@yandy0725/pi-memory 1.4.0 → 2.1.0

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package/README.md CHANGED
@@ -1,24 +1,39 @@
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  # pi-memory
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- File-system driven persistent memory layer for pi coding agent. Stores project knowledge across sessions — facts, preferences, debugging history — in plain Markdown files under `~/.pi/memory/<git|local>/<project>/`.
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-
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- Aligned with Claude Code's auto memory mechanism: per-topic MEMORY.md index, automatic topic file surfacing based on relevance, per-turn memory extraction, and typed memory categories.
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+ File-system driven persistent memory layer for pi coding agent. Stores project knowledge across sessions — facts, preferences, debugging history — as plain Markdown files under `~/.pi/memory/<git|local>/<project>/`.
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+
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+ Aligned with Claude Code's auto memory mechanism: **one memory = one file**, a `MEMORY.md` index with exactly one line per memory, relevance-based auto-surfacing, per-turn memory extraction, and typed memory categories.
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+
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+ > ## ⚠️ Breaking changes
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+ >
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+ > **In 2.1.0:**
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+ >
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+ > - **Models must be configured explicitly.** There is no shipped default and no parent-model fallback: `defaults.model` (or a per-task `model`) must exist and be resolvable, or `session_start` reports a config error and initialises **nothing**. See [Model configuration](#model-configuration).
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+ > - **`/memory on` and `/memory off` are gone.** `enabled` is a `memory.json` switch read once at session start — changing it needs a session restart.
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+ > - **Automatic 1.x → 2.0 migration has been removed.** Legacy topic files stay on disk untouched but are **invisible** to the memory system (they fail `parseEntryFile`'s five-field v2 frontmatter check). See [1.x data](#1x-data).
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+ >
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+ > **In 2.0.0:**
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+ >
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+ > - The index is now **one line per memory** (1.x had one line per *topic file*, with many `## entries` inside it).
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+ > - Each memory lives in **its own file** with five frontmatter fields: `name`, `description`, `type`, `created`, `modified` (1.x used `updated`).
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+ > - The index is injected as a **system-prompt section** (`memory_index`) that is frozen for the whole session, instead of being appended to the system prompt string.
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  ## Features
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- - **One `memory` tool**, three actions: `add` (append entry), `remove` (delete entry by title), `search` (query memory or session history)
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- - **Topic-based file organization**: each `memory add` writes a `## entry` block to a named `.md` file under the project's memory directory
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- - **`MEMORY.md` index** — one compact line per topic file with a relevance hook: `- [Name](file.md) — summary`
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- - **Memory types**: four categories — `user`, `feedback` (default), `project`, `reference` — stored in topic file frontmatter
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- - **Auto-surfacing** ⭐: on every user message, a side-query LLM selects up to N relevant topic files and injects their content into the agent's context. No manual `read` needed — use the built-in `read` tool to inspect memory files. Session-level deduplication prevents re-injecting the same topic.
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- - **Extract memories** ⭐: after each agent run, an async subagent analyzes the conversation and automatically writes learnings to memory — preferences, conventions, debugging insights
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- - **Snapshot injection**: on every new session, the MEMORY.md index is appended to the system prompt, keeping the agent aware of past work
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- - **`/dream` command**: launches a headless agent with a four-phase consolidation (Orient → Gather → Consolidate → Prune) to deduplicate, merge, and rebuild all memory files
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- - **Dream nudge**: after N sessions or N hours, a gentle notification suggests running `/dream`
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- - **`/memory` command**: show status, toggle on/off, inspect index and topic files
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- - **Session search**: the `memory search scope=sessions` action queries past conversation history
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- - **Readable, clone-safe layout**: memory lives under `~/.pi/memory/git/<host__owner__repo>/` for git repos with an http(s)/ssh/git remote (including scp-style and `git+ssh`/`git+https`), and `~/.pi/memory/local/<absolute-path>/` otherwise — clones and worktrees of the same repo share memory (a fork has its own remote, so it gets its own directory)
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- - **Path traversal protection**: topic files are validated against escaping the memory directory
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+ - **One `memory` tool, five actions** for the main agent: `add`, `replace`, `remove`, `list`, `search`. Two more — `rename` and `rebuild_index` — exist **only inside `/dream`'s own headless session** and never appear in the main agent's or the extractor's schema.
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+ - **One memory = one file** — no more multi-entry `## section` blocks; `name` is the lookup key, adding an existing `name` overwrites it (idempotent).
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+ - **`MEMORY.md` index** — exactly one line per memory: `- [Name](file.md) — description`. The separator is an **em dash** (`—`, U+2014) with one space on each side.
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+ - **`memory_index` prompt section, frozen per session** ⭐ — the index goes into `event.systemPromptOptions.sections["memory_index"]` and its value **does not change for the rest of the session**; only compaction re-reads it from disk. Because pi diffs sections and appends nothing when they are unchanged, the system prompt stays byte-identical turn after turn and the provider's prefix cache keeps hitting. `resume` / `fork` / `reload` replay the **recorded** value from the transcript instead of reading disk, so restoring a session does not rewrite its head.
