| name | forgetful-recall |
| description | Recall past knowledge before working — prior decisions, solved problems, preferences, project history. Use at the start of any task, when the user references earlier work, when re-entering a project after time away, or before proposing an approach that may already have history. Covers query shaping, scoping, session-start catch-up, and when to escalate to graph exploration. |
| license | MIT |
| tags | ["memory","retrieval","search","context"] |
| allowed-tools | ["mcp__forgetful__discover_forgetful_tools","mcp__forgetful__how_to_use_forgetful_tool","mcp__forgetful__execute_forgetful_tool","Bash(forgetful:*)"] |
Recalling knowledge from Forgetful
Retrieval quality is decided by how the query is shaped and scoped, and by treating coverage
as something to judge rather than assume. Recall before proposing; history usually exists.
Invoking operations
Operations are named by registry name (query_memory, get_recent_memories, ...). Invoke
via whichever surface this agent has:
- MCP:
execute_forgetful_tool(tool_name="query_memory", arguments={...})
- CLI:
forgetful call query_memory --args '{"query": "..."}' --json
Get any operation's schema at runtime: how_to_use_forgetful_tool (MCP) or
forgetful tools info <operation> (CLI) — schemas are deliberately not repeated here.
Step 1 — Shape the query
query_context is a required parameter alongside query, not optional flavor text — the
call errors without it. Pass it deliberately: the two are embedded together, and ranking
genuinely shifts with intent ("auth" while implementing a feature ranks differently than
"auth" while debugging login). Include exact identifiers verbatim — error codes, function
names, config keys — the sparse full-text leg of the search matches them literally.
Done when: both query and query_context are written, not just a bare keyword.
Step 2 — Scope deliberately
Reads are cross-project by default, and usually should stay that way — knowledge transfers.
Narrow with project_ids when the task is project-bound; add strict_project_filter=True
to also keep linked memories inside those projects (the default False lets links cross
them). Use importance_threshold to cut noise — it excludes anything scored below the value
given, pairing naturally with forgetful-remember's rubric, where 5 is the noise floor for
bulk/automated captures. Adjust k to trade breadth for focus. These are filters layered on
top of semantic search, which stays the primary retrieval mechanism throughout.
Done when: the scope is a choice, not a default accident.
Step 3 — Judge coverage
Results are budgeted (about 8000 tokens / 20 memories), so assess coverage rather than
non-emptiness:
truncated: true → narrow the query (raise the threshold, scope the project) instead of
accepting silent loss.- A miss on the first angle → re-query from a different facet (the feature area, the
technology, the error text) before concluding the knowledge doesn't exist.
Done when: results are judged sufficient, or absence is confirmed from more than one angle.
Step 4 — Expand or escalate
Promising hits get get_memory for full content and links. When hits arrive as fragments,
reference entities, or trail across domains, the flat list is the wrong shape — switch to
forgetful-explore and walk the graph instead.
Done when: enough context is in hand, or the exploration skill has taken over.
Step 5 — Report
This skill is the single source of truth for the retrieval reporting convention:
- Found context: "Found N memories about X" with the load-bearing ones named.
- Nothing relevant: say so explicitly — "No existing memories about X."
- Off-target results: flag them — "Retrieved some context but it seems tangential."
A clean miss is also a signal: note the gap as a forgetful-remember candidate once the
task resolves it.
Done when: the user knows what memory contributed, even when the answer is "nothing".
Session-start catch-up
Re-entering a project after time away: get_recent_memories scoped to that project's ID is
the catch-up move — recent decisions and milestones without guessing queries. Run it as a
deliberate step, then continue into normal recall as the task demands.
