Worker fails to start on fresh install: database not created

Problem Statement

After a fresh installation of Claude Code and the claude-mem plugin, the worker fails to start. Users encounter worker startup errors in the plugin log and SessionStart:startup hook errors in Claude Code when starting a new session. Investigation shows the database file (claude-mem.db) was never created, despite the data directory existing.

Environment

• Claude-mem: 9.0.10
• Claude Code: 2.1.19
• Node.js: v25.2.1
• Bun: not installed
• OS: macOS 15.6.1 (arm64)
• Platform: darwin

Paths:

• Plugin: ~/.claude/plugins/marketplaces/thedotmack
• Data Directory: ~/.claude-mem
• Database Path: ~/.claude-mem/claude-mem.db

Configuration:

• Settings file exists at ~/.claude-mem/settings.json
• Model: claude-sonnet-4-5
• Worker Port: 37777
• Worker Host: 127.0.0.1
• Log Level: INFO

Steps to Reproduce

1. Install Claude Code following official instructions
2. Install claude-mem plugin following official instructions
3. Start a new Claude Code session

Expected Behavior

• Claude-mem worker starts successfully
• Database file is created at ~/.claude-mem/claude-mem.db
• No errors appear in Claude Code or plugin logs
• SessionStart hook completes without errors

Actual Behavior

• Worker fails to start
• Database file is never created (~/.claude-mem/claude-mem.db does not exist)
• Data directory exists but is empty/incomplete
• Worker status shows as "Not Running"
• SessionStart:startup hook errors appear in Claude Code
• Worker startup errors appear in plugin logs

Additional Context

This appears to be an initialization issue where the database is not being created during the first-time setup process. The settings file is successfully created, but the database initialization step is failing or being skipped, preventing the worker from starting.