@@ -131,6 +131,15 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/).
   immediately after `CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS`. `detach_database`
   clears the alias's entry so a re-attach to a different file isn't
   served stale.
+- **Cross-process catalog write safety via optimistic concurrency.**
+  `upsert_stub_in` now uses UPDATE-then-conditional-INSERT instead
+  of DELETE+INSERT in a transaction. Each statement is individually
+  atomic at the `hyperd` level, so multiple MCP server processes
+  sharing the same persistent database via the daemon can no longer
+  produce duplicate `_table_catalog` rows from concurrent ingests.
+  The UPDATE path also eliminates one round-trip (the pre-read of the
+  existing row to preserve prose fields — UPDATE preserves them
+  implicitly by only touching mechanical columns).
 
 ### Fixed
 
 
@@ -10,17 +10,31 @@ Built on the pure-Rust [`hyperdb-api`](../hyperdb-api/) crate for maximum perfor
 
 LLMs are powerful at reasoning but cannot natively crunch millions of rows. This plugin bridges that gap: another MCP tool produces data, the LLM passes it to `hyperdb-mcp`, Hyper ingests it and makes it SQL-queryable, the LLM runs analytical SQL, and results come back as JSON. Optionally export to CSV, Parquet, Apache Iceberg, Arrow IPC, or `.hyper` (opens directly in **Tableau Desktop**).
 
+### Queryable Memory for AI
+
+Unlike flat-text memory systems that store blobs and retrieve by similarity search, HyperDB gives LLMs **structured, queryable long-term memory**. The persistent database survives across sessions — anything the LLM stores there can be JOINed, filtered, aggregated, and reasoned over with full SQL in any future conversation.
+
+This means an LLM can:
+- **Accumulate knowledge over time** — store reference tables, project decisions, user preferences, learned facts
+- **Cross-reference across sessions** — JOIN today's analysis against historical data from last week
+- **Answer complex recall questions** — "Which projects had budget overruns in Q1?" is a SQL query, not a fuzzy text search
+- **Build on prior work** — load yesterday's cleaned dataset and extend it without re-processing from scratch
+- **Maintain structured context** — store relationship graphs, timelines, or decision logs as proper tables with typed columns
+
+The ephemeral database is scratch space (think: a whiteboard). The persistent database is long-term memory (think: a filing cabinet you can query). Multiple AI clients sharing the same daemon see the same persistent data — so Claude Code, Cursor, and VS Code Copilot can all read from and contribute to the same knowledge base.
+
 ---
 
 ## Features
 
 - **Zero setup** — `HyperProcess` auto-starts the Hyper server
 - **Shared `hyperd` daemon** — one Hyper process per user, shared across all MCP clients (Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, etc.) for reduced memory overhead and concurrent access to the same persistent databases
+- **Queryable long-term memory** — persistent database survives across sessions; LLMs can store, recall, JOIN, and aggregate structured knowledge over time — not just retrieve text blobs, but reason over them with SQL
 - **Any data in** — JSON, CSV, Parquet, Arrow IPC, Apache Iceberg; schema inferred or exact
 - **SQL at scale** — thousands to billions of rows
 - **Data out** — export to CSV, Parquet, Apache Iceberg, Arrow IPC, or `.hyper` (Tableau Desktop-ready)
 - **One-shot queries** — `query_file("/tmp/sales.csv", "SELECT ...")` — single call, zero management
-- **Persistent workspace** — load multiple tables, JOIN across them, persist across sessions
+- **Cross-session continuity** — load multiple tables, JOIN across them, persist across sessions; pick up exactly where you left off
 - **Read-only safe mode** — `--read-only` flag for safe deployment
 - **Schema resources** — auto-discover table schemas via `resources/list`
 - **Guided prompts** — `analyze-table`, `compare-tables`, `data-quality`, `suggest-queries`
@@ -163,7 +177,7 @@ Any tool that supports the MCP stdio transport can use this server. Point it at
 
 ## Operating Modes
 
-Each session has **two databases**: an ephemeral primary (always created fresh per session, deleted on exit) and a persistent attachment (stored at the platform-default location or a path you supply). Unqualified SQL targets the ephemeral primary; the persistent attachment is reachable as the `"persistent"` alias and survives across sessions.
+Each session has **two databases**: an ephemeral primary (scratch space — always created fresh per session, deleted on exit) and a persistent database (queryable long-term memory — stored at the platform-default location or a path you supply, survives indefinitely). Unqualified SQL targets the ephemeral primary; the persistent database is reachable as the `"persistent"` alias.
 
