--- name: memory-management description: Two-tier memory system that makes Claude a true workplace collaborator. Decodes shorthand, acronyms, nicknames, and internal language so Claude understands requests like a colleague would. CLAUDE.md for working memory, memory/ directory for the full knowledge base. user-invocable: false --- # Memory Management Memory makes Claude your workplace collaborator - someone who speaks your internal language. ## The Goal Transform shorthand into understanding: ``` User: "ask todd to do the PSR for oracle" ↓ Claude decodes "Ask Todd Martinez (Finance lead) to prepare the Pipeline Status Report for the Oracle Systems deal ($2.3M, closing Q2)" ``` Without memory, that request is meaningless. With memory, Claude knows: - **todd** → Todd Martinez, Finance lead, prefers Slack - **PSR** → Pipeline Status Report (weekly sales doc) - **oracle** → Oracle Systems deal, not the company ## Architecture ``` CLAUDE.md ← Hot cache (~30 people, common terms) memory/ glossary.md ← Full decoder ring (everything) people/ ← Complete profiles projects/ ← Project details context/ ← Company, teams, tools ``` **CLAUDE.md (Hot Cache):** - Top ~30 people you interact with most - ~30 most common acronyms/terms - Active projects (5-15) - Your preferences - **Goal: Cover 90% of daily decoding needs** **memory/glossary.md (Full Glossary):** - Complete decoder ring - everyone, every term - Searched when something isn't in CLAUDE.md - Can grow indefinitely **memory/people/, projects/, context/:** - Rich detail when needed for execution - Full profiles, history, context ## Lookup Flow ``` User: "ask todd about the PSR for phoenix" 1. Check CLAUDE.md (hot cache) → Todd? ✓ Todd Martinez, Finance → PSR? ✓ Pipeline Status Report → Phoenix? ✓ DB migration project 2. If not found → search memory/glossary.md → Full glossary has everyone/everything 3. If still not found → ask user → "What does X mean? I'll remember it." ``` This tiered approach keeps CLAUDE.md lean (~100 lines) while supporting unlimited scale in memory/. ## File Locations - **Working memory:** `CLAUDE.md` in current working directory - **Deep memory:** `memory/` subdirectory ## Working Memory Format (CLAUDE.md) Use tables for compactness. Target ~50-80 lines total. ```markdown # Memory ## Me [Name], [Role] on [Team]. [One sentence about what I do.] ## People | Who | Role | |-----|------| | **Todd** | Todd Martinez, Finance lead | | **Sarah** | Sarah Chen, Engineering (Platform) | | **Greg** | Greg Wilson, Sales | → Full list: memory/glossary.md, profiles: memory/people/ ## Terms | Term | Meaning | |------|---------| | PSR | Pipeline Status Report | | P0 | Drop everything priority | | standup | Daily 9am sync | → Full glossary: memory/glossary.md ## Projects | Name | What | |------|------| | **Phoenix** | DB migration, Q2 launch | | **Horizon** | Mobile app redesign | → Details: memory/projects/ ## Preferences - 25-min meetings with buffers - Async-first, Slack over email - No meetings Friday afternoons ``` ## Deep Memory Format (memory/) **memory/glossary.md** - The decoder ring: ```markdown # Glossary Workplace shorthand, acronyms, and internal language. ## Acronyms | Term | Meaning | Context | |------|---------|---------| | PSR | Pipeline Status Report | Weekly sales doc | | OKR | Objectives & Key Results | Quarterly planning | | P0/P1/P2 | Priority levels | P0 = drop everything | ## Internal Terms | Term | Meaning | |------|---------| | standup | Daily 9am sync in #engineering | | the migration | Project Phoenix database work | | ship it | Deploy to production | | escalate | Loop in leadership | ## Nicknames → Full Names | Nickname | Person | |----------|--------| | Todd | Todd Martinez (Finance) | | T | Also Todd Martinez | ## Project Codenames | Codename | Project | |----------|---------| | Phoenix | Database migration | | Horizon | New mobile app | ``` **memory/people/{name}.md:** ```markdown # Todd Martinez **Also known as:** Todd, T **Role:** Finance Lead **Team:** Finance **Reports to:** CFO (Michael Chen) ## Communication - Prefers Slack DM - Quick responses, very direct - Best time: mornings ## Context - Handles all PSRs and financial reporting - Key contact for deal approvals over $500k - Works closely with Sales on forecasting ## Notes - Cubs fan, likes talking baseball ``` **memory/projects/{name}.md:** ```markdown # Project Phoenix **Codename:** Phoenix **Also called:** "the migration" **Status:** Active, launching Q2 ## What It Is Database migration from legacy Oracle to PostgreSQL. ## Key People - Sarah - tech lead - Todd - budget owner - Greg - stakeholder (sales impact) ## Context $1.2M budget, 6-month timeline. Critical path for Horizon project. ``` **memory/context/company.md:** ```markdown # Company Context ## Tools & Systems | Tool | Used for | Internal name | |------|----------|---------------| | Slack | Communication | - | | Asana | Engineering tasks | - | | Salesforce | CRM | "SF" or "the CRM" | | Notion | Docs/wiki | - | ## Teams | Team | What they do | Key people | |------|--------------|------------| | Platform | Infrastructure | Sarah (lead) | | Finance | Money stuff | Todd (lead) | | Sales | Revenue | Greg | ## Processes | Process | What it means | |---------|---------------| | Weekly sync | Monday 10am all-hands | | Ship review | Thursday deploy approval | ``` ## How to Interact ### Decoding User Input (Tiered Lookup) **Always** decode shorthand before acting on requests: ``` 1. CLAUDE.md (hot cache) → Check first, covers 90% of cases 2. memory/glossary.md → Full glossary if not in hot cache 3. memory/people/, projects/ → Rich detail when needed 4. Ask user → Unknown term? Learn it. ``` Example: ``` User: "ask todd to do the PSR for oracle" CLAUDE.md lookup: "todd" → Todd Martinez, Finance ✓ "PSR" → Pipeline Status Report ✓ "oracle" → (not in hot cache) memory/glossary.md lookup: "oracle" → Oracle Systems deal ($2.3M) ✓ Now Claude can act with full context. ``` ### Adding Memory When user says "remember this" or "X means Y": 1. **Glossary items** (acronyms, terms, shorthand): - Add to memory/glossary.md - If frequently used, add to CLAUDE.md Quick Glossary 2. **People:** - Create/update memory/people/{name}.md - Add to CLAUDE.md Key People if important - **Capture nicknames** - critical for decoding 3. **Projects:** - Create/update memory/projects/{name}.md - Add to CLAUDE.md Active Projects if current - **Capture codenames** - "Phoenix", "the migration", etc. 4. **Preferences:** Add to CLAUDE.md Preferences section ### Recalling Memory When user asks "who is X" or "what does X mean": 1. Check CLAUDE.md first 2. Check memory/ for full detail 3. If not found: "I don't know what X means yet. Can you tell me?" ### Progressive Disclosure 1. Load CLAUDE.md for quick parsing of any request 2. Dive into memory/ when you need full context for execution 3. Example: drafting an email to todd about the PSR - CLAUDE.md tells you Todd = Todd Martinez, PSR = Pipeline Status Report - memory/people/todd-martinez.md tells you he prefers Slack, is direct ## Bootstrapping Use `/productivity:start` to initialize by scanning your chat, calendar, email, and documents. Extracts people, projects, and starts building the glossary. ## Conventions - **Bold** terms in CLAUDE.md for scannability - Keep CLAUDE.md under ~100 lines (the "hot 30" rule) - Filenames: lowercase, hyphens (`todd-martinez.md`, `project-phoenix.md`) - Always capture nicknames and alternate names - Glossary tables for easy lookup - When something's used frequently, promote it to CLAUDE.md - When something goes stale, demote it to memory/ only ## What Goes Where | Type | CLAUDE.md (Hot Cache) | memory/ (Full Storage) | |------|----------------------|------------------------| | Person | Top ~30 frequent contacts | glossary.md + people/{name}.md | | Acronym/term | ~30 most common | glossary.md (complete list) | | Project | Active projects only | glossary.md + projects/{name}.md | | Nickname | In Key People if top 30 | glossary.md (all nicknames) | | Company context | Quick reference only | context/company.md | | Preferences | All preferences | - | | Historical/stale | ✗ Remove | ✓ Keep in memory/ | ## Promotion / Demotion **Promote to CLAUDE.md when:** - You use a term/person frequently - It's part of active work **Demote to memory/ only when:** - Project completed - Person no longer frequent contact - Term rarely used This keeps CLAUDE.md fresh and relevant. --- Attribution added by YourAIKit. It is not part of the upstream file. - Source: https://github.com/anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins/tree/main/productivity/skills/memory-management - Credit: Anthropic, Knowledge Work Plugins (productivity) - Upstream copy: anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins at commit 33d3dea41a341b341d4f5da2e8801ae0c89be2b8, productivity/skills/memory-management/SKILL.md - Copyright: held by the upstream authors credited above - License: Apache-2.0. Full text: https://youraikit.com/licenses/anthropics-knowledge-work-plugins-productivity/LICENSE - The full upstream license text (LICENSE) follows. License (LICENSE): ```text Apache License Version 2.0, January 2004 http://www.apache.org/licenses/ TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR USE, REPRODUCTION, AND DISTRIBUTION 1. Definitions. "License" shall mean the terms and conditions for use, reproduction, and distribution as defined by Sections 1 through 9 of this document. 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