MemoryStoreNotConfiguredError
semantic_kernel.exceptions.MemoryStoreNotConfiguredError
Stack trace
semantic_kernel.exceptions.MemoryStoreNotConfiguredError: Memory store is not configured. Please configure a memory store before using memory features.
File "app.py", line 42, in main
kernel.memory.get("myMemory") # triggers error
File "semantic_kernel/memory/__init__.py", line 58, in get
raise MemoryStoreNotConfiguredError("Memory store is not configured.") Why it happens
Semantic Kernel requires a memory store backend to persist and retrieve memory data. This error occurs when the kernel's memory store is not set up or initialized before accessing memory features. Without a configured memory store, memory operations cannot function.
Detection
Check if the kernel's memory store attribute is None or uninitialized before calling memory methods. Add logging or assertions to verify memory store setup during startup.
Causes & fixes
No memory store backend was configured or registered with the kernel instance.
Initialize and register a supported memory store (e.g., VolatileMemoryStore, AzureMemoryStore) with the kernel before using memory features.
Memory store configuration code was skipped or failed silently during kernel setup.
Ensure the memory store setup code runs successfully and handle exceptions during initialization to avoid silent failures.
Using an outdated or incompatible Semantic Kernel version missing memory store support.
Upgrade Semantic Kernel to a version that supports memory stores and follow the updated configuration patterns.
Code: broken vs fixed
from semantic_kernel import Kernel
kernel = Kernel()
# Missing memory store configuration
memory = kernel.memory.get("myMemory") # triggers MemoryStoreNotConfiguredError
print(memory)import os
from semantic_kernel import Kernel
from semantic_kernel.memory import VolatileMemoryStore
os.environ["SEMANTIC_KERNEL_API_KEY"] = os.environ.get("SEMANTIC_KERNEL_API_KEY", "your_api_key_here") # example environment setup
kernel = Kernel()
memory_store = VolatileMemoryStore() # configure a memory store
kernel.memory.set_memory_store(memory_store) # register memory store
memory = kernel.memory.get("myMemory") # now works without error
print(memory)Workaround
Wrap memory access calls in try/except MemoryStoreNotConfiguredError and provide fallback logic or initialize a default in-memory store dynamically.
Prevention
Always configure and register a memory store backend during kernel initialization to ensure memory features are available and avoid runtime errors.