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+ - **Injection sanitising** — everything injected (index lines, surfaced entry bodies and names) has invisible/bidi characters stripped and `<` `>` escaped, so a memory can never forge `</relevant_memories>`, `<system>`, `<project_instructions>`, `<active_agent …>` or `<memory_index>`. Sanitising happens **at injection time only**: your files on disk are never rewritten (they stay readable and hand-editable).
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+ - **Auto-surfacing** ⭐ — on every user turn a lightweight side query selects up to `maxFiles` **entries** (selected from `description` alone) and injects their bodies inside `<relevant_memories>`. Already-injected files are deduplicated per session; the manifest is served from an in-process `mtime` cache, so a turn costs one `readdir` plus one `stat` per file. Disabled inside subagents.
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+ - **Extract memories** ⭐ — after each run an async headless agent receives a **structured rendering of the whole conversation** (every user message in full, assistant text and tool calls, tool results with error flags), not just two messages. It writes through the same `memory` primitives, under a whole-round logical lock it never waits for: if a dream is running, that turn is simply skipped.
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+ - **`/dream`** — a headless consolidation agent (Orient → Gather Signal → Consolidate → Prune & Index) that merges duplicates, resolves contradictions, renames entries and rebuilds the index. It has **no raw file access**: it only gets the seven `memory` actions, holds the logical lock for the whole round, and snapshots the entire directory on entry.
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+ - **Dream nudge** — after N sessions or N hours a notification suggests `/dream`.
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+ - **`/memory`** — full status (switch, directory, index capacity, entry count, last dream, lock state including the holder), plus `unlock`.
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+ - **Two-level locking** — an in-process logical lock carries the *logical* scope (one primitive call, or a whole dream round); the cross-process `.lock` file is held for **milliseconds only** and is **never reclaimed automatically**. There is no TTL, no heartbeat and no takeover, so mutual exclusion is a hard guarantee; the price is that a lock left behind by a crashed process must be removed by a human (`/memory unlock`).
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+ - **Snapshots** — every write leaves a rollback point under `.backups/<ts>-<label>/`, keeping the last `lock.snapshotKeep` (directories named `migrate-*` — whole-directory snapshots from an earlier 1.x migration, whose `originals/` subdirectory holds the pre-2.0 topic files — are never pruned). `/dream` is the exception: it snapshots the whole directory **once on entry**, and the primitives inside that round skip their per-file snapshots (one round, one rollback point).
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+ - **Session search** — `memory search scope=sessions` queries past conversation history.
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+ - **Readable, clone-safe layout** — memory lives under `~/.pi/memory/git/<host__owner__repo>/` for git repos with an http(s)/ssh/git remote (including scp-style and `git+ssh`/`git+https`), and `~/.pi/memory/local/<absolute-path>/` otherwise — clones and worktrees of the same repo share memory (a fork has its own remote, so it gets its own directory).
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  ## Install
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@@ -34,9 +49,70 @@ Or add to `~/.pi/agent/settings.json`:
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  }
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  ```
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+ ## Storage layout
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+
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+ ```
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+ ~/.pi/memory/git/github.com__owner__repo/
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+ MEMORY.md — the index: one line per memory (em dash separator)
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+ SSH-port-on-staging.md
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+ Test-command.md — one file per memory
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+ .lock — cross-process write lock (held for milliseconds, never auto-reclaimed)
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+ .backups/ — rollback points: <ISO-ts>-<label>/ (plus migrate-<ts>/ whole-directory snapshots from earlier 1.x migrations)
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+ .dream-meta.json — last dream timestamp + session count (drives the nudge)
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+ sessions/ — persisted headless sessions, only when sessionPersistence is enabled
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+ ```
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+
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+ ### Entry file
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+
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+ ```yaml
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+ ---
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+ name: SSH port on staging
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+ description: staging SSH listens on 2222, not 22; key at ~/.ssh/staging
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+ type: project
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+ created: 2026-07-13
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+ modified: 2026-10-02T08:14:03.120Z
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+ ---
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+
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+ staging 的 SSH 用 2222 端口,密钥在 ~/.ssh/staging。
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+ ```
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+
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+ - `name` — unique, human-readable title; the lookup key for `replace` / `remove` / `rename`. Adding the same `name` again overwrites that memory instead of creating a second one.
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+ - `description` — **one self-contained line**. It is the only text a future session sees when the side query decides relevance, so it must make sense without the body. Bad: `Debugging tips`. Good: `staging SSH listens on 2222, not 22`.
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+ - `type` — `user` | `feedback` (default) | `project` | `reference`.
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+ - `created` — `YYYY-MM-DD`, written once and preserved across overwrites.
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+ - `modified` — ISO 8601, **always written by the store**; callers cannot pass it in.
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+
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+ File names are derived from `name` (unsafe characters replaced, 100-byte cap, `-2` / `-3` … only when a *file name* collides). `MEMORY.md` can never be targeted by an entry.
