abzhaw Agent Memory Systems
Memory Types
| Type | Duration | Storage | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-context | Single session | Message array | Current conversation |
| Working memory | Loop iteration | JSON file / queue | Bridge queue, task state |
| Long-term | Persistent | DB / vector store | User preferences, learnings |
| Episodic | Event-based | Log files | Past actions, audit trail |
Julia's Current Memory Architecture
Bridge queue.json ← in-flight messages (working memory)
backend Postgres ← task/log persistence (long-term)
orchestrator/src/prompt.ts ← static context injected each loop
.agent/skills/ ← Antigravity's knowledge base
adhd-agent/memory/ ← system health history
security-agent/memory/ ← security baselines and learnings
thesis/memory/ ← session buffer for thesis work
Patterns
Message Window Management
// Keep only last N turns to stay within context window
const MAX_MESSAGES = 20;
if (messages.length > MAX_MESSAGES) {
// Always keep system message at index 0
messages = [messages[0], ...messages.slice(-(MAX_MESSAGES - 1))];
}
Memory Consolidation (for long-running agents)
// Summarize old messages when approaching token limit
if (estimatedTokens(messages) > 100_000) {
const summary = await summarize(messages.slice(1, -10));
messages = [messages[0], { role: 'assistant', content: summary }, ...messages.slice(-10)];
}
Persistent Key-Value Memory
// Simple file-based memory for small agents
import fs from 'fs';
const MEMORY_FILE = './memory/state.json';
const load = () => JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(MEMORY_FILE, 'utf-8') || '{}');
const save = (data: object) => fs.writeFileSync(MEMORY_FILE, JSON.stringify(data, null, 2));
Best Practices
- Always namespace memory by agent name to avoid collisions
- Timestamp all memory entries for staleness detection
- Never store raw API keys or secrets in memory files
- Git-ignore memory directories with sensitive data