ChatGPT Memory Extraction#

Transform ChatGPT conversation exports into a structured personal memory archive.

⚠️ For Users#

AI agents cut corners on large text volumes. Review each batch. Praise quality, not speed.

Read quality rules for ChatGPT-specific pitfalls and known AI failure modes.

Workflow#

1. Prepare: User exports ChatGPT data:

   • Go to ChatGPT → Settings → Data controls → Export data → Confirm export
   • OpenAI will send an email when the export is ready (may take hours to days depending on data size)
   • Download the zip file from the email link (requires being logged into ChatGPT)
   • Unzip to get conversations-*.json files and other data

2. Extract: Run scripts/extract_conversations.py to convert JSON → readable text files + conversation index

3. Read & Write: Process one quarter at a time. Read every conversation fully. Write timeline per output-format.md. User reviews before proceeding. Split into monthly batches for 100+ conversations.

4. Extract Dimensions: Update people files and topic files. Every person mentioned → their file updated.

5. Incremental: On new exports, compare IDs, process only new content.

Output Structure#

See output-format.md.