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+
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+ ### MEMORY.md index
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+
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+ ```
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+ # Memory Index
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+
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+ - [SSH port on staging](SSH-port-on-staging.md) — staging SSH listens on 2222, not 22
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+ - [Test command](Test-command.md) — run npm test, not npm run test
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+ ```
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+
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+ Writes are **surgical**: only the target line changes, hand-written headings, groups and comments are preserved byte-for-byte, and line order is stable. The one exception is line endings: CRLF (or lone CR) is normalised to LF before parsing, so the first write to a CRLF file rewrites it with LF.
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+
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+ ### Memory types
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+ | Type | Meaning | Example |
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+ |------|---------|---------|
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+ | `user` | User role, preferences, knowledge | "User is a data scientist focused on observability" |
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+ | `feedback` | Lessons, corrections, confirmations (default) | "Use real DB not mocks — burned last quarter" |
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+ | `project` | Project state, deadlines, incidents | "Merge freeze starts 2026-03-05 for mobile release" |
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+ | `reference` | Pointers to external systems | "Bug tracker = Linear INGEST project" |
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+
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+ ### Capacity: 200 index lines ≈ 199 memories
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+
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+ The index holds at most `memIndexMaxLines` (200) non-empty lines and `memIndexMaxBytes` (25600) bytes. Those 200 lines are **index lines, not memories**: `rebuildIndex` guarantees at least one header line — an existing hand-written header is kept verbatim (trailing blank lines before the first entry are dropped), otherwise it writes `# Memory Index` — and hand-written headings, groups and comments count too. A rebuilt index therefore holds at most about **199 memories per project directory** (fewer if you keep hand-written headings). Exceeding the limit does **not** fail the write: the write succeeds and the tool returns an actionable warning telling the model to merge or drop entries (everything past the limit is invisible on the next load).
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+ This is why `/dream` is no longer optional housekeeping — it is **capacity management**. Run it (or accept the nudge) before you approach 199 memories.
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+
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  ## Configuration
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- Create `memory.json` in the agent directory (`~/.pi/agent/memory.json`) or the project `.pi/` directory (if trusted):
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+ Create `memory.json` in the agent directory (`~/.pi/agent/memory.json`) or the project `.pi/` directory (only when the project is trusted):
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  ```json
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  {
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  "memoryDir": "~/.pi/memory",
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  "memIndexMaxLines": 200,
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  "memIndexMaxBytes": 25600,
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- "defaults": {
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- "model": "deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash",
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- "sessionPersistence": { "enabled": false }
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- },
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- "dream": {
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- "nudgeAfterSessions": 5,
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- "nudgeAfterHours": 24,
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- "model": "auto",
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- "thinkLevel": "high",
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- "sessionPersistence": { "enabled": false }
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- },
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- "sessionSearch": {
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- "maxSessions": 10,
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- "maxMatches": 5
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- },
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+ "memIndexInjectMaxLines": 200,
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+ "memIndexInjectMaxBytes": 25600,
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+ "lock": { "timeoutMs": 5000, "snapshotKeep": 5 },
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+ "defaults": { "model": "provider/model-id", "sessionPersistence": { "enabled": false } },
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+ "dream": { "nudgeAfterSessions": 5, "nudgeAfterHours": 24, "thinkLevel": "high" },
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+ "sessionSearch": { "maxSessions": 10, "maxMatches": 5 },
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  "autoSurfacing": {
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  "enabled": true,
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- "model": "auto",
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  "thinkLevel": "off",
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- "maxFiles": 5,
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- "maxTopicBytes": 4096,
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- "maxInjectionBytes": 20480,
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- "sessionPersistence": { "enabled": false }
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+ "maxFiles": 3,
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+ "maxEntryBytes": 3072,
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+ "maxInjectionBytes": 10240
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  },
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  "extractMemories": {
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  "enabled": true,
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- "model": "auto",
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  "thinkLevel": "high",
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  "maxContextTokens": 2000,
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- "sessionPersistence": { "enabled": false }
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+ "maxToolResultChars": 500,
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+ "maxAssistantChars": 2000
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  }
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  }
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  ```
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+ > Every `model` value must resolve in your registry — there is no default. A missing or unresolvable model makes `session_start` report a config error and initialise nothing. See [Model configuration](#model-configuration).
