memory-management

name	memory-management
version	1.0.0
description	[Utilities] Use when saving or retrieving important patterns, decisions, and learnings across sessions.
disable-model-invocation	true

Quick Summary

Goal: Persist patterns, decisions, and task progress across sessions using two complementary memory systems.

Workflow:

1. File Checkpoints — Save task-specific context to plans/reports/checkpoint-*.md every 30-60 min
2. MCP Memory Graph — Store reusable knowledge (patterns, decisions, bug fixes) as typed entities with relations
3. Recovery — On context loss, find latest checkpoint via Glob, read it, resume from documented next steps

Key Rules:

• Use file checkpoints for task-specific progress; MCP memory for cross-session knowledge
• Create checkpoints before expected context compaction and at key milestones
• Always include Recovery Instructions in checkpoint files

Be skeptical. Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence percentages (Idea should be more than 80%).

Memory Management & Knowledge Persistence

Build and maintain a knowledge graph of patterns, decisions, and learnings across sessions. Also provides external file-based checkpoints for long-running tasks.

Two Memory Systems

System	Storage	Use Case	Persistence
MCP Memory Graph	In-memory graph database	Patterns, decisions, learnings	Cross-session
File Checkpoints	plans/reports/*.md	Task progress, analysis	Permanent files

Use MCP Memory for reusable knowledge. Use File Checkpoints for task-specific context.

---

Part 1: File-Based External Memory (Checkpoints)

When to Create File Checkpoints

• Starting complex multi-step tasks (investigation, planning, implementation)
• Every 30-60 minutes during long tasks
• At key milestones
• Before expected context compaction
• After completing significant analysis phases

Checkpoint File Location

Files saved to: plans/reports/checkpoint-{timestamp}-{slug}.md

CHECKPOINT_CREATE Protocol

Create a checkpoint file with this structure:

# Memory Checkpoint: {Task Description}

> Created: {ISO timestamp}
> Task Type: {investigation|planning|bugfix|feature|docs}
> Phase: {current phase number/name}

## Task Context

{What you're working on and why}

## Key Findings

{Critical discoveries and insights - be specific with file paths and line numbers}

## Files Analyzed

| File              | Purpose     | Status   |
| ----------------- | ----------- | -------- |
| path/file.cs:line | description | ✅/🔄/⏳ |

## Progress

- [x] Completed items
- [ ] In-progress items
- [ ] Remaining items

## Important Context

{Information that must be preserved - decisions, assumptions, rationale}

## Next Steps

1. {Immediate next action}
2. {Following action}

## Recovery Instructions

{Exact steps to resume: which file to read, which line to continue from}

CHECKPOINT_RECOVER Protocol

When recovering from a checkpoint:

1. Search for latest checkpoint: Glob("plans/reports/checkpoint-*.md")
2. Read the checkpoint file
3. Load any referenced analysis files
4. Review Progress section
5. Continue from documented Next Steps
6. Create new checkpoint after resuming

Auto-Checkpoint (PreCompact Hook)

The system automatically creates checkpoints before context compaction. These auto-checkpoints are minimal - for better context preservation, create manual checkpoints using /checkpoint.

---

Part 2: MCP Memory Graph (Knowledge Persistence)

---

Memory Entity Types

Entity Type	Purpose	Examples
Pattern	Recurring code patterns	CQRS, Validation, Repository
Decision	Architectural/design decisions	Why we chose X over Y
BugFix	Bug solutions for future reference	Race condition fixes
ServiceBoundary	Service ownership and responsibilities	Growth owns Employees
SessionSummary	End-of-session progress snapshots	Task progress, next steps
Dependency	Cross-service dependencies	Growth depends on Accounts
AntiPattern	Patterns to avoid	Don't call side effects in cmd

---

Memory Operations

Create New Entity

mcp__memory__create_entities([
    {
        name: 'EmployeeValidationPattern',
        entityType: 'Pattern',
        observations: [
            'Use project validation fluent API (see docs/project-reference/backend-patterns-reference.md)',
            'Chain with .And() and .AndAsync()',
            "Return validation result, don't throw",
            'Location: {Service}.Application/UseCaseCommands/'
        ]
    }
]);

Create Relationships

mcp__memory__create_relations([
    {
        from: 'ServiceA',
        to: 'ServiceB',
        relationType: 'depends_on'
    },
    {
        from: 'EmployeeEntity',
        to: 'UserEntity',
        relationType: 'syncs_from'
    }
]);

Add Observations

mcp__memory__add_observations([
    {
        entityName: 'EmployeeValidationPattern',
        contents: [
            'Also supports .AndNot() for negative validation',
            'Use .Of<ICqrsRequest>() for type conversion (see docs/project-reference/backend-patterns-reference.md)'
        ]
    }
]);

Search Knowledge

// Search by query
mcp__memory__search_nodes({ query: 'validation pattern' });

