# Memory Garden > Memory Garden Writer Skill - Skill: `dojogenesis/memory-garden` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 3 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add dojogenesis/memory-garden` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/dojogenesis/memory-garden/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools, Integrations & APIs, Marketing & Growth - Author: DojoGenesis (https://skillmd.com/u/dojogenesis) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/dojogenesis/memory-garden --- # Memory Garden Writer Skill **Version:** 1.0.1 **Created:** 2026-02-02 **Author:** Manus **Purpose:** Write structured, semantically rich memory entries for efficient context management --- ## Overview This skill encodes the pattern for writing memory entries that follow the **4-Tier Context Iceberg** and **Hierarchical Memory** principles. Use this skill to create memory entries that are easy to search, retrieve, and compress. **Philosophy:** Memory should be a garden, not a landfill. Cultivate what matters, compost what doesn't. --- ## Philosophy: A Garden, Not a Landfill Most memory systems fail the same way: they accumulate. Every session adds more entries, and the total context load grows until retrieval is slower than re-discovery. A garden metaphor is not decorative — it is structural. Gardens require pruning. Information that served its purpose gets composted into archives. What remains is cultivated: trimmed to its essential form, tagged for retrieval, and placed where it will be found when needed. The three-tier hierarchy enforces this discipline mechanically. Tier A is raw soil — capture everything, fast, without curation. Tier B is the garden proper — distilled, durable, maintained. Tier C is compost — historical record, rarely accessed, never the primary source of truth. Movement between tiers is always a compression step, never an expansion. The 3-month rule is the pruning criterion: if an entry would not matter in 3 months, it belongs in Tier C or nowhere. Apply it without sentiment. --- ## When to Use This Skill - Creating daily memory notes after a session - Writing compressed summaries of conversations - Extracting "seeds" (reusable insights) from experiences - Documenting decisions and their rationale - Maintaining the memory hierarchy (Tier A → Tier B → Tier C) --- ## Memory Hierarchy ### Tier A: Raw Daily Notes - **Location:** `memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md` - **Purpose:** Capture everything from today's session - **Lifespan:** 1-3 days before compression - **Format:** Timestamped entries with context ### Tier B: Curated Wisdom - **Location:** `MEMORY.md` (root level) - **Purpose:** Distilled insights, decisions, patterns - **Lifespan:** Permanent, but evolves - **Format:** Structured sections with triggers ### Tier C: Compressed Archive - **Location:** `memory/archive/YYYY-MM.md` - **Purpose:** Historical record, rarely accessed - **Lifespan:** Permanent, read-only - **Format:** Semantic summaries See [references/memory-templates.md](references/memory-templates.md) for the full templates for each tier. --- ## The "3-Month Rule" **Rule:** If it wouldn't matter in 3 months → compress or discard. **Keep:** - Decisions and their rationale - Lessons learned and patterns discovered - Seeds (reusable insights) - Significant events and outcomes **Compress:** - Routine activities ("worked on X") - Pleasantries and confirmations - Detailed step-by-step logs (keep summary only) **Discard:** - Duplicate information - Temporary notes that were resolved - Irrelevant tangents --- ## Semantic Compression Guidelines ### What to Keep (Verbatim) 1. **Decisions:** The choice, rationale, and context 2. **Insights:** Novel patterns or principles 3. **Seeds:** Reusable knowledge with triggers 4. **Failures:** What didn't work and why 5. **Breakthroughs:** Moments of clarity or innovation ### What to Summarize 1. **Activities:** "Worked on X, Y, Z" → "Implemented feature X" 2. **Discussions:** Long back-and-forth → Key points and outcome 3. **Research:** Detailed findings → Summary and conclusion 4. **Iterations:** Multiple attempts → Final approach and why ### What to Discard 1. **Pleasantries:** "Great work!" "Thank you!" (unless significant) 2. **Confirmations:** "Got it" "Understood" "Proceeding" 3. **Redundant logs:** Repeated information 4. **Resolved questions:** Questions that were answered and no longer relevant --- ## Memory Maintenance Cycle **Every 3-7 Days:** 1. **Review Tier A (Daily Notes):** - Identify seeds to extract - Identify decisions to document - Identify patterns to record 2. **Update Tier B (Curated Wisdom):** - Add new seeds, decisions, patterns - Update existing entries if needed - Remove deprecated information 3. **Compress to Tier C (Archive):** - Apply 3-month rule - Create semantic summary - Move to archive folder 4. **Prune:** - Delete raw daily notes older than 7 days (after compression) - Keep only what matters --- ## Quality Checklist Before finalizing a memory entry, verify: ### Daily Notes (Tier A) - [ ] Timestamped entries with context - [ ] Clear "What, Why, Outcome" structure - [ ] Insights and learnings captured - [ ] Decisions documented with rationale - [ ] Seeds extracted with triggers - [ ] Tags and metadata included ### Curated Memory (Tier B) - [ ] Principles are clear and actionable - [ ] Decisions include context and rationale - [ ] Patterns have evidence (3+ instances) - [ ] Seeds have clear triggers - [ ] Compression history is updated - [ ] Maintenance date is set ### Compressed Archive (Tier C) - [ ] Summary captures key events - [ ] Decisions and lessons are preserved - [ ] Seeds are extracted - [ ] Compression ratio is calculated - [ ] Original files are deleted after compression --- ## Common Pitfalls to Avoid - **Hoarding Everything:** Keeping every detail — compress ruthlessly - **Vague Insights:** "This was useful" — write "This pattern applies when X" - **Missing Triggers:** Seed without context — include clear "when to apply" - **No Maintenance:** Letting Tier A grow forever — compress every 3-7 days - **Duplicate Information:** Same thing in multiple places — single source of truth --- ## Output - **Tier A:** `memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md` — new or appended daily note with timestamped sections - **Tier B:** `MEMORY.md` — updated curated wisdom entry (principle, decision, or seed block) - **Tier C:** `memory/archive/YYYY-MM.md` — new monthly archive file with compression log --- ## Examples **Scenario 1:** User says "remember this pattern — always read before editing" → writes a Tier A seed entry under today's date with pattern, trigger, and one concrete example from the session. **Scenario 2:** User says "compress last week's notes into memory" → reads all Tier A files from the week, applies 3-month rule, writes a Tier B update to MEMORY.md with seeds and decisions retained, and marks Tier A files for deletion. --- ## Edge Cases - If no tier is specified, default to Tier A (daily note) and state the assumption. - If the user asks to "save" something that is already in MEMORY.md verbatim, note the duplicate and skip. - If Tier A is more than 7 days old without compression, prompt the user before writing more raw notes. --- ## Anti-Patterns - Writing a Tier B entry directly from raw conversation without distillation — always compress first. - Adding a seed without a trigger phrase — a seed without "when to apply" has no retrieval value. - Using this skill to store code or file content verbatim — memory entries hold insights and decisions, not raw code. --- **Related Skills:** - `specification-writer` - For documenting technical decisions - `seed-extraction` - For extracting reusable insights - `workspace-navigation` - For managing memory files efficiently --- **Last Updated:** 2026-02-02 **Maintained By:** Manus **Status:** Active