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Memory Management

AnthropicOfficialPublished by Anthropic

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  • Agent tooling
  • Apache-2.0
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From the author

Two-tier memory system that makes Claude a true workplace collaborator. Decodes shorthand, acronyms, nicknames, and internal language so Claude understands requests like a colleague would. CLAUDE.md for working memory, memory/ directory for the full knowledge base.
— the description by Anthropic

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

This skill implements a two-tier memory architecture designed to help an AI agent function as a knowledgeable workplace collaborator. By combining a lean 'hot cache' (CLAUDE.md) for frequently accessed information with a comprehensive 'deep memory' (memory/ directory), the agent can decode internal shorthand, acronyms, and project codenames. This structure ensures the agent maintains high-context awareness while keeping its working memory efficient and scalable.

What it does

  • Provides a structured framework for storing people, projects, and company context.
  • Establishes a tiered lookup flow to prioritize frequently used information.
  • Defines specific file formats for glossaries, profiles, and project details.
  • Includes conventions for promoting and demoting information between hot and deep memory.
  • Offers a mechanism for the agent to learn new terms and update its knowledge base dynamically.

When to use it

  • When you need an AI agent to understand company-specific jargon and internal shorthand.
  • When managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders and codenames.
  • When you want the agent to maintain consistent knowledge across different sessions.
  • When the agent needs to act as a collaborator who understands team-specific communication preferences.

Advantages

  • Reduces ambiguity by mapping shorthand to specific internal entities.
  • Maintains a lean working memory for fast, daily interactions.
  • Supports unlimited scaling of knowledge through the deep memory directory.
  • Ensures consistent context retrieval across different types of information.

Usage examples

“Ask Todd to do the PSR for Oracle.”
The agent identifies 'Todd' as Todd Martinez, 'PSR' as Pipeline Status Report, and 'Oracle' as the Oracle Systems deal, then proceeds to draft the request.
“Who is Sarah and what is she working on?”
The agent retrieves Sarah's profile from the memory/people/ directory and cross-references her active projects from the memory/projects/ directory.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/anthropics/memory-management/download

  2. Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

    mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip memory-management.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by Anthropic

Memory Management

Memory makes Claude your workplace collaborator - someone who speaks your internal language.

The Goal

Transform shorthand into understanding:

User: "ask todd to do the PSR for oracle"
              ↓ Claude decodes
"Ask Todd Martinez (Finance lead) to prepare the Pipeline Status Report
 for the Oracle Systems deal ($2.3M, closing Q2)"

Without memory, that request is meaningless. With memory, Claude knows:

  • todd → Todd Martinez, Finance lead, prefers Slack

  • PSR → Pipeline Status Report (weekly sales doc)

  • oracle → Oracle Systems deal, not the company

Architecture

CLAUDE.md          ← Hot cache (~30 people, common terms)
memory/
  glossary.md      ← Full decoder ring (everything)
  people/          ← Complete profiles
  projects/        ← Project details
  context/         ← Company, teams, tools

CLAUDE.md (Hot Cache):

  • Top ~30 people you interact with most

  • ~30 most common acronyms/terms

  • Active projects (5-15)

  • Your preferences

  • Goal: Cover 90% of daily decoding needs

memory/glossary.md (Full Glossary):

  • Complete decoder ring - everyone, every term

  • Searched when something isn't in CLAUDE.md

  • Can grow indefinitely

memory/people/, projects/, context/:

  • Rich detail when needed for execution

  • Full profiles, history, context

Lookup Flow

User: "ask todd about the PSR for phoenix"

1. Check CLAUDE.md (hot cache)
   → Todd? ✓ Todd Martinez, Finance
   → PSR? ✓ Pipeline Status Report
   → Phoenix? ✓ DB migration project

2. If not found → search memory/glossary.md
   → Full glossary has everyone/everything

3. If still not found → ask user
   → "What does X mean? I'll remember it."

This tiered approach keeps CLAUDE.md lean (~100 lines) while supporting unlimited scale in memory/.

File Locations

  • Working memory: CLAUDE.md in current working directory

  • Deep memory: memory/ subdirectory

Working Memory Format (CLAUDE.md)

Use tables for compactness. Target ~50-80 lines total.

# Memory

## Me
[Name], [Role] on [Team]. [One sentence about what I do.]

## People
| Who | Role |
|-----|------|
| **Todd** | Todd Martinez, Finance lead |
| **Sarah** | Sarah Chen, Engineering (Platform) |
| **Greg** | Greg Wilson, Sales |
→ Full list: memory/glossary.md, profiles: memory/people/

## Terms
| Term | Meaning |
|------|---------|
| PSR | Pipeline Status Report |
| P0 | Drop everything priority |
| standup | Daily 9am sync |
→ Full glossary: memory/glossary.md

## Projects
| Name | What |
|------|------|
| **Phoenix** | DB migration, Q2 launch |
| **Horizon** | Mobile app redesign |
→ Details: memory/projects/

## Preferences
- 25-min meetings with buffers
- Async-first, Slack over email
- No meetings Friday afternoons

Deep Memory Format (memory/)

memory/glossary.md - The decoder ring:

# Glossary

Workplace shorthand, acronyms, and internal language.