// Open specific entities
mcp__memory__open_nodes({
    names: ['EmployeeValidationPattern', 'ServiceAModule']
});

// Read entire graph
mcp__memory__read_graph();

Delete Outdated Knowledge

// Delete entities
mcp__memory__delete_entities({ entityNames: ['OutdatedPattern'] });

// Delete specific observations
mcp__memory__delete_observations([
    {
        entityName: 'EmployeeValidationPattern',
        observations: ['Outdated observation text']
    }
]);

// Delete relations
mcp__memory__delete_relations([
    {
        from: 'OldService',
        to: 'NewService',
        relationType: 'depends_on'
    }
]);

---

When to Save to Memory

Always Save

1. Discovered Patterns: New code patterns not in documentation
2. Bug Solutions: Complex bugs with non-obvious solutions
3. Service Boundaries: Which service owns what
4. Architectural Decisions: Why a particular approach was chosen
5. Anti-Patterns: Mistakes to avoid

Save at Session End

// Session summary template
mcp__memory__create_entities([
    {
        name: `Session_${taskName}_${date}`,
        entityType: 'SessionSummary',
        observations: [
            `Task: ${taskDescription}`,
            `Completed: ${completedItems.join(', ')}`,
            `Remaining: ${remainingItems.join(', ')}`,
            `Key Files: ${keyFiles.join(', ')}`,
            `Discoveries: ${discoveries.join(', ')}`,
            `Next Steps: ${nextSteps.join(', ')}`
        ]
    }
]);

---

Memory Retrieval Patterns

Session Start Protocol

// 1. Search for related context
const results = mcp__memory__search_nodes({
    query: 'current feature or task keywords'
});

// 2. Load relevant entities
mcp__memory__open_nodes({
    names: results.entities.map(e => e.name)
});

// 3. Check for incomplete sessions
mcp__memory__search_nodes({ query: 'SessionSummary Remaining' });

Before Implementation

// Check for existing patterns
mcp__memory__search_nodes({ query: 'CQRS command pattern' });

// Check for anti-patterns
mcp__memory__search_nodes({ query: 'AntiPattern command' });

// Check for related decisions
mcp__memory__search_nodes({ query: 'Decision validation' });

After Bug Fix

// Save the fix
mcp__memory__create_entities([
    {
        name: `BugFix_${bugName}`,
        entityType: 'BugFix',
        observations: [
            `Symptom: ${symptomDescription}`,
            `Root Cause: ${rootCause}`,
            `Solution: ${solution}`,
            `Files: ${affectedFiles.join(', ')}`,
            `Prevention: ${preventionTip}`
        ]
    }
]);

---

Knowledge Graph Structure

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     Project Knowledge                       │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Services                                                   │
│  ├── ServiceA ──depends_on──> AccountsService               │
│  ├── ServiceB ──depends_on──> AccountsService               │
│  └── ServiceC ──depends_on──> AccountsService               │
│                                                             │
│  Patterns                                                   │
│  ├── CQRSCommandPattern                                     │
│  ├── CQRSQueryPattern                                       │
│  ├── EntityEventPattern                                     │
│  └── ValidationPattern                                      │
│                                                             │
│  Entities                                                   │
│  ├── Employee ──syncs_from──> User                          │
│  ├── Company ──syncs_from──> Organization                   │
│  └── LeaveRequest ──owned_by──> ServiceA                     │
│                                                             │
│  Sessions                                                   │
│  ├── Session_LeaveRequest_2025-01-15                        │
│  └── Session_EmployeeImport_2025-01-14                      │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

---

Importance Scoring

When saving observations, prioritize:

Score	Criteria
10	Critical bug fixes, security issues
8-9	Architectural decisions, service boundaries
6-7	Code patterns, best practices
4-5	Session summaries, progress notes
1-3	Temporary notes, exploration results

---

Memory Maintenance

Weekly Cleanup

// Find old session summaries (> 30 days)
mcp__memory__search_nodes({ query: 'SessionSummary' });

// Delete outdated sessions
mcp__memory__delete_entities({
    entityNames: ['Session_OldTask_2024-12-01']
});

Consolidation

When multiple observations cover same topic:

// 1. Read existing entity
mcp__memory__open_nodes({ names: ['PatternName'] });

// 2. Delete fragmented observations
mcp__memory__delete_observations([
    {
        entityName: 'PatternName',
        observations: ['Fragment 1', 'Fragment 2']
    }
]);

// 3. Add consolidated observation
mcp__memory__add_observations([
    {
        entityName: 'PatternName',
        contents: ['Consolidated comprehensive observation']
    }
]);

---

Quick Reference

Create: mcp__memory__create_entities / mcp__memory__create_relations Read: mcp__memory__read_graph / mcp__memory__open_nodes / mcp__memory__search_nodes Update: mcp__memory__add_observations Delete: mcp__memory__delete_entities / mcp__memory__delete_observations / mcp__memory__delete_relations

