Memory Management
AnthropicOfficialPublished by Anthropic
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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
Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/anthropics/memory-management/downloadUnzip 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, toolsCLAUDE.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.mdin current working directoryDeep 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 afternoonsDeep 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 baseballmemory/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":
Glossary items (acronyms, terms, shorthand):
Add to memory/glossary.md
If frequently used, add to CLAUDE.md Quick Glossary
People:
Create/update memory/people/{name}.md
Add to CLAUDE.md Key People if important
Capture nicknames - critical for decoding
Projects:
Create/update memory/projects/{name}.md
Add to CLAUDE.md Active Projects if current
Capture codenames - "Phoenix", "the migration", etc.
Preferences: Add to CLAUDE.md Preferences section
Recalling Memory
When user asks "who is X" or "what does X mean":
Check CLAUDE.md first
Check memory/ for full detail
If not found: "I don't know what X means yet. Can you tell me?"
Progressive Disclosure
Load CLAUDE.md for quick parsing of any request
Dive into memory/ when you need full context for execution
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
| Type | CLAUDE.md (Hot Cache) | memory/ (Full Storage) |
|---|---|---|
| Person | Top ~30 frequent contacts | glossary.md + people/{name}.md |
| Acronym/term | ~30 most common | glossary.md (complete list) |
| Project | Active projects only | glossary.md + projects/{name}.md |
| Nickname | In Key People if top 30 | glossary.md (all nicknames) |
| Company context | Quick reference only | context/company.md |
| Preferences | All 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
- ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer946 B
- LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer11.1 KiB
- SKILL.md8.5 KiB
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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
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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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