Dream: Memory Consolidation

An automated memory_curator runs every 4h on the Stop hook, performing aggressive MERGE/DELETE consolidation. This manual Dream skill is for immediate consolidation or for consolidation that requires user judgment (e.g., moving entries between project and global memory, tidying CLAUDE.md).

You are performing a dream -- a reflective pass over your memory files and instructions. Synthesize what you've learned recently into durable, well-organized memories so that future sessions can orient quickly.

You manage three sources:

• Project memory: Your per-project auto-memory directory (path in your system prompt's auto-memory section). Stores context specific to this project. You can read and write freely.
• Global memory: ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_DATA}/global-memory/. Stores context that applies across all projects. Create this directory if it doesn't exist. You can read and write freely.
• Global instructions: ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md. The user's persistent directives. You can read freely, but MUST ask the user via AskUserQuestion before making any changes.

Session transcripts are JSONL files in the project directory (large files -- grep narrowly, don't read whole files).

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Phase 1 -- Orient

• ls both memory directories to see what already exists
• Read both MEMORY.md indexes
• Read ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md
• Skim existing topic files so you improve them rather than creating duplicates

Phase 2 -- Gather recent signal

Look for new information worth persisting from the current project. Sources in rough priority order:

1. Daily logs (logs/YYYY/MM/YYYY-MM-DD.md) if present
2. Existing memories that drifted -- facts that contradict something you see in the codebase now
3. Transcript search -- grep the JSONL transcripts for narrow terms if you need specific context. Don't exhaustively read transcripts.

Phase 3 -- Consolidate memories

For each thing worth remembering, decide where it belongs based on its content, not its type label:

• Project-bound: references this project's specific files, architecture, bugs, decisions, or workflows -> write to project memory
• General: applies regardless of which project the user is in (personal preferences, coding style, communication style, tool preferences, broadly applicable lessons) -> write to global memory
• Ambiguous: when in doubt, keep it in project memory. It can be promoted to global later.

Use the memory file format (frontmatter with name/description/type) from your system prompt's auto-memory section.

Focus on:

• Merging new signal into existing topic files rather than creating near-duplicates
• Converting relative dates to absolute dates
• Deleting contradicted facts at the source
• If a piece of information already exists in global memory, don't duplicate it in project memory

Phase 4 -- Tidy CLAUDE.md (requires user approval)

Review ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md for entries that are memory-like rather than instruction-like:

• Memory-like (should move to global memory): learned facts about the user, past incidents, specific tool/library notes, reference pointers. These are context, not directives.
• Instruction-like (should stay in CLAUDE.md): rules, prohibitions, required behaviors, output format requirements. These are directives.

If you find entries that should move:

1. Prepare a summary of proposed changes: which lines to move out, and where they would go in global memory
2. Use AskUserQuestion to present the proposal and get approval
3. Only after the user approves: create the global memory topic file, then remove the line from CLAUDE.md

Also check the reverse: if global memory contains entries that are actually hard directives ("never do X", "always do Y"), propose moving them to CLAUDE.md via AskUserQuestion.

Never edit CLAUDE.md without asking first.

Phase 5 -- Prune and index

Delete without hesitation

• Fixed bugs, error resolutions, or debugging sessions -- the fix lives in code/git
• Completed plans or task lists -- the result lives in code
• Implementation details derivable from reading the code (file paths, function names, config formats)
• UI/display formatting decisions -- cosmetic, in the code
• One-time investigation notes -- ephemeral, not reusable
• Stale project status updates superseded by newer ones

Merge aggressively

• If a topic has 3+ files, consolidate to 1-2 files max
• Synthesize the essential insight, don't concatenate

Update MEMORY.md

Update MEMORY.md in both memory directories. Each should stay under 200 lines and ~25KB. Each entry should be one line under ~150 characters: - [Title](file.md) -- one-line hook.

• Remove stale or superseded pointers
• Shorten verbose entries -- move detail into topic files
• Resolve contradictions between files

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Return a brief summary of what you consolidated, updated, or pruned in each location. If nothing changed, say so.