# Agent Memory Rules

## Goal

Make workspace memory maintenance part of the agent's normal job, not a separate optional workflow.

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## Default Agent Behavior

For any meaningful prompt, the agent should decide whether the interaction changes project memory.

This applies to:

- direct user prompts
- Mattermost sync results
- translated notes
- standup generation
- manager-update drafting
- debugging discussions
- corrections to previous understanding

The agent should not wait for a separate promotion command when the right update is already clear.

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## What Counts As Memory-Worthy

Capture information automatically when it is:

- project-relevant
- explicit enough to preserve safely
- likely to matter in a future session
- useful for standups, debugging, or supervisor communication

Examples:

- confirmed story creation, points, scope, or priority
- confirmed reproduction constraints
- newly clarified root cause framing
- approved manager guidance that changes work direction
- confirmed version, dependency, or rollout facts tied to current work
- corrections to previously stored project context

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## What The Agent Must Do

When new memory-worthy information appears, the agent should:

1. decide whether it is daily, current-state, durable, or decision-level context
2. update the smallest correct set of files
3. correct stale or conflicting existing statements
4. answer the user using the refreshed context

Do not ask the user what to promote unless the ambiguity is real and material.

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## File Selection

### `ai/logs/YYYY-MM-DD.md`

Default destination for:

- same-day progress
- same-day findings
- scoped reproduction notes
- story and approval movement
- context that is important now but may evolve later

### `ai/state/current.md`

Use when the fact changes the active work window, including:

- current priorities
- currently active story scope
- current blockers or debugging constraints
- manager direction that changes the next few days of work

### `ai/state/work-items.md`

Use for current Jira-linked work that should remain easy to reference across sessions, especially:

- Jira IDs
- approved or explicit titles
- currently relevant status notes
- current points or scope notes

This file should help standups and manager updates mention work items precisely.

### `ai/context/project.md`

Use for durable project knowledge that should survive beyond the current work window.

### `ai/context/people/jeff.md`

Use only when a communication preference or manager expectation becomes stable enough to reuse repeatedly.

### `ai/context/decisions/*.md`

Use for explicit confirmed decisions with ongoing impact.

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## What Not To Store

Do not store:

- tool failures
- sync attempts
- generic urgency messages
- duplicate paraphrases of the same fact
- weak guesses
- operational chatter that does not change project understanding

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## Correction Rule

If new information supersedes old memory:

- update the existing canonical file
- do not leave stale and corrected versions side by side
- preserve qualifiers if the fact is only partially confirmed

The agent should behave like a senior engineer maintaining project notes, not like a chat assistant accumulating transcripts.