Conductor Memory

Conductor Memory

Turn a working session into a durable memory pack so the next session starts already knowing the project, the decisions, the working style, and the exact next step. The expensive thing to lose between sessions isn't the code - it's the reasoning and context. This skill captures that and lands it where the next session will actually read it: an Obsidian vault and an optional session-memory pointer.

The work splits cleanly: scripts handle the deterministic scaffolding and checks; The active agent reads the session and synthesizes what mattered.

When to reach for this

Whenever a session produced decisions, state, or context worth carrying forward. the user may say it directly ("build conductor memory", "snapshot this") or it may just be the natural end of a substantial session. When in doubt, offer it.

What gets produced

A single timestamped pack folder containing:

• MEMORY_INDEX.md - the spine; a "resume here" pointer plus links to everything
• <project>_memory_conversation_summary.md - decisions, evolution, where we left off
• <project>_memory_artifacts_index.md - what was created and how it connects
• <project>_memory_communication_style.md - how to work with the user / persona
• <project>_memory_project_context.md - profile, stack, goals, success metrics
• <project>_memory_seed_data.json - the same content, machine-readable
• <project>_memory_personality.yaml - persona configuration
• <project>_memory_verification.md - how to confirm the pack is good
• <project>_memory_maintenance.md - the upkeep routine
• integration.py - places the pack into the vault + can update a session-memory

<project> defaults to conductor; override it for other projects.

The workflow

Five phases. Stop at each Checkpoint - they exist so a wrong assumption gets caught early instead of propagating through ten files.

Phase 0 - Locate the input and settle config

0.1 Find the source. Two cases:

• The live conversation (most common): synthesize from the current session's own context. No file to read - the conversation is the input.
• An exported transcript the user points to (.md, .json, etc.): read that file first, in full, before synthesizing.

If it's genuinely unclear which, ask one short question. Otherwise proceed.

0.2 Settle config. Defaults: project conductor, vault ~/your-vault, memory subdir Conductor/memory. These are starting points, not commitments - if the session is about a different project, use that project's name and paths. Only ask the user if something can't be reasonably inferred. You can pass overrides as flags (see Phase 1) or write a small JSON config from assets/config.example.json.

0.3 Pick where the pack is created.

• In Claude Code / a local environment with the vault reachable: create it in a working directory; integration will copy it into the vault in Phase 4.
• On claude.ai (no access to the user's machine): create it under /mnt/user-data/outputs/ so the user can download it, and treat Phase 4 integration as instructions for him to run locally rather than something you execute.

Checkpoint 0: You know the input source, the project name + paths, and where the pack will be written. If any of those is a guess that would be costly to get wrong, confirm before continuing.

Phase 1 - Scaffold the pack

Run the scaffold script. It creates the timestamped folder and writes the three boilerplate files (integration.py, verification, maintenance) with your config substituted in, so you never hand-write that boilerplate.

python scripts/scaffold_memory.py --output <where-to-create> \
  --project conductor --vault ~/your-vault --memory-subdir Conductor/memory \
  --resume-file ~/your-vault/Conductor/MEMORY_BANK.md

(Or --config path/to/config.json.) It prints JSON with pack_dir, project_name, and files_to_author. Read that output - those are the exact filenames and location for Phase 2.

Checkpoint 1: Scaffold printed a pack_dir and the list of files to author.

Phase 2 - Synthesize the content (the core)

This is the part that matters. Read references/templates.md for the structure of each authored file, then write them into pack_dir. Author all seven from files_to_author: the five prose files, the seed JSON, and the persona YAML.

Synthesis principles - these are what separate a useful pack from a useless one:

1. Write for the next session, not for an archive. The reader is a future agent or the user trying to resume. The "resume here" line in MEMORY_INDEX is the highest-leverage sentence in the whole pack - make it a specific next action, not a vague status.

2. Capture reasoning, not just outcomes. "Chose X" is half a memory. "Chose X over Y because Z" is the part that's expensive to reconstruct and the part that stops the next session from relitigating a settled call.

3. Derive style from the actual session. The communication-style and personality files should reflect what you observed working this session - specific patterns, not generic boilerplate. If nothing distinctive emerged, keep it short rather than padding.

4. Keep the structured files faithful to the prose. seed_data.json and personality.yaml are the same content in a machine shape, for a vector/MCP store later. Don't introduce facts there that aren't in the prose.

5. Describe working preferences, not diagnoses. Capture how the user likes to work (e.g. "prefers explicit checkpoints and numbered phases"). Don't infer or record clinical or personal-sensitive labels - observed preferences are what actually help the next session and keep the pack appropriate to share.

Checkpoint 2: All seven authored files exist in pack_dir, each filled with real synthesized content (no leftover _TODO_ placeholders).

Phase 3 - Verify

Run the validator. It objectively checks presence, that JSON/YAML parse and carry required keys, and that the prose files were actually filled in.

python scripts/validate_memory.py --dir <pack_dir>

If anything FAILs, fix it and re-run. Common misses: a _TODO_ left in MEMORY_INDEX, or seed_data.json missing next_tasks. The validator is the automated half of the verification checklist that's also written into the pack.

Checkpoint 3: Validator reports all checks passed.

Phase 4 - Integrate and report

If the vault is reachable (local / Claude Code), run the integration script that scaffold generated inside the pack:

python <pack_dir>/integration.py            # add --dry-run first to preview

It copies the pack into the vault's memory subdir, updates a rolling MEMORY_LOG, and refreshes a managed "Session Memory" block in the supplied resume file. Keep AGENTS.md as durable policy; use MEMORY_BANK.md or another session file for mutable state. The vector/MCP push is an opt-in stub (--push-store) - leave it off unless the user has wired a backend.

On claude.ai, don't try to reach the vault. Instead, present the pack files for download and tell the user the one command to run locally: python <pack_dir>/integration.py.

Then report briefly: where the pack is, the "resume here" line, and any FAIL the validator flagged that you couldn't resolve. Keep it short - the pack is the deliverable, not a long write-up about it.

Notes

• Idempotent-ish: re-running for the same project+date overwrites that day's boilerplate but won't clobber a different session's pack (folders are timestamped, and --session-label adds a slug to disambiguate same-day runs).
• Other projects: nothing here is conductor-specific except the defaults. Pass --project, --vault, --memory-subdir, --resume-file for any project.
• Don't over-capture: a throwaway exploratory session may not be worth a pack. Memory is for continuity, not a log of everything. Smaller, denser packs beat many shallow ones.
• Files referenced here: scripts/scaffold_memory.py, scripts/validate_memory.py, references/templates.md, assets/config.example.json, assets/templates/ (boilerplate sources).

Next steps: This skill is the close-bookend for substantive sessions. After the pack lands, suggest session-continuity as the matching open skill for the next session — pointing at the resume line is exactly the retrieval it's built for. Skip the suggestion when the snapshot is for archival only and no follow-up session is planned.