/capture
Capture a single memory in the moment. Active verb: agent captures the moment of insight, like a photograph.
How to invoke
Call the origin MCP server's capture tool with the user's content as a
complete, self-contained statement. Attach topic from cwd or the
conversation — don't make the user type it.
capture(content="<args, written as a full sentence with WHY>",
memory_type="<picked from the 6 types>",
entity="<primary entity name, if any>",
space=<inferred>)
memory_type — agent picks one of 6
The daemon classifies when a local model or API key is configured. In local memory mode it does not, so the agent picks the type from the content itself. Use this mapping:
| Type | Use for |
|---|---|
identity | Durable facts about the user (role, company, language preference) |
preference | "I prefer X because Y" — a habit, a correction, a stylistic choice |
decision | "Going with A over B because C" — a specific choice with rationale |
lesson | Root cause found, workaround discovered, technical insight earned |
gotcha | Sharp edge, surprising behavior, a thing to watch out for |
fact | Durable info about people, projects, tools — anchor to entity when possible |
If two types fit, pick the one closest to why the memory matters. A
decision also implies a preference, but decision is more specific.
entity — extract the anchor
Pick the single most important named thing in the content: a person,
project, tool, place. Use the exact name. Example: "Alice prefers TDD
because…" → entity="Alice". If the content has no named anchor,
omit entity.
topic / space inference
- cwd inside a repo → repo name (e.g.
~/Repos/origin/...→"origin"). - Outside any repo → most recent topic from the conversation, or omit.
- Always pass
spacewhen scope is known; if uncertain, runlist_spaceslater (post-PR-C) or omit.
Multiple entities or relations
The MCP capture tool takes a single primary entity. For additional
entities or relations, use the dedicated MCP tools. If the content
names more than one entity, capture the memory first, then for each
additional entity:
create_entity(name="<entity>", entity_type="<person|project|tool|place>")
For a relation between two entities:
create_relation(from_entity="<a>", to_entity="<b>", relation_type="<verb>")
Skip these calls when the daemon has an LLM — its post-ingest enrichment covers extraction.
What to capture
- Decisions: "Going with approach A because B"
- Preferences: "Prefers TDD because catches regressions early"
- Corrections: "Actually it's C, not D"
- Identity / project facts: "Works on Origin, a local memory daemon for AI tools"
What NOT to capture
- System prompts, boot logs, heartbeats
- Transient task state ("currently working on...")
- Tool output, command results, architecture dumps
- Single-word acknowledgments
- Things the user can trivially re-derive (file paths, recent git history)
Atomic ideas
One capture = one idea. "Prefers TDD" and "Uses pytest" are two captures, not one.
When to use
- User explicitly says "remember this", "save that", "capture this".
- User states a durable preference / decision / correction proactively (no ask required — that's the floor, not the trigger).
When NOT to use
- End of session bulk store → use
/handoff(multi-item batch). - Pulling memories back out → use
/recall.
Post-capture contradiction signal
After capture returns, check response.triggered_revisions and response.auto_superseded.
auto_superseded (no action needed)
If auto_superseded is non-empty, the daemon already resolved the contradiction. Surface it as informational:
Note: auto-superseded mem_X. Origin replaced a prior protected memory because
trust=high and similarity > 0.9. No action needed.
No accept/dismiss call required. The revision was applied automatically.
triggered_revisions (human review needed)
If triggered_revisions is non-empty (and auto_superseded is empty), render an inline block to the user:
Stored mem_new.
This capture topic-matches a protected memory now flagged for revision:
- mem_target_abc
Action: accept (replace original content) | dismiss (drop the revision) | leave (decide later)
Inline verb map:
- accept:
accept_revision(target_source_id="mem_target_abc") - dismiss:
dismiss_revision(target_source_id="mem_target_abc") - leave: no call; surfaces again in next
/brief
Both fields can technically be non-empty in a single response (multiple protected matches), but in practice only one fires per capture: auto_superseded fires when trust=full and similarity > 0.9, triggered_revisions fires otherwise.
If neither field is non-empty, the capture stored cleanly with no conflicts.