Memory Copilot Slim Initiative Changes

Memory Copilot Slim Initiative Changes

Summary

Refactored Memory Copilot to store minimal initiative data (pointers only), with detailed task data expected to live in Task Copilot. This reduces context bloat when /continue loads initiatives.

Changes Made

1. Database Schema (v2 Migration)

New columns added to initiatives and initiatives_archive:

• task_copilot_linked (INTEGER) - Whether initiative is linked to Task Copilot
• active_prd_ids (TEXT) - JSON array of active PRD IDs
• current_focus (TEXT) - Current work focus (max 100 chars)
• next_action (TEXT) - Next action to take (max 100 chars)

Existing columns retained for backward compatibility:

• completed, in_progress, blocked, resume_instructions (marked DEPRECATED)

Migration: Automatic on first run. Version bumped from 1 to 2.

2. Type Definitions

Updated Initiative interface (src/types.ts):

interface Initiative {
  // NEW: Task Copilot integration
  taskCopilotLinked?: boolean;
  activePrdIds?: string[];

  // NEW: Slim resume context
  currentFocus?: string;   // Max 100 chars
  nextAction?: string;     // Max 100 chars

  // DEPRECATED (but kept)
  completed: string[];
  inProgress: string[];
  blocked: string[];
  resumeInstructions?: string;
}

Added new input/output types:

• InitiativeSlimInput - Input for slim operation
• InitiativeSlimOutput - Output with savings metrics

3. New Tool: initiative_slim

Purpose: Slim down bloated initiatives by removing task lists

Input:

{
  "archiveDetails": true  // Archive removed data to file (default: true)
}

Output:

{
  "initiativeId": "abc-123",
  "archived": true,
  "archivePath": "~/.claude/memory/archives/abc-123_2025-01-15_pre_slim.json",
  "removedFields": ["completed", "inProgress", "blocked", "resumeInstructions"],
  "beforeSize": 2400,
  "afterSize": 600,
  "savings": "75% reduction"
}

Behavior:

• Archives removed data to ~/.claude/memory/archives/{id}_pre_slim.json
• Removes: completed, inProgress, blocked, resumeInstructions
• Keeps: decisions, lessons, keyFiles (permanent knowledge)
• Resets Task Copilot fields to defaults

4. Enhanced initiative_update

New fields accepted:

• taskCopilotLinked (boolean)
• activePrdIds (string[])
• currentFocus (string, auto-truncated to 100 chars)
• nextAction (string, auto-truncated to 100 chars)

Backward compatibility:

• Still accepts deprecated fields (completed, inProgress, etc.)
• Warns to console if completed array exceeds 10 items

5. Enhanced initiative_get

New behavior:

• Adds hint to output if initiative is bloated (>10 tasks or >200 char resume)
• Hint text: "HINT: This initiative has bloated task lists. Consider using initiative_slim to reduce context usage."

6. Documentation Updates

README.md:

• Added "Initiative Structure" section explaining slim vs legacy modes
• Added usage examples for slim workflow
• Updated tool descriptions

Files Modified

1. src/types.ts - Added new fields and types
2. src/db/schema.ts - Added new columns, v2 migration
3. src/db/client.ts - Updated upsert/archive to handle new columns, migration logic
4. src/tools/initiative-tools.ts - Added initiativeSlim, updated conversion functions
5. src/tools/index.ts - Exported new function
6. src/index.ts - Added tool definition and handler
7. README.md - Documentation updates

Backward Compatibility

• Existing initiatives continue to work unchanged
• Old fields (completed, etc.) are retained in database
• Migration is automatic and non-destructive
• initiative_slim provides opt-in migration path

Token Savings

Before (bloated initiative):

• 50+ completed tasks
• 5-10 in-progress tasks
• Verbose resume instructions
• Total: ~2000-3000 tokens

After (slim initiative):

• Task Copilot pointers only
• 100 char focus/action strings
• Decisions/lessons retained
• Total: ~500-800 tokens

Typical savings: 60-75% reduction in context usage

Testing

To test the changes:

1. Start initiative: initiative_start
2. Add some tasks using legacy fields: initiative_update with completed, inProgress
3. Check for hint: initiative_get (should show bloat warning if >10 items)
4. Slim it down: initiative_slim
5. Verify reduction: Check beforeSize vs afterSize in output
6. Confirm archive: Check file at archivePath
7. Test new fields: initiative_update with currentFocus, nextAction

Migration Guide

For Existing Initiatives

# 1. Get current initiative to see size
claude tool initiative_get

# 2. Slim it down (archives to file first)
claude tool initiative_slim '{"archiveDetails": true}'

# 3. Update with new slim fields
claude tool initiative_update '{
  "taskCopilotLinked": true,
  "activePrdIds": ["PRD-001"],
  "currentFocus": "Implementing Phase 2",
  "nextAction": "Run task TASK-123"
}'

For New Initiatives

# Use slim mode from the start
claude tool initiative_start '{"name": "New Feature", "goal": "Build it"}'
claude tool initiative_update '{
  "currentFocus": "Starting Phase 1",
  "nextAction": "Create PRD"
}'

Next Steps

1. Update /continue command to use slim fields when resuming
2. Integrate with Task Copilot for seamless task management
3. Consider deprecation timeline for legacy fields (future v3)