cognitive-memory

name	cognitive-memory
description	Cross-repository cognitive memory system with semantic search. Persists knowledge across sessions using TF-IDF recall, memory versioning, knowledge graph edges, and confidence decay. Memory is cognition, not storage.
trigger	[{"keyword":["memory","remember","recall","forget","what do we know","last session","previous session","what was","do you remember"]},{"intent":["recalling past context","storing new knowledge","resolving contradictions","session continuity"]},{"event":"session_start"}]
priority	high
version	3.0.0

Cognitive Memory System v3

Memory as stewardship: what we remember shapes how we serve.

What's New in v2

• Semantic search: TF-IDF + cosine similarity replaces keyword matching. "deworming resistance" finds "FAMACHA scoring" and "parasite resistance" even without shared words.
• Memory versioning: update creates a new version, preserves the original with supersedes chain.
• Knowledge graph: link creates bidirectional edges between related memories.
• Duplicate detection: consolidate flags memories with >80% similarity.
• Recency boost: Recent memories score higher. Old unrecalled memories decay.

Overview

This skill provides persistent cognitive memory across Claude Code sessions. It is NOT a database — it is a reasoning layer that encodes selectively, consolidates contradictions, recalls semantically, and forgets intentionally.

Memory store: ~/.memory/DOMAIN/ Operations script: /home/user/ken/orchestrator/memory_ops.py

Session Start Protocol

At the beginning of every session, recall relevant memories:

python3 /home/user/ken/orchestrator/memory_ops.py recall "" --domain recipes --limit 10
python3 /home/user/ken/orchestrator/memory_ops.py tree --domain recipes

Present a brief summary to the user:

• Recent changes and current state
• Open questions or low-confidence memories
• Any contradictions flagged but not yet resolved

Seven Cognitive Operations

1. REMEMBER — Encode new knowledge

python3 /home/user/ken/orchestrator/memory_ops.py encode recipes <type> "content" \
  --tags tag1,tag2 --related id1,id2

Types: insight, decision, pattern, fact, preference

Importance → confidence mapping:

• 0.9: Critical decisions, corrections, structural changes
• 0.7: Important observations, verified facts
• 0.5: General notes, routine work
• 0.3: Temporary states, minor observations

2. RECALL — Semantic search

python3 /home/user/ken/orchestrator/memory_ops.py recall "natural language query" --domain recipes --limit 10

Recall now uses TF-IDF semantic matching. You don't need exact keywords — conceptually related memories surface automatically. Each result includes a _score field.

Trust but verify: If a recalled memory has low confidence or a low score, say so. Don't present uncertain memories as facts.

3. UPDATE — Version a memory

python3 /home/user/ken/orchestrator/memory_ops.py update <id> "corrected content" --domain recipes

Creates a new version. The old memory is preserved with reduced confidence and a superseded_by pointer. Use this when facts change — don't forget and re-encode, update.

4. LINK — Connect related memories

python3 /home/user/ken/orchestrator/memory_ops.py link <id_a> <id_b>

Creates a bidirectional edge. Use when you discover two memories are related — a breeding decision connects to a flock validation insight, a recipe correction connects to a transcription note.

5. CONSOLIDATE — Maintain memory health

python3 /home/user/ken/orchestrator/memory_ops.py consolidate --domain recipes

Decays unrecalled memories, removes dead ones, and reports potential duplicates (>80% similarity). Run periodically or at session end.

6. TREE — See what we know

python3 /home/user/ken/orchestrator/memory_ops.py tree --domain recipes

Shows memory count, types, edge connections, and version chains per domain.

7. FORGET — Intentional removal

python3 /home/user/ken/orchestrator/memory_ops.py forget <id> --domain recipes

What Memory Is NOT

• Memory does NOT replace primary data files in this repository
• Memory does NOT override primary sources
• Memory does NOT store raw data — it stores conclusions about data
• Memory does NOT act autonomously — you decide when to remember and recall

Soli Deo Gloria

Careful, not clever. What we remember matters. What we forget matters too.

