| name | jido-memory |
| description | Builder-oriented guidance for the upstream `jido_memory` package. Use when Codex needs to add memory spaces, retrieval flows, summarization or recall hooks, or review memory boundaries in Jido applications that also use `jido`, `jido_ai`, and external storage backends. |
Jido Memory
jido_memory is the upstream Hex package name.
Start Here
Use this skill when an agent needs to remember, recall, summarize, or retrieve prior context over time.
Good triggers:
- "Add memory to this Jido agent."
- "Choose how to store and recall prior interactions."
- "Turn the memory docs into a runnable example."
- "Review whether this memory behavior belongs in the agent loop or in storage infrastructure."
Read references/builder-notes.md before implementing when the task touches memory scope, retrieval strategy, or external storage boundaries.
Primary Workflows
Add memory to an agent
- Decide what should be remembered: conversation turns, tool results, summaries, domain facts, or episodic traces.
- Define when writes happen and when reads happen before wiring storage.
- Keep the agent interface small: ask for the minimum memory the next action needs.
Choose retrieval and persistence boundaries
- Separate memory policy from the storage backend.
- Keep embeddings, vector search, or persistence adapters behind explicit interfaces.
- Use
jido_ai docs only as conceptual support for AI-facing memory behavior; keep package-specific implementation grounded in jido_memory.
Turn docs into runnable examples
- Show one write path, one retrieval path, and one agent behavior that changes because memory exists.
- Keep the example local and inspectable rather than hiding memory inside a black-box agent.
- Include one stale-data or missing-memory branch when it matters.
Review boundaries
- Keep memory semantics in
jido_memory.
- Keep agent state machines in
jido.
- Keep storage engine concerns in the backend adapter or application layer.
Build Checklist
- Define what is stored, when it expires, and who can read it.
- Choose recall criteria before choosing a backend.
- Keep retrieval payloads small and explainable.
- Add tests for cold start, duplicate writes, and missing recall results.
Boundaries
- Do not use this skill for generic database modeling unrelated to agent memory.
- Do not mix durable domain records with ephemeral agent memory without a clear contract.
- Do not promise retrieval quality that the chosen backend or docs do not support.