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+
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  | Key | Default | Description |
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  |-----|---------|-------------|
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- | `enabled` | `true` | Toggle the entire memory system on/off |
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+ | `enabled` | `true` | Toggle the entire memory system on/off. Read once at session start — changing it requires restarting the session |
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  | `memoryDir` | `~/.pi/memory` | Root directory for all memory data |
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- | `memIndexMaxLines` | `200` | Max lines in `MEMORY.md` before capacity errors |
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- | `memIndexMaxBytes` | `25600` | Max bytes in `MEMORY.md` before capacity errors |
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- | `defaults.model` | — | Shared model fallback for all sub-tasks. Per-task `model` overrides |
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- | `defaults.sessionPersistence.enabled` | `false` | Shared session persistence fallback (default: in-memory). Per-task overrides |
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- | `defaults.sessionPersistence.sessionDir` | `<project memory dir>/sessions/` | Custom session directory for persisted headless agent sessions |
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- | `dream.nudgeAfterSessions` | `5` | Sessions since last dream before nudge is shown |
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- | `dream.nudgeAfterHours` | `24` | Hours since last dream before nudge is shown |
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- | `dream.model` | — | Model for dream consolidation (`"provider/id"`). Falls back to `defaults.model` → parent model |
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- | `dream.thinkLevel` | `"high"` | Thinking effort for dream subagent: `"off"`, `"minimal"`, `"low"`, `"medium"`, `"high"`, `"xhigh"` |
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- | `dream.sessionPersistence.enabled` | `false` | Persist dream agent sessions to disk (debug/audit). Falls back to `defaults.sessionPersistence.enabled` |
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- | `dream.sessionPersistence.sessionDir` | `<project memory dir>/sessions/` | Custom session directory for dream sessions |
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- | `sessionSearch.maxSessions` | `10` | Max sessions to scan when searching history |
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+ | `memIndexMaxLines` | `200` | Write capacity: max non-empty lines in `MEMORY.md` (the `# Memory Index` header and hand-written headings count too, so this is not exactly the memory count) |
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+ | `memIndexMaxBytes` | `25600` | Write capacity: max bytes of `MEMORY.md` |
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+ | `memIndexInjectMaxLines` | `200` | Injection budget: max lines of the index put into the `memory_index` section. Same scale as the write capacity on purpose — a smaller budget would hide memories that were written successfully |
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+ | `memIndexInjectMaxBytes` | `25600` | Injection budget: max bytes of the index section (truncated with a `[truncated: …]` marker) |
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+ | `lock.timeoutMs` | `5000` | How long a write waits for the logical lock (single primitive) or the cross-process `.lock`. Also the upper bound `session_shutdown` waits for in-flight writes |
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+ | `lock.snapshotKeep` | `5` | Rollback points kept in `.backups/` (directories named `migrate-*` — whole-directory snapshots from an earlier 1.x migration, whose `originals/` subdirectory holds the pre-2.0 topic files — are never pruned) |
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+ | `defaults.model` | `— (required)` | Shared model for dream / extract / side query. **No default**: every task that will run must resolve a model, otherwise `session_start` fails (see [Model configuration](#model-configuration)). A per-task `model` overrides it |
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+ | `defaults.sessionPersistence.enabled` | `false` | Shared fallback: headless sub-sessions (extract / dream / side query) stay in memory by default |
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+ | `defaults.sessionPersistence.sessionDir` | `<project memory dir>/sessions/` | Custom directory for persisted headless sessions |
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+ | `dream.nudgeAfterSessions` | `5` | Sessions since the last dream before the nudge is shown |
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+ | `dream.nudgeAfterHours` | `24` | Hours since the last dream before the nudge is shown |
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+ | `dream.model` | — | Model for dream consolidation (`"provider/id"`). Falls back to `defaults.model`; required unless `defaults.model` is set (must be resolvable, no parent-model fallback) |
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+ | `dream.thinkLevel` | `"high"` | Thinking effort for the dream agent: `off` / `minimal` / `low` / `medium` / `high` / `xhigh` |
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+ | `dream.sessionPersistence.*` | inherits `defaults` | Persist dream sessions to disk (debug/audit) |
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+ | `sessionSearch.maxSessions` | `10` | Max sessions to scan for `search scope=sessions` |
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  | `sessionSearch.maxMatches` | `5` | Max matches to return from history search |
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- | `autoSurfacing.enabled` | `true` | ⭐ Enable per-turn topic file auto-injection |
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- | `autoSurfacing.model` | — | ⭐ Model for side-query relevance selection. Falls back to `defaults.model` → parent model |
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- | `autoSurfacing.thinkLevel` | `"off"` | ⭐ Thinking effort for side-query (recommended: `"off"` for lightweight selection) |
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- | `autoSurfacing.sessionPersistence.enabled` | `false` | Persist side-query agent sessions to disk. Falls back to `defaults.sessionPersistence.enabled` |
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- | `autoSurfacing.maxFiles` | `5` | ⭐ Max topic files to inject per turn |
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- | `autoSurfacing.maxTopicBytes` | `4096` | ⭐ Max bytes per injected topic file (truncated) |
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- | `autoSurfacing.maxInjectionBytes` | `20480` | ⭐ Max total bytes of injected content per turn |
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+ | `autoSurfacing.enabled` | `true` | ⭐ Enable per-turn entry auto-injection |
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+ | `autoSurfacing.model` | — | ⭐ Model for the relevance side query. Falls back to `defaults.model`; required unless `defaults.model` is set (must be resolvable, no parent-model fallback) |
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+ | `autoSurfacing.thinkLevel` | `"off"` | ⭐ Thinking effort for the side query (`"off"` keeps it cheap) |
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+ | `autoSurfacing.maxFiles` | `3` | ⭐ Max entries to inject per turn |
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+ | `autoSurfacing.maxEntryBytes` | `3072` | ⭐ Max bytes of a single injected entry body (truncated). Replaces 1.x's `maxTopicBytes`, which is ignored |
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+ | `autoSurfacing.maxInjectionBytes` | `10240` | ⭐ Max total bytes of injected content per turn |
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+ | `autoSurfacing.sessionPersistence.*` | inherits `defaults` | Persist side-query sessions to disk |
