2.9 KiB
Agent Memory Rules
Goal
Make workspace memory maintenance part of the agent's normal job, not a separate optional workflow.
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.
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
What The Agent Must Do
When new memory-worthy information appears, the agent should:
- decide whether it is daily, current-state, durable, or decision-level context
- update the smallest correct set of files
- correct stale or conflicting existing statements
- answer the user using the refreshed context
Do not ask the user what to promote unless the ambiguity is real and material.
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/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.
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
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.