 ### Hyper engine
 
@@ -186,7 +200,7 @@ The shared daemon is the bigger win for users running multiple AI clients (Claud
 
 ### Working with both databases
 
-Tool calls default to the ephemeral primary — that's the LLM's scratch space for exploratory work. There are two ways to reach the persistent attachment:
+Tool calls default to the ephemeral primary — that's the LLM's scratch space for exploratory work that doesn't need to outlive the session. To store data in long-term memory (the persistent database), there are two ways to reach it:
 
 **1. Per-tool `database` parameter** (preferred for ergonomic LLM workflows):
 
 
@@ -27,23 +27,52 @@ or shell pipelines: it parses files faster, runs SQL natively, and keeps
 intermediate state in a workspace database the LLM can re-query without
 re-loading.
 
-## Workspace model
+## Workspace model — queryable memory
 
 Every session has TWO databases, plus optional user-attached ones:
 
 - **Ephemeral primary** (default destination). Created fresh per
-  session, deleted on exit. Unqualified SQL routes here. Use for
-  scratch work and intermediate transformations the user doesn't
-  need to keep.
-- **Persistent attachment** under alias `\"persistent\"`. Survives
-  across sessions at the platform-default path (or override via
-  `--persistent-db`). Use when the user wants the data to stick
-  around. Disabled when the server runs with `--ephemeral-only`.
+  session, deleted on exit. Unqualified SQL routes here. Use as
+  scratch space for exploratory work, intermediate transformations,
+  and one-off analysis the user doesn't need to keep.
+- **Persistent database** (alias `\"persistent\"`). Survives across
+  sessions — this is your **long-term structured memory**. Store
+  reference tables, accumulated results, user preferences, learned
+  facts, or any data you want to recall in future conversations.
+  Unlike flat-text memory, persistent data is **queryable**: you can
+  JOIN, filter, aggregate, and reason over it with SQL. Disabled
+  when the server runs with `--ephemeral-only`.
 - **User-attached writable databases** via `attach_database` with
   `writable: true`. Each lives in its own `.hyper` file under a
   user-chosen alias.
 
-Pick a destination in one of two ways:
+### Persistent as memory — when and how to use it
+
+Store data in persistent whenever:
+- The user says \"remember this\", \"save this\", \"keep this\"
+- You produce a useful reference table (lookups, configs, mappings)
+- You accumulate results across multiple conversations
+- You want to recall context in future sessions
+
+Retrieve from persistent whenever:
+- You need context from a prior session
+- The user asks \"what do we have?\" or \"show me what's saved\"
+- You want to JOIN current scratch work against historical data
+
+```
+// Save something for later
+load_data({ table: \"project_decisions\", data: \"[...]\", persist: true })
+
+// Recall it next session
+query({ sql: \"SELECT * FROM project_decisions\", database: \"persistent\" })
+
+// Cross-reference: join session scratch with persistent memory
+query({ sql: \"SELECT s.*, p.decision FROM scratch_analysis s \
+              JOIN \\\"persistent\\\".\\\"public\\\".\\\"project_decisions\\\" p \
+              ON s.topic = p.topic\" })
+```
+
+### Routing data to a destination
 
 - **`database` parameter** (preferred for tools that build their own
   SQL): `query`, `execute`, `load_data`, `load_file`, `load_files`,
 
