consolidate-memory

name	consolidate-memory
description	Review and clean up MemForge folders. Runs memory-audit + memory-dedup on configured folders, presents findings, and applies fixes one at a time with the user's approval. Invoke on "/consolidate-memory", "clean up memory", "review memory", "consolidate memory", "memory health check", or equivalent.

Consolidate Memory

Periodic housekeeping pass over the MemForge folders. Runs the audit + dedup tools, surfaces every actionable finding, and applies approved fixes one at a time. Never batch-edits; the user approves each change.

Distinct from session-handoff workflows, which operate on episodic resume folders, not on the semantic memory folders.

Scope

Operates on these folders by default (the MemForge tooling defaults):

• ~/.claude/projects/${USER}-claude-projects/memory/ (per-cwd memory)
• ~/.claude/global-memory/ (global memory)

The user may scope to a single folder with "just global memory" or "just the per-cwd memory" at invocation time, or pass an explicit --path to either tool.

Steps

1. Run memory-audit. For each target folder, run memory-audit --path <dir> --strict via Bash. Capture violations and health warnings.

2. Run memory-dedup. For each target folder, run memory-dedup --path <dir> via Bash. Capture any candidate duplicate groups. (memory-dedup defaults to local-only mode; the user must opt in to a cloud dispatcher.)

3. Build a consolidated review list. Group the findings by folder, then by category:

   • Integrity (must-fix): orphan files, orphan pointers, missing frontmatter, invalid types, empty bodies, MEMORY.md cap violations.
   • Health (should-fix): feedback / project memories missing **Why:** or **How to apply:**, stale files (over 90 days mtime).
   • Dedup (judgment call): candidate duplicate groups flagged by the LLM.

   Show the user the list grouped this way before proposing any action.

4. Work through findings one at a time. For each finding:

   • Propose a specific fix (for example, "delete the orphan pointer foo.md from global MEMORY.md line 42" or "merge feedback_A.md into feedback_B.md and archive feedback_A.md").
   • Ask the user: apply, modify, or skip.
   • If apply: edit the file(s) directly (the auto-commit hook captures each change).
   • If modify: incorporate the user's adjustment, then apply.
   • If skip: move on.

   Never batch-apply fixes. One at a time; wait for the user's call.

5. Re-run memory-audit --strict at the end. Confirm zero integrity violations. If any remain, flag them and ask how to proceed.

Guardrails

• Never delete a memory file. Prefer archiving: move to <folder>/archive/ so the entry is excluded from audit recursion but remains recoverable.
• Never auto-merge duplicates. Dedup verdicts are judgment calls; the user decides every merge.
• Respect the auto-commit hook. Every Write / Edit inside a memory folder produces a git commit via the PostToolUse hook. Don't bypass it with git commit --amend or --no-verify; the commit-per-change is the audit trail.
• No new frontmatter without intent. If you're backfilling **Why:** / **How to apply:** lines, ask the user what the actual reason was; don't invent one from context.

When NOT to invoke

• Mid-task context reset: use a session-save / handoff workflow instead.
• Fresh audit result with no violations and no dedup candidates: nothing to consolidate; tell the user the folder is clean.

Related

• tools/memory-audit — integrity + health checks driving step 1.
• tools/memory-dedup — LLM-backed dedup driving step 2.
• tools/memory-promote — use this if a finding is "this is cross-folder, should be global"; promotes per-cwd → global with pointer fixup.
• spec/SPEC.md — canonical format reference. Every fix should leave the folder conformant.