// Defragment and reorganize agent memory files: split bloated files, merge duplicates, remove stale information, and restructure the memory hierarchy. Use when memory files have grown unwieldy, contain redundancies, or need reorganization. Run periodically (weekly) or on demand.
| name | memory-defrag |
| description | Defragment and reorganize agent memory files: split bloated files, merge duplicates, remove stale information, and restructure the memory hierarchy. Use when memory files have grown unwieldy, contain redundancies, or need reorganization. Run periodically (weekly) or on demand. |
Reorganize memory files for clarity, efficiency, and relevance. Like filesystem defragmentation but for knowledge.
Inventory all memory files:
MEMORY.md — long-term memory
memory/ — daily notes, tasks, topical files
memory/tasks/ — active and completed tasks
For each file, note: line count, last modified, topic coverage, staleness.
Look for these common issues:
| Problem | Signal | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Bloated file | >300 lines, covers many topics | Split into focused files |
| Duplicate info | Same fact in multiple places | Consolidate to one location |
| Stale entries | References to completed work, old dates, resolved issues | Remove or archive |
| Orphan files | Files in memory/ never referenced or updated | Review, merge, or remove |
| Inconsistencies | Contradictory information across files | Resolve to ground truth |
| Poor organization | Related info scattered across files | Restructure by topic |
| Recursive nesting | memory/memory/memory/... directories | Delete nested dirs (indexer bug artifact) |
Before making edits, write a brief plan:
## Defrag Plan
- [ ] Split MEMORY.md "Key People" section → memory/people.md
- [ ] Remove completed tasks older than 30 days from memory/tasks/
- [ ] Merge memory/bm-marketing-ideas.md into memory/competitive/
- [ ] Update stale project status entries in MEMORY.md
Apply changes one at a time:
After changes:
## Memory Defrag (HH:MM)
- Files reviewed: N
- Split: [list]
- Merged: [list]
- Pruned: [list]
- Net result: X files, Y total lines (was Z lines)
memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md files — they're the audit trail.people.md, project-status.md, competitive-landscape.md — not notes-2.md.memory/tasks/ and memory/competitive/ are fine; memory/work/projects/active/basic-memory/notes/ is not.status: done older than 14 days can be removed. Their insights should already be in MEMORY.md via reflection.(review needed) tag rather than deleting.Structured metadata search for Basic Memory: query notes by custom frontmatter fields using equality, range, array, and nested filters. Use when finding notes by status, priority, confidence, or any custom YAML field rather than free-text content.
Analyze a complete literary work into a structured Basic Memory knowledge graph. Covers schema design, entity seeding, chapter-by-chapter processing, cross-referencing, validation, and visualization.
Structured metadata search for Basic Memory: query notes by custom frontmatter fields using equality, range, array, and nested filters. Use when finding notes by status, priority, confidence, or any custom YAML field rather than free-text content.
Sleep-time memory reflection: review recent conversations and daily notes, extract insights, and consolidate into long-term memory. Use when triggered by cron, heartbeat, or explicit request to reflect on recent activity. Runs as background processing to improve memory quality over time.
Schema lifecycle management for Basic Memory: discover unschemaed notes, infer schemas, create and edit schema definitions, validate notes, and detect drift. Use when working with structured note types (Task, Person, Meeting, etc.) to maintain consistency across the knowledge graph.
Task management via Basic Memory schemas: create, track, and resume structured tasks that survive context compaction. Uses BM's schema system for uniform notes queryable through the knowledge graph.