# Memory > Use when the user says remember, forget, recall, or asks what do you know about something, or wants to save a correction, preference, or durable fact for a future session. Triggers: remember, forget, recall, memory, save this, store this, what do you know about, what did we discuss. Not for: session-scoped notes that don't need to persist (keep those in context); not for storing files (write files to the project directory instead). Memory here is plain files under `./memory/` and `./rules/`, read and edited directly; there is no memory API and no separate memory tool to call. - Skill: `scalably-io/memory` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add scalably-io/memory` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/scalably-io/memory/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Integrations & APIs - License: MIT - Author: scalably-io (https://skillmd.com/u/scalably-io) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/scalably-io/memory --- # Memory (File-Based) ## What it does Gives an agent durable memory across sessions using nothing but plain files under `./memory/` and `./rules/` (no database, no vector store, no memory API). On "remember X" it files the fact in the right place (a mandatory rule, a topic file, or the current week's notes); on "what do you know about X" it reads the tree in a fixed order instead of grepping everything; on "forget X" it removes or retires the fact cleanly, never leaving a second contradicting copy behind. The `memory-system` skill defines the tree layout, file formats, and size caps this skill files things into; install both together. ## Requirements - The `memory-system` skill (same plugin): defines the file layout, format, and caps this skill reads and writes against. - A memory directory as defined by the memory-system skill (default `./memory`). - Optional: a way to search prior session transcripts or chat logs by keyword, for facts the tree doesn't already have. Free option: `grep` over your runtime's saved session logs, if it keeps any; otherwise skip this step and rely on the tree alone. ## Inputs and outputs | | | |---|---| | Input | A chat message containing a remember/forget/recall cue, or a fact, preference, or correction stated in passing | | Output | Remember/forget: an edit to `./rules/learned-corrections.md` or a file under `./memory/` (in place, never a second, contradicting copy). Recall: an answer delivered in chat, sourced from the tree, never invented | ## Worked example Paste into Claude Code with this skill (and `memory-system`) installed, in a project that already has a `./memory/` tree set up per the memory-system skill: ```text remember that the staging DB is reset every Monday ``` Expected: no existing file already covers this, so the fact is filed as a new line under `## Pending` in `./rules/learned-corrections.md`: ``` - The staging DB is reset every Monday. ``` No confirmation is shown beyond normal conversation: filing happens silently, and a later "what do you know about the staging DB" recalls it from that file. ## Procedure ### Where memory lives | Layer | Where | You | |---|---|---| | Essentials, every turn | `./memory/profile.md`, `./memory/index.md`, `./memory/weekly-summary.md`, `./rules/learned-corrections.md` | some runtimes inject these automatically into context; if yours doesn't, read them yourself before answering a recall question or filing a new fact; never name the plumbing to the user | | Mandatory rules | `./rules/learned-corrections.md` | follow ALL of it, `## Pending` included (binding immediately); append new rules to `## Pending` | | Deep detail | `./memory/` tree (`people/ projects/ clients/ reference/`) | read on demand via `./memory/index.md` | | Raw history | `./memory/daily/*.md` + prior session transcripts (keyword search) | search when the answer isn't in the tree | ### Recall: "what do you know about X?" 1. Check context first; if your runtime injects the essentials automatically, it usually already has the answer. 2. Read `./memory/index.md` → open the matching tree file (the index line's summary tells you which). One read, not a scan. 3. Still nothing → grep `./memory/daily/` for the term, or search prior session transcripts by keyword if your runtime keeps any. 4. Genuinely absent → say you don't have it recorded. Never invent. Answer naturally. Never mention files, injection, or memory structure to the user: "I'll remember that" / "here's what I know", not the mechanics. ### Remember: saving something Decide silently; never tell the user whether or where you are saving. - **Correction or standing instruction** ("always X", "never Y", output format, hard boundary) → append ONE line to `./rules/learned-corrections.md` under `## Pending`: `- `. The memory-system skill's periodic maintenance routine integrates it into the mandatory rules. - **Durable fact** (person, project state, client detail, workflow deviation) → update the matching file under `./memory/` IN PLACE (find it via `index.md`; restamp its `updated:` line). If a fact changed, rewrite the old line; never append a contradicting second version. - **New topic with no matching file** → create it under the right folder (`people/ projects/ clients/ reference/`) with the standard frontmatter (`title`, `type`, `summary` ≤160 chars, `updated`) and add its line to `./memory/index.md`. - **Unsure where it goes** → the `## Pending` drop-box under `./rules/learned-corrections.md` is always safe; the periodic maintenance routine files it correctly. Do NOT store: greetings, one-time events (the daily log already has them), anything an external tracker (a spreadsheet, a task board) already tracks, or workflow mechanics a skill already defines; store only the user's deviations and preferences. ### Forget: removing something On an explicit "forget X": find it (index → file), delete the line or mark the rule retired, and confirm plainly. For `learned-corrections.md` rules, move the rule to the corrections log's `## Retired` section instead of silently deleting; see the memory-system skill for that file's location and format. ### Hard rules - Supersede by editing, never by appending a second generation. - A periodic maintenance pass (see the `memory-system` skill) enforces caps and structure; your job in the moment is only correct filing.