@@ -34,10 +34,10 @@ use rmcp::handler::server::router::tool::ToolRouter;
 use rmcp::handler::server::wrapper::Parameters;
 use rmcp::model::{
     AnnotateAble, CallToolResult, Content, GetPromptRequestParams, GetPromptResult, Implementation,
-    ListPromptsResult, ListResourceTemplatesResult, ListResourcesResult, PaginatedRequestParams,
-    PromptMessage, PromptMessageRole, RawResource, RawResourceTemplate, ReadResourceRequestParams,
-    ReadResourceResult, ResourceContents, ServerCapabilities, ServerInfo, SubscribeRequestParams,
-    UnsubscribeRequestParams,
+    InitializeRequestParams, InitializeResult, ListPromptsResult, ListResourceTemplatesResult,
+    ListResourcesResult, PaginatedRequestParams, PromptMessage, PromptMessageRole, RawResource,
+    RawResourceTemplate, ReadResourceRequestParams, ReadResourceResult, ResourceContents,
+    ServerCapabilities, ServerInfo, SubscribeRequestParams, UnsubscribeRequestParams,
 };
 use rmcp::service::RequestContext;
 use rmcp::{
@@ -827,6 +827,10 @@ pub struct HyperMcpServer {
     no_daemon: bool,
     /// Last time a heartbeat was sent to the daemon (debounced to avoid per-call TCP overhead).
     last_heartbeat: std::sync::Mutex<std::time::Instant>,
+    /// MCP client name from the `initialize` handshake (e.g. "Claude Code",
+    /// "cursor-mcp-client"). Populated once per session; used for catalog
+    /// provenance tracking (`created_by` / `last_modified_by`).
+    client_name: std::sync::Mutex<Option<String>>,
     // Under rmcp 1.x the router fields are constructed for downstream
     // macro-generated dispatch but not read through a direct field access
     // that the compiler can see. Keep them; the `#[tool_router]` /
@@ -899,6 +903,7 @@ impl HyperMcpServer {
             read_only,
             no_daemon,
             last_heartbeat: std::sync::Mutex::new(std::time::Instant::now()),
+            client_name: std::sync::Mutex::new(None),
             tool_router: Self::tool_router(),
             prompt_router: Self::prompt_router(),
         }
@@ -942,6 +947,12 @@ impl HyperMcpServer {
         self.subscriptions.notify_list_changed();
     }
 
+    /// The MCP client name from the `initialize` handshake, or `None` if
+    /// the handshake hasn't completed yet. Used for catalog provenance.
+    fn client_name(&self) -> Option<String> {
+        self.client_name.lock().ok().and_then(|g| g.clone())
+    }
+
     /// Return a clone of the engine Arc so background tasks (watchers) can
     /// share access to the same lazy-initialized engine instance.
     #[must_use]
@@ -1129,10 +1140,6 @@ impl HyperMcpServer {
     /// their own per-DB catalog. Read-only attachments are rejected
     /// upstream by `resolve_db(require_writable=true)` so this helper
     /// never sees them.
-    #[expect(
-        clippy::unused_self,
-        reason = "&self required for method-call dispatch; body uses only engine + params"
-    )]
     fn after_ingest_catalog_update(
         &self,
         engine: &Engine,
@@ -1150,6 +1157,7 @@ impl HyperMcpServer {
             row_count,
             true,
             target_db,
+            self.client_name().as_deref(),
         ) {
             tracing::warn!(
                 table = %table_name,
@@ -3839,6 +3847,25 @@ Full SQL reference: https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/data/data-cloud-query-
         info
     }
 
+    async fn initialize(
+        &self,
+        request: InitializeRequestParams,
+        context: RequestContext<RoleServer>,
+    ) -> Result<InitializeResult, rmcp::ErrorData> {
+        let name = &request.client_info.name;
+        let version = &request.client_info.version;
+        let label = if version.is_empty() {
+            name.clone()
+        } else {
+            format!("{name} {version}")
+        };
+        if let Ok(mut guard) = self.client_name.lock() {
+            *guard = Some(label);
+        }
+        context.peer.set_peer_info(request);
+        Ok(self.get_info())
+    }
+
     /// Handle a `resources/subscribe` request by recording the calling
     /// peer in the registry under the requested URI.
     ///