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  | `extractMemories.enabled` | `true` | ⭐ Enable per-turn memory extraction |
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- | `extractMemories.model` | — | ⭐ Model for the extraction subagent. Falls back to `defaults.model` → parent model |
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- | `extractMemories.thinkLevel` | `"high"` | ⭐ Thinking effort for extraction: `"off"` / `"minimal"` / `"low"` / `"medium"` / `"high"` / `"xhigh"` |
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- | `extractMemories.sessionPersistence.enabled` | `false` | Persist extract agent sessions to disk. Falls back to `defaults.sessionPersistence.enabled` |
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- | `extractMemories.maxContextTokens` | `2000` | ⭐ Max tokens of conversation to analyze |
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+ | `extractMemories.model` | — | ⭐ Model for the extraction agent. Falls back to `defaults.model`; required unless `defaults.model` is set (must be resolvable, no parent-model fallback) |
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+ | `extractMemories.thinkLevel` | `"high"` | ⭐ Thinking effort for extraction |
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+ | `extractMemories.maxContextTokens` | `2000` | ⭐ Budget for the rendered conversation (`× 4` characters; the middle is trimmed first, head and tail are kept, user messages are dropped last) |
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+ | `extractMemories.maxToolResultChars` | `500` | ⭐ Per-message cap for a rendered `tool_result` |
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+ | `extractMemories.maxAssistantChars` | `2000` | ⭐ Per-message cap for rendered assistant text (user messages are never truncated) |
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+ | `extractMemories.sessionPersistence.*` | inherits `defaults` | Persist extract sessions to disk |
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- Persisted headless agent sessions default to `<project memory dir>/sessions/` — inside the project's memory directory, not inside your working copy. For example `~/.pi/memory/git/github.com__owner__repo/sessions/`.
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+ Persisted headless sessions default to `<project memory dir>/sessions/` — inside the project's memory directory, not inside your working copy.
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- Project-level config (`.pi/memory.json`) is only loaded when the project is trusted.
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+ ## Model configuration
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- ## How it works
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+ Every task that will run must resolve a model — **there is no shipped default and no parent-model fallback**. `defaults.model` satisfies all of them; a per-task `model` (`dream.model`, `extractMemories.model`, `autoSurfacing.model`) overrides it.
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- ### MEMORY.md index
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+ | Task | Required when |
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+ |------|---------------|
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+ | `dream` | the memory system is enabled (`enabled: true`) — always required |
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+ | `extractMemories` | `extractMemories.enabled` is true |
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+ | `autoSurfacing` | `autoSurfacing.enabled` is true |
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- MEMORY.md is a compact **pointer index** — one line per topic file, not per entry:
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+ With `enabled: false` nothing runs — not even `/dream` or the nudge — so no model is required. At `session_start` pi-memory resolves every required model against the model registry. If one is missing or cannot be resolved, it initialises **nothing**: it shows an error notification `pi-memory config error:` followed by one `- <error>` line per problem, and `/memory` reports `Memory: misconfigured` and `Dir: not initialized`, followed by the same lines. The two possible messages are:
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- ```
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- - [Debugging](debugging.md) — SSH uses port 2222; MySQL 30s timeout on staging
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- - [API Conventions](api.md) — REST handlers in src/api/handlers/; standard error format
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- ```
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+ - `no model for <task> — set "<task>.model" or "defaults.model" in memory.json`
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+ - `model "<value>" for <task> is not resolvable (unknown id or missing credentials)`
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- Only the index is injected into the system prompt on every session (first 200 lines / 25KB). Topic file content is **not** loaded at session start — it's surfaced on demand via auto-surfacing or the built-in `read` tool.
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+ Fix `memory.json` and restart the session — the config is read once at session start. In headless/print sessions a config error is silent (no notification is shown), so check `/memory` in an interactive session.
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- ### Topic file format
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+ ## How it works
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- Each topic file uses YAML frontmatter with four fields:
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+ ### Session lifecycle
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- ```yaml
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- ---
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- name: Debugging Tips
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- description: Common debugging patterns, SSH ports, MySQL timeout configs
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- type: feedback
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- updated: 2026-07-13
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- ---
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+ | Event | What pi-memory does |
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+ |---|---|
208
+ | `session_start` | Load config → validate the required models (a failure means nothing is initialised) → resolve the memory directory → **pick the index value and freeze it** (disk for `startup`/`new`; the recorded transcript value for `resume`/`fork`/`reload`) → register the `memory` tool (once, five actions) → rebuild the manifest cache → dream nudge |
209
+ | `before_agent_start` | Write the frozen value into `sections["memory_index"]` (**unconditionally, every turn**), then auto-surfacing (main session, not a subagent) |
210
+ | `agent_end` | Fire the async extractor; notify `Extracted N memories.` when it wrote something, or `Extract failed: …` once per session |
211
+ | `session_compact` | Clear the injected-file set **and re-read the index from disk** — the only in-session refresh point |
212
+ | `session_shutdown` | Wait for in-flight writes to finish (bounded by `lock.timeoutMs`) so a quit does not leave a stale `.lock` |
139
213
 
140
- ## SSH Gotcha
141
- staging uses port 2222, key at ~/.ssh/staging
214
+ ### Why the index is frozen
142
215
 
143
- ## MySQL Timeout
144
- connection timeout after 30s on staging
145
- ```
216
+ pi builds the system prompt from ordered sections and appends a *patch* message only for sections whose value changed; when nothing changed it appends nothing at all. A custom section is inserted **last**, so `memory_index` is the final part of the system prompt with the entire conversation after it. If its value changed mid-session, the folded head would be rewritten and everything after it would lose its prefix cache. Hence: one value per session, refreshed only at compaction (where the middle of the conversation is being rewritten anyway).
