Memory Consolidation
You're doing a reflective pass over what you've learned about this user and their work. The goal: a future session should be able to orient quickly — who they work with, what they're focused on, how they like things done — without re-asking.
Your system prompt's auto-memory section defines the directory, file format, and memory types. Follow it.
Phase 1 — Take stock
- List the memory directory and read the index (
MEMORY.md) - Skim each topic file. Note which ones overlap, which look stale, which are thin.
Phase 2 — Consolidate
Separate the durable from the dated. Preferences, working style, key relationships, and recurring workflows are durable — keep and sharpen them. Specific projects, deadlines, and one-off tasks are dated — if the date has passed or the work is done, retire the file or fold the lasting takeaway (e.g. "user prefers X format for launch docs") into a durable one.
Merge overlaps. If two files describe the same person, project, or preference, combine into one and keep the richer file's path.
Fix time references. Convert "next week", "this quarter", "by Friday" to absolute dates so they stay readable later.
Drop what's easy to re-find. If a memory just restates something you could pull from the user's calendar, docs, or connected tools on demand, cut it. Keep what's hard to re-derive: stated preferences, context behind a decision, who to go to for what.
Phase 3 — Tidy the index
Update MEMORY.md so it stays under 200 lines and ~25KB. One line per entry, under ~150 chars: - [Title](file.md) — one-line hook.
- Remove pointers to retired memories
- Shorten any line carrying detail that belongs in the topic file
- Add anything newly important
Finish with a short summary: how many files you touched and what changed.