memory-curation

Memory Curation

Organize and maintain memory files that Claude Code saves natively. This skill does not cover creating or searching memory -- only curating what already exists.

Memory Structure

Memory lives at ~/.claude/projects/{project-slug}/memory/.

Component	Purpose
MEMORY.md	Index file -- table of all memory files with descriptions
{type}_{topic}.md	Individual memory files, one per topic

File Format

Every memory file has YAML frontmatter and markdown body:

---
name: project_gaia_v5
description: Gaia v5 architecture decisions
type: project
---

Type	Purpose	Example
project	Repo/system knowledge	project_gaia_v5.md
user	Personal preferences	user_blog_articles.md
feedback	Corrections/learnings	feedback_terraform_style.md

Curation Operations

Index Integrity

MEMORY.md must reflect actual files. To reconcile:

1. Scan the memory directory for all .md files (excluding MEMORY.md itself)
2. Compare against the index table rows
3. Add missing files to the index; remove rows for deleted files
4. Update descriptions that no longer match the file's actual content

Deduplication

1. Read all memory files and identify overlapping topics
2. Merge content into the file with the broader scope
3. Delete the narrower file
4. Update the index

Pruning Stale Entries

1. Identify entries that reference outdated projects, deprecated tools, or resolved decisions
2. Remove or archive the stale content
3. Update the index

Merging Overlapping Topics

1. When two files cover adjacent concerns, merge into one with a clear scope
2. Choose the name that best represents the combined topic
3. Update frontmatter description to reflect the merged scope
4. Delete the redundant file and update the index

Splitting Overgrown Files

When a file exceeds ~100 lines, split into focused subtopics. Create one file per subtopic, update the index for each.

Rules

Rule	Reason
Always update index and files together	Prevents drift between MEMORY.md and actual files
One topic per file	Split if a file outgrows its scope
Frontmatter required	Every file needs name, description, type in YAML frontmatter
Conciseness	Memory files are scannable references -- tables, bullets, short sections
Confirm before deleting	Report what will be pruned/merged and get user confirmation