146
217
 
147
- The `description` field is critical — the auto-surfacing side-query uses it to determine relevance. Make it specific.
218
+ The accepted trade-off: memories written during this session are **not** visible in this session's index. The tool result already confirms the write, and the next session sees it.
148
219
 
149
- ### Memory types
150
-
151
- | Type | Meaning | Example |
152
- |------|---------|---------|
153
- | `user` | User role, preferences, knowledge | "User is a data scientist focused on observability" |
154
- | `feedback` | Lessons, corrections, confirmations (default) | "Use real DB not mocks — burned last quarter" |
155
- | `project` | Project state, deadlines, incidents | "Merge freeze starts 2026-03-05 for mobile release" |
156
- | `reference` | Pointers to external systems | "Bug tracker = Linear INGEST project" |
220
+ If the host pi is older than the sections API, pi-memory falls back to appending the index to the system prompt string — same functionality, worse caching.
157
221
 
158
222
  ### Auto-surfacing
159
223
 
160
- On every user message (`before_agent_start` hook):
161
- 1. Scan all topic files, extract their frontmatter metadata
162
- 2. A side-query LLM selects up to `maxFiles` relevant topic files based on the user's query
163
- 3. Already-injected topics are skipped (session-level dedup)
164
- 4. Selected topic file content is injected as context — the agent sees relevant memories automatically
224
+ 1. Build the manifest from the store's `mtime` cache: `[type] file.md — description`, newest first, capped at 200 entries and 4000 characters (the description budget is split evenly, never below 80 characters each).
225
+ 2. A side query (`maxTurns: 1`, no tools) returns up to `maxFiles` file names from that manifest; anything not in the manifest is dropped.
226
+ 3. The selected entries' **bodies** (frontmatter excluded) are truncated to `maxEntryBytes`, sanitised, and injected as one `display: false` custom message wrapped in `<relevant_memories>`; the total stops at `maxInjectionBytes`.
227
+ 4. Injected file names are remembered for the session, and the set is cleared on compaction. You get a `Recalled: N entries` notification.
165
228
 
166
229
  ### Extract memories
167
230
 
168
- After each agent run (`agent_end` hook):
169
- 1. An async headless subagent is spawned with the conversation transcript
170
- 2. It uses `ls` and `read` to check existing topic files and MEMORY.md, then `memory_add` to persist learnings
171
- 3. If it finds learnings worth persisting, it writes them — preferences, conventions, debugging insights
172
- 4. The subagent runs independently; its results benefit future sessions
231
+ The extractor receives a structured rendering instead of a lossy two-message summary:
232
+
233
+ ```
234
+ === Conversation ===
235
+ [1] user: <full text>
236
+ [2] assistant: <text> | tool_call: memory({"action":"list"})
237
+ [3] tool_result: <summary, capped at maxToolResultChars>
238
+ [4] user: <correction>
239
+ ```
240
+
241
+ It runs with the five main-agent actions (never `rename` / `rebuild_index`), no file tools, `maxTurns: 5`, and a 120s timeout. If the logical lock is busy (a dream owns the round) it **skips the turn** rather than queueing — the next `agent_end` will come.
173
242
 
174
- Memory extraction is selective: it ignores one-time tasks, code snippets derivable from the project, and anything already in CLAUDE.md.
243
+ ### Locking
244
+
245
+ | Level | Scope | Behaviour |
246
+ |---|---|---|
247
+ | In-process logical lock (per memory dir) | one primitive call; or a whole dream round | Waits up to `lock.timeoutMs`, then throws a readable error naming the directory. `extract` uses the non-waiting form and skips the turn |
248
+ | Cross-process `.lock` | milliseconds, around the physical write | Acquired with `link` (atomic), **never reclaimed automatically**: no TTL, no heartbeat, no takeover |
249
+
250
+ A crash inside a write can therefore leave a `.lock` behind, and nothing will ever delete it for you — that is the deliberate price of a hard mutual-exclusion guarantee. The error names the pid, op and start time; `/memory unlock` is the one sanctioned way to clear it.
