honest-forget

# 🌫️ Honest-Forget Skill > **"Summarize before forgetting. Never fabricate."** Graceful memory compression that preserves wisdom. Compress context gracefully when budget is exceeded. Extract wisdom, create pointers, and let go with integrity. ## Purpose Compress context gracefully when budget is exceeded. Extract wisdom, create pointers, and let go with integrity. Never silently lose information or fabricate what was forgotten. ## When to Use - Context window is filling up - Completed work needs archiving - Repetitive iterations need compression - Old sessions need summarization - "I've tried this 10 times" situations ## The Honest Forget Cycle ``` ASSESS → EXTRACT → COMPRESS → POINTER → RELEASE ``` ## Protocol ### Assessment Before forgetting, understand what you have: ```yaml assessment: file: "path/to/file.md" tokens: 5000 contains: decisions: ["List of decisions made"] learnings: ["What was learned"] questions_answered: ["Q&A pairs"] dead_ends: ["What didn't work"] importance: for_current_task: "high|medium|low" for_future_reference: "high|medium|low" ``` ### Wisdom Extraction Compress iterations into lessons: ```yaml wisdom: id: "wisdom-001" title: "LEARNED: [Pattern/Pitfall]" compressed_from: iterations: "45-55" original_tokens: 15000 lesson: | The core insight in one paragraph. pitfalls: - "What to avoid" example: good: "What works" bad: "What doesn't" retrieval_hint: | When to recall this wisdom: - [trigger condition] ``` ### Pointer Creation Leave breadcrumbs for retrieval: ```yaml pointer: to: "path/to/archived/content" summary: "One line about what's there" retrieve_when: - "Specific condition" contains: - "What you'll find there" ``` ## Schemas ### Assessment Schema | Field | Required | Purpose | |-------|----------|---------| | `file` | ✓ | Path to content | | `tokens` | ✓ | Size estimate | | `importance` | ✓ | How critical | | `decisions` | | Choices made | | `learnings` | | What was learned | | `dead_ends` | | Failed approaches | ### Wisdom Schema | Field | Required | Purpose | |-------|----------|---------| | `id` | ✓ | Unique identifier | | `title` | ✓ | Brief summary | | `lesson` | ✓ | Core insight | | `compressed_from` | | Source info | | `pitfalls` | | What to avoid | | `example` | | Good/bad examples | | `retrieval_hint` | | When to recall | ### Pointer Schema | Field | Required | Purpose | |-------|----------|---------| | `to` | ✓ | Archive path | | `summary` | ✓ | One-line description | | `retrieve_when` | | Trigger conditions | | `contains` | | What's there | ## Core Files | File | Purpose | |------|---------| | `FORGET.yml` | Current forgetting session | | `WISDOM.yml` | Extracted lessons | | `POINTERS.yml` | Retrieval breadcrumbs | | `archive/` | Compressed content | ## Commands | Command | Syntax | Action | |---------|--------|--------| | `ASSESS` | `ASSESS [file]` | Evaluate what's there | | `EXTRACT` | `EXTRACT [wisdom]` | Pull out lessons | | `COMPRESS` | `COMPRESS [level]` | Create summary | | `POINTER` | `POINTER [to]` | Leave retrieval hint | | `RELEASE` | `RELEASE [file]` | Remove from context | ## Compression Levels | Level | Ratio | Keeps | Use When | |-------|-------|-------|----------| | **FULL** | 1:1 | Everything | Still actively needed | | **WISDOM** | ~5:1 | Lessons, decisions, key facts | Work is done, wisdom remains | | **SUMMARY** | ~10:1 | Essence and pointers | Background reference only | | **POINTER** | ~50:1 | Just retrieval hints | Rarely needed, but should remember it exists | ## The Honesty Principle ### What Makes Forgetting "Honest" **DO:** - Acknowledge what was forgotten - Leave pointers for retrieval - Extract lessons before release - Document compression decisions **DON'T:** - Silently lose information - Fabricate what was forgotten - Pretend to remember details - Hallucinate from partial memory ### When Uncertain Say: "I compressed earlier iterations. The wisdom I retained is X." Offer: "I can retrieve the original if needed." Don't: "Make up details that feel right." ## Working Set Always include in context: - `FORGET.yml` - `WISDOM.yml` - `POINTERS.yml` ## Dovetails With ### Sister Skills - [summarize/](../summarize/) — The compression mechanism - [session-log/](../session-log/) — What to potentially forget - [self-repair/](../self-repair/) — Triggers forgetting when needed ### Kernel - [kernel/memory-management-protocol.md](../../kernel/memory-management-protocol.md) — Full specification