
+# Test 2: Recall the memory
+echo ""
+echo "Test 2: Recalling memories..."
+OUTPUT=$(uv run --project "$SCRIPT_DIR" hindsight-embed recall "What is the user's favorite color?" 2>&1)
+echo "$OUTPUT"
+if ! echo "$OUTPUT" | grep -qi "blue"; then
+    echo "FAIL: Expected 'blue' in recall output"
+    exit 1
+fi
+echo "PASS: Memory recalled successfully"
+
+# Test 3: Retain with context
+echo ""
+echo "Test 3: Retaining memory with context..."
+OUTPUT=$(uv run --project "$SCRIPT_DIR" hindsight-embed retain "User prefers Python over JavaScript" --context work 2>&1)
+echo "$OUTPUT"
+if ! echo "$OUTPUT" | grep -q "Stored memory"; then
+    echo "FAIL: Expected 'Stored memory' in output"
+    exit 1
+fi
+echo "PASS: Memory with context retained successfully"
+
+# Test 4: Recall with budget
+echo ""
+echo "Test 4: Recalling with budget..."
+OUTPUT=$(uv run --project "$SCRIPT_DIR" hindsight-embed recall "programming preferences" --budget mid 2>&1)
+echo "$OUTPUT"
+if ! echo "$OUTPUT" | grep -qi "python"; then
+    echo "FAIL: Expected 'Python' in recall output"
+    exit 1
+fi
+echo "PASS: Memory recalled with budget successfully"
+
+echo ""
+echo "=== All tests passed! ==="
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 46a0406b..35e413e7 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 [tool.uv.workspace]
-members = ["hindsight", "hindsight-api", "hindsight-dev", "hindsight-mcp-server", "hindsight-openai", "hindsight-langmem", "hindsight-clients/python"]
+members = ["hindsight", "hindsight-api", "hindsight-dev", "hindsight-mcp-server", "hindsight-openai", "hindsight-langmem", "hindsight-clients/python", "hindsight-embed"]
 
 [tool.uv]
 dev-dependencies = []
diff --git a/uv.lock b/uv.lock
index b06caba3..e92ca8ef 100644
--- a/uv.lock
+++ b/uv.lock
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ members = [
     "hindsight-api",
     "hindsight-client",
     "hindsight-dev",
+    "hindsight-embed",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -1488,6 +1489,21 @@ dev = [
     { name = "ty", specifier = ">=0.0.1" },
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "hindsight-embed"
+version = "0.1.0"
+source = { editable = "hindsight-embed" }
+dependencies = [
+    { name = "hindsight-api" },
+    { name = "questionary" },
+]
+
+[package.metadata]
+requires-dist = [
+    { name = "hindsight-api", editable = "hindsight-api" },
+    { name = "questionary", specifier = ">=2.0.0" },
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "httpcore"
 version = "1.0.9"
@@ -2899,6 +2915,18 @@ wheels = [
     { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/b8/db/14bafcb4af2139e046d03fd00dea7873e48eafe18b7d2797e73d6681f210/prometheus_client-0.23.1-py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:dd1913e6e76b59cfe44e7a4b83e01afc9873c1bdfd2ed8739f1e76aeca115f99", size = 61145 },
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "prompt-toolkit"
+version = "3.0.52"
+source = { registry = "https://pypi.org/simple" }
+dependencies = [
+    { name = "wcwidth" },
+]
+sdist = { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/a1/96/06e01a7b38dce6fe1db213e061a4602dd6032a8a97ef6c1a862537732421/prompt_toolkit-3.0.52.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:28cde192929c8e7321de85de1ddbe736f1375148b02f2e17edd840042b1be855", size = 434198 }
+wheels = [
+    { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/84/03/0d3ce49e2505ae70cf43bc5bb3033955d2fc9f932163e84dc0779cc47f48/prompt_toolkit-3.0.52-py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:9aac639a3bbd33284347de5ad8d68ecc044b91a762dc39b7c21095fcd6a19955", size = 391431 },
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "propcache"
 version = "0.4.1"
@@ -3604,6 +3632,18 @@ wheels = [
     { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/f1/12/de94a39c2ef588c7e6455cfbe7343d3b2dc9d6b6b2f40c4c6565744c873d/pyyaml-6.0.3-cp314-cp314t-win_arm64.whl", hash = "sha256:ebc55a14a21cb14062aa4162f906cd962b28e2e9ea38f9b4391244cd8de4ae0b", size = 149341 },
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "questionary"
+version = "2.1.1"
+source = { registry = "https://pypi.org/simple" }
+dependencies = [
+    { name = "prompt-toolkit" },
+]
+sdist = { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/f6/45/eafb0bba0f9988f6a2520f9ca2df2c82ddfa8d67c95d6625452e97b204a5/questionary-2.1.1.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:3d7e980292bb0107abaa79c68dd3eee3c561b83a0f89ae482860b181c8bd412d", size = 25845 }
+wheels = [
+    { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/3c/26/1062c7ec1b053db9e499b4d2d5bc231743201b74051c973dadeac80a8f43/questionary-2.1.1-py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:a51af13f345f1cdea62347589fbb6df3b290306ab8930713bfae4d475a7d4a59", size = 36753 },
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "redis"
 version = "7.1.0"
@@ -4925,6 +4965,15 @@ wheels = [
     { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/6e/d4/ed38dd3b1767193de971e694aa544356e63353c33a85d948166b5ff58b9e/watchfiles-1.1.1-pp311-pypy311_pp73-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl", hash = "sha256:3e6f39af2eab0118338902798b5aa6664f46ff66bc0280de76fca67a7f262a49", size = 457546 },
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "wcwidth"
+version = "0.2.14"
+source = { registry = "https://pypi.org/simple" }
+sdist = { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/24/30/6b0809f4510673dc723187aeaf24c7f5459922d01e2f794277a3dfb90345/wcwidth-0.2.14.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:4d478375d31bc5395a3c55c40ccdf3354688364cd61c4f6adacaa9215d0b3605", size = 102293 }
+wheels = [
+    { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/af/b5/123f13c975e9f27ab9c0770f514345bd406d0e8d3b7a0723af9d43f710af/wcwidth-0.2.14-py2.py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:a7bb560c8aee30f9957e5f9895805edd20602f2d7f720186dfd906e82b4982e1", size = 37286 },
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "websockets"
 version = "15.0.1"