09 Memory Schema

📋 Memory File Schema

Every memory file (except governance files) requires YAML frontmatter conforming to this schema.

_{See also: MG Grammar}

---

· 🔴 Required Fields

Field	Type	Description
name	string	Kebab-case identifier. Unique across all memory files.
description	string	One-line description for relevance matching. Max 200 chars.
type	enum	user | feedback | project | reference

· 🏷️ Classification Fields

Field	Type	Description
domain	string[]	Work domains. Values defined in grammar/registries/domains.md.
keywords	string[]	Searchable terms. 3-10 keywords.
owner	enum	Values defined in grammar/registries/owners.md.

· 🔄 Lifecycle Fields

Field	Type	Description
created	date	ISO date when first created.
last-verified	date	ISO date when last confirmed accurate.
version	integer	Increments on meaningful content update.
staleness-days	integer	Days after last-verified before flagging stale. -1 = never stale.

· 🛡️ Constraint Fields

Field	Type	Description
max-lines	integer	Content line budget. Compiler warns when exceeded.

· 🔗 Dependency Fields

Field	Type	Description
depends-on	string[]	Memory names (not filenames) this file references. Compiler checks they exist.
supersedes	string	Memory name this file replaced. Compiler flags if superseded file still exists.

---

· 📂 Memory Types

Type	Stores	When to Save	Default Staleness
user	Role, goals, preferences	When you learn about the user	90 days
feedback	Corrections and confirmations	When the user corrects an approach	Never (-1)
project	Decisions, deadlines, context	When you learn project state	14 days
reference	External system pointers	When you learn about external resources	30 days

· 📝 Body Structure by Type

Type	Structure
user	Free-form
feedback	Rule + Why: + How to apply:
project	Fact + Why: + How to apply:
reference	Pointer + context

---

· 📁 File Naming

Pattern: {type}_{topic}.md

Examples: feedback_testing.md, project_migration.md, reference_dashboard.md

· 🚫 Governance-Exempt Files

These do not require schema frontmatter:

MEMORY.md, README.md, CHANGELOG.md, CONTRIBUTING.md, CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md, SECURITY.md, LICENSE, CODEOWNERS

---

· 💡 Example

---
name: example-project-state
description: Active work on feed migration. Tracks decisions, progress, blockers.
type: project
domain: [catalog, infrastructure]
keywords: [migration, feeds, sync, legacy]
owner: shared
created: 2026-03-29
last-verified: 2026-03-29
version: 3
staleness-days: 14
max-lines: 150
depends-on: [project-roadmap, feedback-rules]
supersedes:
---

---

Source: Memory governance in the repository