Domain-Specific: Family Recipe Archive

What to Encode

• Transcription corrections: When a measurement was misread and corrected, what the original said
• Recipe relationships: "This is the same as Grandma's cornbread but with buttermilk instead of sweet milk"
• Unclear resolutions: When an [UNCLEAR] marker was resolved — what it turned out to be
• Processing decisions: Why certain images needed reprocessing, OCR quirks discovered
• Collection patterns: Recurring ingredient substitutions, regional terminology, family conventions
• Validation insights: Common validation failures and their root causes

Encoding Patterns

# After resolving an unclear transcription
python3 /home/user/ken/orchestrator/memory_ops.py encode recipes fact \
  "Recipe 042 (dump cake): [UNCLEAR] on line 3 was '1 can cherry pie filling' — confirmed from second photo IMG_453" \
  --tags recipe-042,unclear-resolved,dump-cake

# After discovering a pattern
python3 /home/user/ken/orchestrator/memory_ops.py encode recipes pattern \
  "Grandma uses 'oleo' for margarine throughout. Don't standardize it — that's her word." \
  --tags vocabulary,oleo,margarine,voice

# Link related recipes across collections
python3 /home/user/ken/orchestrator/memory_ops.py link <grandma_cornbread_id> <granny_cornbread_id>

What NOT to Encode

• Full recipe JSON (that's in recipes.json)
• Image file paths (that's in the data directory)
• Nutrition estimates (that's in the nutrition estimator output)
• Things validate-recipes.py already checks

Careful-Not-Clever Integration

Before encoding any recipe memory, verify against the source image. If you resolved an [UNCLEAR], note which image confirmed it.

v3 Upgrades (Research-Driven)

Protected Memories

Foundational knowledge that should NEVER decay, regardless of recall frequency.

# Encode as protected from the start
python3 /home/user/ken/orchestrator/memory_ops.py encode recipes fact "content" --protected

# Protect an existing memory
python3 /home/user/ken/orchestrator/memory_ops.py protect <id> --domain recipes

When to protect:

• Vocabulary conventions ("oleo means margarine")
• Core identity facts ("Kelsier is the gold standard sire")
• Architectural decisions that downstream work assumes
• Definitions that other memories reference implicitly

Auto-protection: Memories with 3+ graph edges are automatically protected during consolidation — if many things reference it, it is foundational by definition.

Cross-Domain Recall

Recall now searches ALL domains by default. Each result includes _domain so you know where it came from. This enables cross-pollination — a breeding pattern in sheep might inform resource organization in recipes.

# Search everywhere (default)
python3 /home/user/ken/orchestrator/memory_ops.py recall "optimization strategy"

# Restrict to one domain when you know what you want
python3 /home/user/ken/orchestrator/memory_ops.py recall "optimization strategy" --domain recipes

Graph Centrality Scoring

Well-connected memories score higher in recall. A memory linked to 5 other memories ranks above an isolated memory with the same text similarity. This rewards knowledge that has been woven into the graph.

Score formula: similarity * confidence * (0.70 + 0.15*recency + 0.15*centrality)

Graph Traversal

Explore the knowledge graph from any memory:

# Direct neighbors
python3 /home/user/ken/orchestrator/memory_ops.py neighbors <id> --depth 1

# Neighbors of neighbors
python3 /home/user/ken/orchestrator/memory_ops.py neighbors <id> --depth 2

Tiered Storage (Active + Archive)

Old, low-confidence, unprotected memories are automatically archived during consolidation (>180 days, <0.3 confidence). Archived memories:

• Are preserved in ~/.memory/_archive/
• Are excluded from default recall (use --include-archive to search them)
• Can be promoted back: python3 memory_ops.py promote <id>
• Maintain graph edges for integrity

# Manually archive
python3 /home/user/ken/orchestrator/memory_ops.py archive <id> --domain recipes

# Search including archive
python3 /home/user/ken/orchestrator/memory_ops.py recall "old topic" --include-archive

# Bring something back
python3 /home/user/ken/orchestrator/memory_ops.py promote <id>

Enhanced Consolidation

Consolidate is now smarter:

1. Decay — only unrecalled, unprotected, >7-day-old memories (protected are immune)
2. Auto-protect — memories with 3+ edges get protected automatically
3. Auto-merge — memories with >85% similarity are merged (tags combined, lower one archived)
4. Auto-archive — old (>180d), low-confidence (<0.3), unprotected memories move to archive
5. Near-duplicate flagging — 70-85% similarity reported for manual review