175
251
 
176
252
  ## Tool reference
177
253
 
178
254
  ```
179
- memory(action: "add" | "remove" | "search",
180
- content?, topic?, title?, type?,
181
- entry?, query?, scope?)
255
+ memory(action: "add" | "replace" | "remove" | "list" | "search",
256
+ name?, description?, content?, type?, query?, scope?)
182
257
  ```
183
258
 
259
+ `description` is the only relevance signal a future session gets — always pass a self-contained one with `add` and `replace`.
260
+
184
261
  ### `add`
185
262
 
186
- Appends a `## entry` block to a topic file. If the topic already exists in the index, the MEMORY.md hook is updated to summarize all entries. For new topics, a new index line is created.
263
+ Creates a memory, or **overwrites the one whose `name` matches exactly** (idempotent; `created` is preserved).
264
+
265
+ - `name` (required) — unique, human-readable title
266
+ - `content` (required) — the memory body; it becomes the whole entry file
267
+ - `description` (optional) — one self-contained line; defaults to the first sentence of `content`
268
+ - `type` (optional) — `user` / `feedback` (default) / `project` / `reference`
187
269
 
188
- - **`content`** (required) — knowledge text to persist
189
- - **`topic`** (required) — target filename, e.g. `"debugging.md"`. Auto-created if new
190
- - **`title`** (required) — descriptive, self-contained title for the entry. Only the MEMORY.md index line is injected into future prompts (topic file content is NOT), so the title alone must convey what was learned
191
- - **`type`** (optional) — memory category: `"user"`, `"feedback"` (default), `"project"`, `"reference"`
270
+ ### `replace`
271
+
272
+ Rewrites an existing memory's `content` / `description` / `type`. Looks the entry up by `name`. Renaming is `rename`, which is dream-only.
192
273
 
193
274
  ### `remove`
194
275
 
195
- Deletes an entry by title. Searches across all topic files for the matching `##` block. Updates the MEMORY.md hook for the affected topic. When the last entry in a topic is removed, the topic file and its index line are deleted.
276
+ Deletes the entry matched by `name` — file, index line, and the memory itself. Fails loudly if the entry cannot be found or the file cannot be removed (no silent "deleted").
277
+
278
+ ### `list`
196
279
 
197
- - **`entry`** (required) — exact entry title to remove
280
+ One line per memory: `- name (type, modified …) — description [file]`.
198
281
 
199
282
  ### `search`
200
283
 
201
- Queries either memory files or session history. Memory search returns the full entry block (entire `##` section) for each match.
284
+ - `query` (required)
285
+ - `scope` (optional) — `memory` (default: name, description and body of every entry) or `sessions` (past conversation history)
202
286
 
203
- - **`query`** (required) — search keyword
204
- - **`scope`** (optional) — `"memory"` (default, scans topic files) or `"sessions"` (scans session history)
287
+ ### Dream-only actions
288
+
289
+ `rename` (`name` + `new_name`; the file name and the index line follow, keeping the line's position) and `rebuild_index` (rebuild from disk, preserving a hand-written header). They are registered **only** inside `/dream`'s headless session, so neither the main agent nor the extractor can call them.
205
290
 
206
291
  ## Commands
207
292
 
208
293
  ### `/memory`
209
294
 
210
- Show memory status (enabled/disabled, directory, index line count, topic files, last dream timestamp).
295
+ ```
296
+ /memory — status
297
+ /memory unlock — remove a left-behind .lock (asks for confirmation first)
298
+ ```
299
+
300
+ Status output:
211
301
 
212
302
  ```
213
- /memory — show status
214
- /memory on — enable memory
215
- /memory off — disable memory
303
+ Memory: enabled
304
+ Dir: /home/you/.pi/memory/git/github.com__owner__repo
305
+ Index: 38/200 lines, 2841/25600 bytes, 1 unrecognized lines
306
+ Entries: 37
307
+ Last dream: 2026-10-01T22:10:04.882Z
308
+ Lock: free
216
309
  ```
217
310
 
311
+ - `Index` uses the **write** capacity (`memIndexMax*`) and reports how many non-empty lines could not be parsed as index lines (the `# Memory Index` header and hand-written headings count). CRLF (or lone CR) line endings are normalised to LF before parsing, and the next write emits LF too, so a `MEMORY.md` re-saved by a Windows editor does **not** raise this count.
312
+ - `Lock` is `free`, `held by <op> (pid N on <hostname>, started <ISO>)`, or `unreadable — run /memory unlock`. `/memory unlock` shows the same holder line in its confirmation prompt.
313
+ - In a session started with `enabled: false`, nothing is initialized at boot: `/memory` reports `Memory: disabled` plus `Dir: not initialized — set "enabled": true in memory.json and restart`, there is no way to enable it mid-session, and `/memory unlock` still works without a store.
314
+ - If a required model is missing or cannot be resolved, nothing is initialized and `/memory` reports `Memory: misconfigured` and `Dir: not initialized`, followed by one `- <error>` line per problem. The same errors are shown as an error notification at session start.
