eb5a4f0f6a
Companion repo for CC-013. Covers triggering memory, structuring MEMORY.md with index and topic files, and proving cross-session persistence shapes Claude behavior. Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
141 lines
3.8 KiB
Markdown
141 lines
3.8 KiB
Markdown
# Exercise 02: Structure Memory
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**Concept:** Auto Memory (CC-013)
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**Level:** Intermediate
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**Time:** ~15 minutes
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**Builds on:** [Exercise 01](./01-trigger-memory.md)
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---
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## Objective
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Build a structured memory system with a MEMORY.md index and separate
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topic files, and verify the index stays under the 200-line limit.
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This exercise assumes you completed Exercise 01 and have seen at least
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one memory file created.
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---
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## The Structure
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Claude Code's memory system has two layers:
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- **MEMORY.md** - the index file. Always loaded at session start.
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Keep it under 200 lines. Each entry is a one-line pointer to a topic file.
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- **Topic files** - separate files with the actual detail. Loaded on demand.
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Names like `user_preferences.md`, `feedback_formatting.md`, `project_status.md`.
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If MEMORY.md exceeds 200 lines, the bottom gets truncated on load and
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Claude loses context silently. The index-plus-topic-files pattern avoids this.
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Memory is stored at `~/.claude/projects/<project-hash>/memory/`. This is
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machine-local. Not in git, not synced.
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---
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## Instructions
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**Step 1:** Start Claude Code in this directory and give it several different
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types of memories to save. Paste each prompt separately:
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First, a user preference:
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```
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Remember that I prefer verbose error messages over silent failures in
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all code I write.
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```
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Then a feedback entry:
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```
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Remember feedback: never use default exports in TypeScript modules.
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Always use named exports so imports are explicit.
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```
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Then a project note:
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```
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Remember about this project: this is a learning repo for CC-013. It has
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three exercises and no production code. The goal is to demonstrate
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cross-session memory, not to build anything.
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```
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Then a reference entry:
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```
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Remember for reference: the memory docs are at
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https://fromaitochitta.com/cc-013
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```
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**Step 2:** Ask Claude to show you the memory directory structure.
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Paste this prompt:
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```
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Show me all the files in the memory directory for this project. List
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each filename and the first line of its contents.
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```
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You should see MEMORY.md plus 3-4 topic files. Each topic file holds
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one category of memory.
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**Step 3:** Ask Claude to open MEMORY.md and read it to you.
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```
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Read MEMORY.md from the memory directory and show me the full contents.
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```
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Verify:
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- MEMORY.md has one-line pointer entries for each topic file
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- It does not reproduce the full detail inline
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- The total line count is well under 200
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---
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## Expected Output
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A good result:
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- MEMORY.md with 5-10 lines total, each pointing to a topic file
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- 3-4 separate topic files holding the actual content
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- No single file exceeding what could reasonably fit in context
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A result that needs work:
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- MEMORY.md that contains the full text of all memories inline
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- Only a single flat file with all entries merged together
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- Topic files with names so generic they give no information
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---
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## Hints
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Stuck? Try these:
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1. **If only one file was created:** Claude may have written everything
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to MEMORY.md directly. Ask it to refactor: "Split MEMORY.md into an
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index with one-line entries, and move each category into its own topic file."
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2. **If the memory directory is empty:** Make sure you are in the same
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directory you used in Exercise 01 and that your session is active.
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3. **If MEMORY.md is long:** Prompt Claude: "MEMORY.md should be an index
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only. Move all detail into topic files and replace the entries in
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MEMORY.md with one-line summaries."
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---
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## What You Learned
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- **Index vs. detail:** MEMORY.md is a table of contents, not a notebook.
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Detail lives in topic files.
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- **The 200-line limit:** MEMORY.md is fully loaded at session start. Over
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200 lines, the tail gets cut. The index pattern keeps it safe.
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- **Memory types:** Preferences, feedback, project state, and reference
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links each belong in their own file.
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---
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## Next
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For the real test, move to
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[Exercise 03: Cross-Session Persistence](./03-cross-session.md).
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