---

Part 3: Integration with Workflows

Long-Running Task Memory Pattern

All long-running workflows should follow this pattern:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ TASK START                                               │
│   └── Create initial checkpoint with task context        │
│   └── Initialize todo list                               │
│                                                          │
│ EVERY 20-30 OPERATIONS                                   │
│   └── Update checkpoint with progress                    │
│   └── Update todo list status                            │
│                                                          │
│ MILESTONE REACHED                                         │
│   └── Create detailed checkpoint                         │
│   └── Save key findings to MCP memory (if reusable)      │
│                                                          │
│ BEFORE COMPACTION (auto via PreCompact hook)             │
│   └── Auto-checkpoint created by system                  │
│                                                          │
│ AFTER COMPACTION / SESSION RESUME                        │
│   └── Read latest checkpoint                             │
│   └── Search MCP memory for relevant context             │
│   └── Continue from documented Next Steps                │
│                                                          │
│ TASK COMPLETE                                             │
│   └── Final checkpoint with summary                      │
│   └── Save reusable patterns to MCP memory               │
│   └── Clean up temporary checkpoints                     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Checkpoint Naming Convention

Type	Format	Example
Manual checkpoint	checkpoint-{YYMMDD}-{HHMM}-{slug}.md	checkpoint-250106-1430-user-auth.md
Auto checkpoint	memory-checkpoint-{timestamp}.md	memory-checkpoint-20250106-143000.md
Analysis notes	{type}-{date}-{slug}.md	analysis-250106-payment-flow.md
Task notes	.ai/workspace/analysis/{slug}.analysis.md	Used by feature-implementation

Related Commands & Skills

Command/Skill	Purpose
/checkpoint	Create manual memory checkpoint
/context	Load project context
/compact	Manually trigger context compaction
/watzup	Generate progress summary
feature-implementation	Uses task analysis notes pattern
debug-investigate	Uses investigation logs
feature-investigation	Uses analysis report pattern

Memory Decision Matrix

Context Type	Storage	Why
Task progress	File checkpoint	Specific to current task
Code patterns	MCP memory	Reusable across sessions
Bug solutions	MCP memory	Helps future debugging
Service boundaries	MCP memory	Architectural knowledge
Investigation findings	File checkpoint	Task-specific analysis
Architectural decisions	MCP memory	Long-term knowledge

Related

• learn
• context-optimization

---

[IMPORTANT] Use TaskCreate to break ALL work into small tasks BEFORE starting — including tasks for each file read. This prevents context loss from long files. For simple tasks, AI MUST ATTENTION ask user whether to skip.

AI Mistake Prevention — Failure modes to avoid on every task:

Check downstream references before deleting. Deleting components causes documentation and code staleness cascades. Map all referencing files before removal. Verify AI-generated content against actual code. AI hallucinates APIs, class names, and method signatures. Always grep to confirm existence before documenting or referencing. Trace full dependency chain after edits. Changing a definition misses downstream variables and consumers derived from it. Always trace the full chain. Trace ALL code paths when verifying correctness. Confirming code exists is not confirming it executes. Always trace early exits, error branches, and conditional skips — not just happy path. When debugging, ask "whose responsibility?" before fixing. Trace whether bug is in caller (wrong data) or callee (wrong handling). Fix at responsible layer — never patch symptom site. Assume existing values are intentional — ask WHY before changing. Before changing any constant, limit, flag, or pattern: read comments, check git blame, examine surrounding code. Verify ALL affected outputs, not just the first. Changes touching multiple stacks require verifying EVERY output. One green check is not all green checks. Holistic-first debugging — resist nearest-attention trap. When investigating any failure, list EVERY precondition first (config, env vars, DB names, endpoints, DI registrations, data preconditions), then verify each against evidence before forming any code-layer hypothesis. Surgical changes — apply the diff test. Bug fix: every changed line must trace directly to the bug. Don't restyle or improve adjacent code. Enhancement task: implement improvements AND announce them explicitly. Surface ambiguity before coding — don't pick silently. If request has multiple interpretations, present each with effort estimate and ask. Never assume all-records, file-based, or more complex path.

Critical Thinking Mindset — Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination: Never present guess as fact — cite sources for every claim, admit uncertainty freely, self-check output for errors, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence — certainty without evidence root of all hallucination.

MUST ATTENTION apply critical thinking — every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination: never present guess as fact.

MUST ATTENTION apply AI mistake prevention — holistic-first debugging, fix at responsible layer, surface ambiguity before coding, re-read files after compaction.

Closing Reminders

• MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION break work into small todo tasks using TaskCreate BEFORE starting
• MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION search codebase for 3+ similar patterns before creating new code
• MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION cite file:line evidence for every claim (confidence >80% to act)
• MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION add a final review todo task to verify work quality

[TASK-PLANNING] Before acting, analyze task scope and systematically break it into small todo tasks and sub-tasks using TaskCreate.