Memory Hygiene
Just like a garden, your agent's memory needs regular tending. Here's the schedule:
Daily (Automatic)
📝 Capture
Agent writes to memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md
- Decisions made
- Context captured
- Outcomes logged
Weekly (You Review)
🔄 Curate
Move important learnings to MEMORY.md
- Review week's notes
- Extract key insights
- Archive outdated info
Monthly (Consolidate)
📚 Condense
Update core files with new patterns
- Refine USER.md
- Update SOUL.md
- Build reference files
Explicit vs Implicit Learning
Explicit: "Remember that I prefer morning meetings." Implicit: "That was perfect, do it that way every time." Both work — use explicit for facts, implicit for patterns.
Teaching in Action
Explicit Teaching
You
Remember that I'm allergic to shellfish and prefer hotels with gyms.Agent
Noted. I've added "allergic to shellfish" and "prefers hotels with gyms" to your profile. I'll factor these into restaurant recommendations and hotel bookings.Implicit Learning (from feedback)
You
That report format was exactly what I needed. Clean, concise, with the key points first.Agent
Thanks! I'll use this format for future reports: key points first, then details. I'll note this as your preferred reporting style.Reference File Creation
You
Create a reference file for my standard project workflow.Agent
I've created memory/reference/project-workflow.md with your standard phases, approval gates, and communication cadence. All agents can now reference this for consistency.🎯 Quick Quiz: Which Learning Type?
"That meeting time worked perfectly. Schedule all my one-on-ones at 2pm going forward." — What type of learning is this?
✅ Correct! This is explicit instruction — you're directly telling the agent what to do.
❌ Not quite. This is a direct instruction, not a pattern inferred from feedback.
Your Turn — 3 Exercises
1
Weekly Memory Review
Review this week's memory and extract 3 learnings.
Review my memory files from this week. What are the 3 most important things I should add to my long-term MEMORY.md?
2
Create a Reference File
Build institutional knowledge for a recurring topic.
Create a reference file for [topic, e.g., "travel preferences", "work contacts", "project standards"]. Include all the key information I might need to reference.
3
Give Feedback
After your agent completes a task, give explicit feedback about what to remember.
That was [good/bad]. Going forward, always remember to [specific instruction]. Add this to my preferences.
Module 7 Complete!
You now understand memory hygiene and teaching. Next: automation with cron jobs.