diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index dad142e..d9b4f77 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
-# LLM Wiki — Compounding Knowledge for AI Agents
+# memex — Compounding Knowledge for AI Agents
 
 A persistent, LLM-maintained knowledge base that sits between you and the
 sources it was compiled from. Unlike RAG — which re-discovers the same
-answers on every query — the wiki **gets richer over time**. Facts get
+answers on every query — memex **gets richer over time**. Facts get
 cross-referenced, contradictions get flagged, stale advice ages out and
 gets archived, and new knowledge discovered during a session gets written
 back so it's there next time.
@@ -11,7 +11,22 @@ The agent reads the wiki at the start of every session and updates it as
 new things are learned. The wiki is the long-term memory; the session is
 the working memory.
 
-> **Inspiration**: this combines the ideas from
+> **Why "memex"?** In 1945, Vannevar Bush wrote
+> [*As We May Think*](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1945/07/as-we-may-think/303881/)
+> describing a hypothetical machine called the **memex** (a portmanteau
+> of "memory" and "index") that would store and cross-reference a
+> person's entire library of books, records, and communications, with
+> "associative trails" linking related ideas. He imagined someone using
+> it would build up a personal knowledge web over a lifetime, and that
+> the trails themselves — the network of learned associations — were
+> more valuable than any individual document.
+>
+> Eighty years later, LLMs make the memex finally buildable. The
+> "associative trails" Bush imagined are the `related:` frontmatter
+> fields and wikilinks the agent maintains. This repo is one attempt
+> at that.
+
+> **Inspiration**: memex combines
 > [Andrej Karpathy's persistent-wiki gist](https://gist.github.com/karpathy/442a6bf555914893e9891c11519de94f)
 > and [milla-jovovich/mempalace](https://github.com/milla-jovovich/mempalace),
 > and adds an automation layer on top so the wiki maintains itself.
diff --git a/docs/SETUP.md b/docs/SETUP.md
index 69514ae..591fe1e 100644
--- a/docs/SETUP.md
+++ b/docs/SETUP.md
@@ -388,12 +388,12 @@ cat ~/projects/wiki/docs/examples/global-CLAUDE.md >> ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md
 
 This adds:
 - **Wake-Up Context** — read `context/wake-up.md` at session start
-- **LLM Wiki — When to Consult It** — query mode vs ingest mode rules
-- **LLM Wiki — How to Search It** — explicit guidance for all three qmd
+- **memex — When to Consult It** — query mode vs ingest mode rules
+- **memex — How to Search It** — explicit guidance for all three qmd
   collections (`wiki`, `wiki-archive`, `wiki-conversations`) with
   example queries for each
-- **Rules When Citing** — flag `confidence: low`, `status: pending`,
-  and archived pages to the user
+- **memex — Rules When Citing** — flag `confidence: low`,
+  `status: pending`, and archived pages to the user
 
 Together these give the agent a complete picture: how to maintain the
 wiki when working inside it, and how to consult it from anywhere else.
diff --git a/docs/examples/global-CLAUDE.md b/docs/examples/global-CLAUDE.md
index 3c69b25..23c29fc 100644
--- a/docs/examples/global-CLAUDE.md
+++ b/docs/examples/global-CLAUDE.md
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
-# Global Claude Code Instructions — Wiki Section
+# Global Claude Code Instructions — memex Section
 
 **What this is**: Content to add to your global `~/.claude/CLAUDE.md`
 (the user-level instructions Claude Code reads at the start of every
 session, regardless of which project you're in). These instructions tell
-Claude how to consult the wiki from outside the wiki directory.
+Claude how to consult memex from outside the wiki directory.
 
 **Where to paste it**: Append these sections to `~/.claude/CLAUDE.md`.
 Don't overwrite the whole file — this is additive.
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ At the start of each session, read `~/projects/wiki/context/wake-up.md`
 for a briefing on active projects, recent decisions, and current
 concerns. This provides conversation continuity across sessions.
 
-## LLM Wiki — When to Consult It
+## memex — When to Consult It
 
 **Before creating API endpoints, Docker configs, CI pipelines, or making
 architectural decisions**, check the wiki at `~/projects/wiki/` for
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ Human-initiated wiki writes go directly to the live wiki with
 `origin: manual`. Script-initiated writes go through `staging/` first.
 See the wiki's own `CLAUDE.md` for the full ingest protocol.
 
-## LLM Wiki — How to Search It
+## memex — How to Search It
 
 Use the `qmd` CLI for fast, structured search. DO NOT read `index.md`
 for large queries — it's only for full-catalog browsing. DO NOT grep the
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ Rarely needed, but for "find everything on this topic across time":
 qmd search "topic" -c wiki -c wiki-archive -c wiki-conversations --json -n 10
 ```
 
-## LLM Wiki — Rules When Citing
+## memex — Rules When Citing
 
 1. **Always use `--json`** for structured qmd output. Never try to parse
    prose.
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ qmd search "topic" -c wiki -c wiki-archive -c wiki-conversations --json -n 10
 6. **Prefer semantic search for conceptual queries**, keyword search for
    specific names/terms.
 
-## LLM Wiki — Quick Reference
+## memex — Quick Reference
 
 - `~/projects/wiki/CLAUDE.md` — Full wiki schema and operations (read this when working IN the wiki)
 - `~/projects/wiki/index.md` — Content catalog (browse the full wiki)
diff --git a/docs/examples/wiki-CLAUDE.md b/docs/examples/wiki-CLAUDE.md
index 654b189..39c4d01 100644
--- a/docs/examples/wiki-CLAUDE.md
+++ b/docs/examples/wiki-CLAUDE.md
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
-# LLM Wiki — Schema
+# memex — Schema
 
-This is a persistent, compounding knowledge base maintained by LLM agents.
-It captures the **why** behind patterns, decisions, and implementations —
-not just the what. Copy this file to the root of your wiki directory
-(i.e. `~/projects/wiki/CLAUDE.md`) and edit for your own conventions.
+This is a persistent, compounding knowledge base maintained by LLM
+agents. It captures the **why** behind patterns, decisions, and
+implementations — not just the what. Copy this file to the root of your
+wiki directory (i.e. `~/projects/wiki/CLAUDE.md`) and edit for your own
+conventions.
 
 > This is an example `CLAUDE.md` for the wiki root. The agent reads this
 > at the start of every session when working inside the wiki. It's the