github-aw-memory

name	github-aw-memory
description	Guide for persistent memory strategies in agentic workflows. You MUST load this skill when designing workflows that persist state across runs via cache-memory, repo-memory, or comment-memory.
license	MIT

Skill github-aw-memory

Persistent memory strategy for GitHub Agentic Workflows (cache-memory, repo-memory, comment-memory).

WHEN TO USE

• To persist workflow state across multiple runs (e.g., maintaining a daily progress tracker).
• When a workflow needs to remember which PRs or issues it has already processed to avoid duplicate work.
• To store configuration baselines or operational notes (using repo-memory) that must survive cache expiration.

WHEN NOT TO USE

• When the state can be trivially derived from existing GitHub abstractions (e.g., checking if a label exists instead of writing a memory file).
• For storing highly sensitive secrets or credentials (use GitHub Secrets instead).
• If the workflow runs completely statelessly and completes all processing in a single run.

Common Pitfalls

• Colons in Filenames: Using timestamps with colons (like 2026-05-01-12:00:00) as cache keys, which instantly breaks the artifact upload on Windows runners.
• Cache Eviction: Relying on cache-memory for long-term storage, forgetting that GitHub automatically deletes caches after 7 days of inactivity.
• Noisy Commits: Using repo-memory for ephemeral per-run state, polluting the Git history with hundreds of tiny, meaningless commits.

Core Principles

• Prefer Built-in History: Rely on Git history, issue timelines, and graph links before writing new persistent files. Store only stable watermarks (SHA, updated_at).
• Default to cache-memory: Use for deduplication, incremental processing, and metric baselines. It avoids repository noise but expires (default 7 days).
• Use repo-memory Sparingly: Use only for long-lived knowledge (e.g., security baselines) that must survive cache expiry. Produces Git commits.
• Use comment-memory: Persist workflow notes inline on the triggering issue/PR.

Commands / Usage Patterns

cache-memory (First Choice)

tools:
  cache-memory: true # Or specific config

• Path: /tmp/gh-aw/cache-memory/
• Safe timestamps: MUST use YYYY-MM-DD-HH-MM-SS (no colons, T, or Z) to prevent artifact upload failures.

repo-memory (Persistent/Auditable)

tools:
  repo-memory:
    branch-name: memory/agent-notes
    allowed-extensions: [".json", ".md"]

• Path: /tmp/gh-aw/repo-memory/
• Engine restriction: Requires Claude or custom engine. Copilot NOT supported.
• Variants: Use wiki: true for GitHub Wiki backend.

comment-memory (Issue/PR Scope)

tools:
  comment-memory: true

• Path: /tmp/gh-aw/comment-memory/<memory_id>.md

What to Avoid

• Using repo-memory for ephemeral per-run state or as a synonym for cache-memory.
• Including colons in cache-memory filenames (breaks Windows-hosted runners artifact upload).
• Caching full issue payloads instead of canonical identifiers.

Related Skills

• gh-aw: You MUST load this skill when working with the gh aw command.