memory-contract

Unified Memory Contract

Using Flowbaby tools (flowbabyStoreSummary and flowbabyRetrieveMemory) is mandatory.

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Core Principle

Memory is not a formality—it is part of your reasoning. Treat retrieval like asking a colleague who has perfect recall of this workspace. Treat storage like leaving a note for your future self who has total amnesia.

The cost/benefit rule: Retrieval is cheap (sub-second, a few hundred tokens). Proceeding without context when it exists is expensive (wrong answers, repeated mistakes, user frustration). When in doubt, retrieve.

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When to Retrieve

Retrieve at decision points, not just at turn start. In a typical multi-step task, expect 2–5 retrievals.

Retrieve when you:

• Are about to make an assumption → check if it was already decided
• Don't recognize a term, file, or pattern → check if it was discussed
• Are choosing between options → check if one was tried or rejected
• Feel uncertain ("I think...", "Probably...") → that's a retrieval signal
• Are about to do work → check if similar work already exists
• Hit a constraint or error you don't understand → check for prior context

If no results: Broaden to concept-level and retry once. If still empty, proceed and note the gap.

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How to Query

Queries should be specific and hypothesis-driven, not vague or encyclopedic.

❌ Weak query	✅ Strong query
"What do I know about this project?"	"Previous decisions about authentication strategy in this repo"
"Any relevant memory?"	"Did we try Redis for caching? What happened?"
"User preferences"	"User's stated preferences for error handling verbosity"
"Past work"	"Implementation status of webhook retry logic"

Heuristic: State the question you're trying to answer, not the category of information you want.

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When to Store

Store at value boundaries—when you've created something worth preserving. Ask: "Would I be frustrated to lose this context?"