Continuity — Working Memory Protocol
TL;DR
- Use at session start and end
- Default file:
.cm/CONTINUITY.md - Goal: preserve context, learnings, and next actions cheaply
- Always-on: this is a background protocol, not a one-off task skill
When to Use
- Start of every session
- End of every session
- On errors, key decisions, or context handoffs
- When tooling needs memory, MCP, URI, or persistence details
Choose the Need
Need to follow continuity correctly in normal day-to-day work?
└─ YES → Session Protocol
Need the template or expected CONTINUITY structure?
└─ YES → Continuity Template
Need to understand memory tiers, MCP bridge, URI scheme, or storage?
└─ YES → Load the relevant advanced reference
Need to audit memory quality and avoid stale/conflicting recall?
└─ YES → Memory Audit| Need | Summary | Load | |---|---|---| | Normal usage | start / during / end protocol | references/session-protocol.md | | Template | CONTINUITY.md shape | references/continuity-template.md | | Memory model | tiers, bus, long-term memory | references/memory-architecture.md | | MCP bridge | context server tools and setup | references/mcp-context-server.md | | URI lookup | cm:// resource references | references/cm-uri-scheme.md | | Storage internals | learnings, decisions, formats | references/storage-formats.md | | Memory audit | decay, conflict, reinforcement | references/memory-audit.md |
Load Rules
- Load
session-protocol.mdfor normal continuity use. - Load
memory-architecture.mdonly for advanced memory reasoning. - Load
mcp-context-server.mdandcm-uri-scheme.mdonly for tooling/integration work. - Load
storage-formats.mdonly when editing persistence or migration logic. - Load
memory-audit.mdonly when reviewing memory quality or failure patterns.
Non-Negotiables
- Read continuity at session start.
- Update continuity at session end.
- Record important failures and decisions.
- Keep secrets out of memory files.
The Bottom Line
Use continuity every session. Load advanced memory details only when the task actually touches them.