| name | memory-garden |
| description | Writes a structured memory entry to the garden — daily note (Tier A), curated wisdom update (Tier B), or monthly compressed archive (Tier C) — based on conversation insights. Plants new entries; for pruning, deduplicating, or maintaining the existing MEMORY.md index, use `dojo-craft:memory-curator`. Use when: "remember this pattern", "save this insight", "add to memory garden", "write a memory entry", "record this learning". |
Memory Garden Writer Skill
Version: 1.0.1
Created: 2026-02-02
Author: Manus
Purpose: Write structured, semantically rich memory entries for efficient context management
Overview
This skill encodes the pattern for writing memory entries that follow the 4-Tier Context Iceberg and Hierarchical Memory principles. Use this skill to create memory entries that are easy to search, retrieve, and compress.
Philosophy: Memory should be a garden, not a landfill. Cultivate what matters, compost what doesn't.
Philosophy: A Garden, Not a Landfill
Most memory systems fail the same way: they accumulate. Every session adds more entries, and the total context load grows until retrieval is slower than re-discovery. A garden metaphor is not decorative — it is structural. Gardens require pruning. Information that served its purpose gets composted into archives. What remains is cultivated: trimmed to its essential form, tagged for retrieval, and placed where it will be found when needed.
The three-tier hierarchy enforces this discipline mechanically. Tier A is raw soil — capture everything, fast, without curation. Tier B is the garden proper — distilled, durable, maintained. Tier C is compost — historical record, rarely accessed, never the primary source of truth. Movement between tiers is always a compression step, never an expansion.
The 3-month rule is the pruning criterion: if an entry would not matter in 3 months, it belongs in Tier C or nowhere. Apply it without sentiment.
When to Use This Skill
- Creating daily memory notes after a session
- Writing compressed summaries of conversations
- Extracting "seeds" (reusable insights) from experiences
- Documenting decisions and their rationale
- Maintaining the memory hierarchy (Tier A → Tier B → Tier C)
Memory Hierarchy
Tier A: Raw Daily Notes
- Location:
memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md
- Purpose: Capture everything from today's session
- Lifespan: 1-3 days before compression
- Format: Timestamped entries with context
Tier B: Curated Wisdom
- Location:
MEMORY.md (root level)
- Purpose: Distilled insights, decisions, patterns
- Lifespan: Permanent, but evolves
- Format: Structured sections with triggers
Tier C: Compressed Archive
- Location:
memory/archive/YYYY-MM.md
- Purpose: Historical record, rarely accessed
- Lifespan: Permanent, read-only
- Format: Semantic summaries
See references/memory-templates.md for the full templates for each tier.
The "3-Month Rule"
Rule: If it wouldn't matter in 3 months → compress or discard.
Keep:
- Decisions and their rationale
- Lessons learned and patterns discovered
- Seeds (reusable insights)
- Significant events and outcomes
Compress:
- Routine activities ("worked on X")
- Pleasantries and confirmations
- Detailed step-by-step logs (keep summary only)
Discard:
- Duplicate information
- Temporary notes that were resolved
- Irrelevant tangents
Semantic Compression Guidelines
What to Keep (Verbatim)
- Decisions: The choice, rationale, and context
- Insights: Novel patterns or principles
- Seeds: Reusable knowledge with triggers
- Failures: What didn't work and why
- Breakthroughs: Moments of clarity or innovation
What to Summarize
- Activities: "Worked on X, Y, Z" → "Implemented feature X"
- Discussions: Long back-and-forth → Key points and outcome
- Research: Detailed findings → Summary and conclusion
- Iterations: Multiple attempts → Final approach and why
What to Discard
- Pleasantries: "Great work!" "Thank you!" (unless significant)
- Confirmations: "Got it" "Understood" "Proceeding"
- Redundant logs: Repeated information
- Resolved questions: Questions that were answered and no longer relevant
Memory Maintenance Cycle
Every 3-7 Days:
-
Review Tier A (Daily Notes):
- Identify seeds to extract
- Identify decisions to document
- Identify patterns to record
-
Update Tier B (Curated Wisdom):
- Add new seeds, decisions, patterns
- Update existing entries if needed
- Remove deprecated information
-
Compress to Tier C (Archive):
- Apply 3-month rule
- Create semantic summary
- Move to archive folder
-
Prune:
- Delete raw daily notes older than 7 days (after compression)
- Keep only what matters
Quality Checklist
Before finalizing a memory entry, verify:
Daily Notes (Tier A)
Curated Memory (Tier B)
Compressed Archive (Tier C)
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- Hoarding Everything: Keeping every detail — compress ruthlessly
- Vague Insights: "This was useful" — write "This pattern applies when X"
- Missing Triggers: Seed without context — include clear "when to apply"
- No Maintenance: Letting Tier A grow forever — compress every 3-7 days
- Duplicate Information: Same thing in multiple places — single source of truth
Output
- Tier A:
memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md — new or appended daily note with timestamped sections
- Tier B:
MEMORY.md — updated curated wisdom entry (principle, decision, or seed block)
- Tier C:
memory/archive/YYYY-MM.md — new monthly archive file with compression log
Examples
Scenario 1: User says "remember this pattern — always read before editing" → writes a Tier A seed entry under today's date with pattern, trigger, and one concrete example from the session.
Scenario 2: User says "compress last week's notes into memory" → reads all Tier A files from the week, applies 3-month rule, writes a Tier B update to MEMORY.md with seeds and decisions retained, and marks Tier A files for deletion.
Edge Cases
- If no tier is specified, default to Tier A (daily note) and state the assumption.
- If the user asks to "save" something that is already in MEMORY.md verbatim, note the duplicate and skip.
- If Tier A is more than 7 days old without compression, prompt the user before writing more raw notes.
Anti-Patterns
- Writing a Tier B entry directly from raw conversation without distillation — always compress first.
- Adding a seed without a trigger phrase — a seed without "when to apply" has no retrieval value.
- Using this skill to store code or file content verbatim — memory entries hold insights and decisions, not raw code.
Related Skills:
specification-writer - For documenting technical decisionsseed-extraction - For extracting reusable insightsworkspace-navigation - For managing memory files efficiently
Last Updated: 2026-02-02
Maintained By: Manus
Status: Active