315
+
218
316
  ### `/dream`
219
317
 
220
- Launch a headless agent that reads all memory files and consolidates them in four phases:
318
+ Asks for confirmation, snapshots the whole directory, then runs a headless agent through four phases:
319
+
320
+ 1. **Orient** — `list`, read the relevant entries
321
+ 2. **Gather Signal** — find duplicates (several entries for one fact), contradictions, stale items
322
+ 3. **Consolidate** — merge with `replace` + `remove`, rename with `rename`
323
+ 4. **Prune & Index** — `rebuild_index` as a backstop
221
324
 
222
- 1. **Orient** — list files, read MEMORY.md, skim topic files
223
- 2. **Gather Signal** — find duplicates, contradictions, outdated entries
224
- 3. **Consolidate** — merge duplicates, resolve contradictions, update dates
225
- 4. **Prune & Index** — rebuild frontmatter, generate hooks, rebuild MEMORY.md
325
+ It cannot touch files directly: it only has the seven `memory` actions. A summary notification arrives when it finishes, `Dream failed: …` when it does not. The model is configurable via `dream.model`.
226
326
 
227
- The model used can be configured via `dream.model` in `memory.json`.
327
+ ## 1.x data
228
328
 
229
- A confirmation dialog is shown before the consolidation begins. The result summary is shown as a notification when done.
329
+ Automatic 1.x → 2.0 migration has been removed. Legacy topic files (frontmatter with `updated` and without `created`/`modified`, so they fail the five-field v2 frontmatter check) stay on disk untouched and are **invisible to the memory system** — `parseEntryFile` requires the five v2 frontmatter fields, so such files never appear in the index, injections, `list`/`read`/`search`, and `/dream` cannot see them either (dream only has the `memory` tool). To recover their content by hand, split each `## ` section into its own file with v2 frontmatter (`name`, `description`, `type`, `created`, `modified`). Directories created by an earlier migration are still never pruned: `.backups/migrate-*/originals/` holds the pre-2.0 topic files, and `.backups/migrate-*/MEMORY.md` the index as it was then.
230
330
 
231
331
  ## File layout
232
332
 
@@ -234,11 +334,10 @@ A confirmation dialog is shown before the consolidation begins. The result summa
234
334
  ~/.pi/memory/
235
335
  git/
236
336
  github.com__yandy__pi-packages/ ← https://github.com/yandy/pi-packages.git
237
- MEMORY.md — compact index: one line per topic file
238
- .dream-meta.json — last dream timestamp + session count
239
- debugging.md — topic files with frontmatter + ## entries
240
- preferences.md
241
- ...
337
+ MEMORY.md — the index: one line per memory
338
+ SSH-port-on-staging.md
339
+ Test-command.md — one file per memory
340
+ .lock .backups/ .dream-meta.json
242
341
  local/
243
342
  home__yandy__workspace__scratch/ ← non-git directory /home/yandy/workspace/scratch
244
343
  ```
@@ -255,10 +354,16 @@ Directory names are derived as follows:
255
354
 
256
355
  The mapping is not injective: underscores are kept as-is, so `/home/a__b` and `/home/a/b` both map to `home__a__b` (and share one memory directory). Changing or renaming a remote, adding a remote that sorts before the one currently in use, or moving a local directory changes the memory directory, orphaning the old one.
257
356
 
258
- **Legacy layout:** earlier versions stored memory under `~/.pi/memory/<12-char-sha256>/`; those directories are no longer read or written. To migrate a project manually, compute the old hash with `printf '%s' "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)" | sha256sum | cut -c1-12` (use `$PWD` outside a git repo), then `mv` that directory to the new location (run `/memory` inside the project to see the new path).
357
+ **Older legacy layout:** versions before 1.x stored memory under `~/.pi/memory/<12-char-sha256>/`; those directories are no longer read or written. To migrate a project manually, compute the old hash with `printf '%s' "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)" | sha256sum | cut -c1-12` (use `$PWD` outside a git repo), then `mv` that directory to the new location (run `/memory` inside the project to see the new path) and split its topic files by hand (see [1.x data](#1x-data)).
259
358
 
260
- ## Snapshot semantics
359
+ ## Notifications
261
360
 
262
- On every `session_start`, the `MEMORY.md` index is read and appended to the system prompt via `before_agent_start`. If the index exceeds `memIndexMaxLines` or `memIndexMaxBytes`, it is truncated with a `[truncated]` marker — the agent still gets the most relevant portion. This snapshot is a static copy at the start of the session.
361
+ | When | Notification |
362
+ |---|---|
363
+ | `memory add` succeeds (interactive session) | `Saved: <name>` |
364
+ | Auto-surfacing injected entries | `Recalled: <N> entries` |
365
+ | The extractor wrote memories | `Extracted <N> memory.` / `Extracted <N> memories.` |
366
+ | The extractor failed | `Extract failed: <message>` — at most once per session |
367
+ | `/dream` finished / failed | the headless agent's summary / `Dream failed: <message>` |
263
368
 
264
- Topic file content is surfaced separately via **auto-surfacing** (automatic, per-turn, relevance-based) or the built-in `read` tool.
369
+ Headless sessions (`hasUI === false`) never notify.