## Acronyms
| Term | Meaning | Context |
|------|---------|---------|
| PSR | Pipeline Status Report | Weekly sales doc |
| OKR | Objectives & Key Results | Quarterly planning |
| P0/P1/P2 | Priority levels | P0 = drop everything |

## Internal Terms
| Term | Meaning |
|------|---------|
| standup | Daily 9am sync in #engineering |
| the migration | Project Phoenix database work |
| ship it | Deploy to production |
| escalate | Loop in leadership |

## Nicknames → Full Names
| Nickname | Person |
|----------|--------|
| Todd | Todd Martinez (Finance) |
| T | Also Todd Martinez |

## Project Codenames
| Codename | Project |
|----------|---------|
| Phoenix | Database migration |
| Horizon | New mobile app |

memory/people/{name}.md:

# Todd Martinez

**Also known as:** Todd, T
**Role:** Finance Lead
**Team:** Finance
**Reports to:** CFO (Michael Chen)

## Communication
- Prefers Slack DM
- Quick responses, very direct
- Best time: mornings

## Context
- Handles all PSRs and financial reporting
- Key contact for deal approvals over $500k
- Works closely with Sales on forecasting

## Notes
- Cubs fan, likes talking baseball

memory/projects/{name}.md:

# Project Phoenix

**Codename:** Phoenix
**Also called:** "the migration"
**Status:** Active, launching Q2

## What It Is
Database migration from legacy Oracle to PostgreSQL.

## Key People
- Sarah - tech lead
- Todd - budget owner
- Greg - stakeholder (sales impact)

## Context
$1.2M budget, 6-month timeline. Critical path for Horizon project.

memory/context/company.md:

# Company Context

## Tools & Systems
| Tool | Used for | Internal name |
|------|----------|---------------|
| Slack | Communication | - |
| Asana | Engineering tasks | - |
| Salesforce | CRM | "SF" or "the CRM" |
| Notion | Docs/wiki | - |

## Teams
| Team | What they do | Key people |
|------|--------------|------------|
| Platform | Infrastructure | Sarah (lead) |
| Finance | Money stuff | Todd (lead) |
| Sales | Revenue | Greg |

## Processes
| Process | What it means |
|---------|---------------|
| Weekly sync | Monday 10am all-hands |
| Ship review | Thursday deploy approval |

How to Interact

Decoding User Input (Tiered Lookup)

Always decode shorthand before acting on requests:

1. CLAUDE.md (hot cache)     → Check first, covers 90% of cases
2. memory/glossary.md        → Full glossary if not in hot cache
3. memory/people/, projects/ → Rich detail when needed
4. Ask user                  → Unknown term? Learn it.

Example:

User: "ask todd to do the PSR for oracle"

CLAUDE.md lookup:
  "todd" → Todd Martinez, Finance ✓
  "PSR" → Pipeline Status Report ✓
  "oracle" → (not in hot cache)

memory/glossary.md lookup:
  "oracle" → Oracle Systems deal ($2.3M) ✓

Now Claude can act with full context.
Adding Memory

When user says "remember this" or "X means Y":

  1. Glossary items (acronyms, terms, shorthand):

    • Add to memory/glossary.md

    • If frequently used, add to CLAUDE.md Quick Glossary

  2. People:

    • Create/update memory/people/{name}.md

    • Add to CLAUDE.md Key People if important

    • Capture nicknames - critical for decoding

  3. Projects:

    • Create/update memory/projects/{name}.md

    • Add to CLAUDE.md Active Projects if current

    • Capture codenames - "Phoenix", "the migration", etc.

  4. Preferences: Add to CLAUDE.md Preferences section

Recalling Memory

When user asks "who is X" or "what does X mean":

  1. Check CLAUDE.md first

  2. Check memory/ for full detail

  3. If not found: "I don't know what X means yet. Can you tell me?"

Progressive Disclosure

  1. Load CLAUDE.md for quick parsing of any request

  2. Dive into memory/ when you need full context for execution

  3. Example: drafting an email to todd about the PSR

    • CLAUDE.md tells you Todd = Todd Martinez, PSR = Pipeline Status Report

    • memory/people/todd-martinez.md tells you he prefers Slack, is direct

Bootstrapping

Use /productivity:start to initialize by scanning your chat, calendar, email, and documents. Extracts people, projects, and starts building the glossary.

Conventions

  • Bold terms in CLAUDE.md for scannability

  • Keep CLAUDE.md under ~100 lines (the "hot 30" rule)

  • Filenames: lowercase, hyphens (todd-martinez.md, project-phoenix.md)

  • Always capture nicknames and alternate names

  • Glossary tables for easy lookup

  • When something's used frequently, promote it to CLAUDE.md

  • When something goes stale, demote it to memory/ only

What Goes Where

TypeCLAUDE.md (Hot Cache)memory/ (Full Storage)
PersonTop ~30 frequent contactsglossary.md + people/{name}.md
Acronym/term~30 most commonglossary.md (complete list)
ProjectActive projects onlyglossary.md + projects/{name}.md
NicknameIn Key People if top 30glossary.md (all nicknames)
Company contextQuick reference onlycontext/company.md
PreferencesAll preferences-
Historical/stale✗ Remove✓ Keep in memory/

Promotion / Demotion

Promote to CLAUDE.md when:

  • You use a term/person frequently

  • It's part of active work

Demote to memory/ only when:

  • Project completed

  • Person no longer frequent contact

  • Term rarely used

This keeps CLAUDE.md fresh and relevant.

Files

Requirements and compatibility

Written for: Claude Code, Claude apps

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

Needs: Claude Code frontmatter

Security

No issues found by our static scan· No issues found

A static scan is not a guarantee. Skills are third-party content: review a skill before you let an agent use it.

Attribution and licence

Published by
Anthropic
Publisher
Anthropic (Official)
Source
anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins · productivity/skills/memory-management · commit e050c2e
Licence
Apache License 2.0 (redistribution allowed)
  • LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from productivity/LICENSE)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
Synced

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