Compare commits

...

1 Commits

141
docs/MEMORY_ARCHITECTURE.md Normal file
View File

@@ -0,0 +1,141 @@
# Memory Architecture
> How Timmy remembers, recalls, and learns — without hallucinating.
Refs: Epic #367 | Sub-issues #368, #369, #370, #371, #372
## Overview
Timmy's memory system uses a **Memory Palace** architecture — a structured, file-backed knowledge store organized into rooms and drawers. When faced with a recall question, the agent checks its palace *before* generating from scratch.
This document defines the retrieval order, storage layers, and data flow that make this work.
## Retrieval Order (L0L5)
When the agent receives a prompt that looks like a recall question ("what did we do?", "what's the status of X?"), the retrieval enforcer intercepts it and walks through layers in order:
| Layer | Source | Question Answered | Short-circuits? |
|-------|--------|-------------------|------------------|
| L0 | `identity.txt` | Who am I? What are my mandates? | No (always loaded) |
| L1 | Palace rooms/drawers | What do I know about this topic? | Yes, if hit |
| L2 | Session scratchpad | What have I learned this session? | Yes, if hit |
| L3 | Artifact retrieval (Gitea API) | Can I fetch the actual issue/file/log? | Yes, if hit |
| L4 | Procedures/playbooks | Is there a documented way to do this? | Yes, if hit |
| L5 | Free generation | (Only when L0L4 are exhausted) | N/A |
**Key principle:** The agent never reaches L5 (free generation) if any prior layer has relevant data. This eliminates hallucination for recall-style queries.
## Storage Layout
```
~/.mempalace/
identity.txt # L0: Who I am, mandates, personality
rooms/
projects/
timmy-config.md # What I know about timmy-config
hermes-agent.md # What I know about hermes-agent
people/
alexander.md # Working relationship context
architecture/
fleet.md # Fleet system knowledge
mempalace.md # Self-knowledge about this system
config/
mempalace.yaml # Palace configuration
~/.hermes/
scratchpad/
{session_id}.json # L2: Ephemeral session context
```
## Components
### 1. Memory Palace Skill (`mempalace.py`) — #368
Core data structures:
- `PalaceRoom`: A named collection of drawers (topics)
- `Mempalace`: The top-level palace with room management
- Factory constructors: `for_issue_analysis()`, `for_health_check()`, `for_code_review()`
### 2. Retrieval Enforcer (`retrieval_enforcer.py`) — #369
Middleware that intercepts recall-style prompts:
1. Detects recall patterns ("what did", "status of", "last time we")
2. Walks L0→L4 in order, short-circuiting on first hit
3. Only allows free generation (L5) when all layers return empty
4. Produces an honest fallback: "I don't have this in my memory palace."
### 3. Session Scratchpad (`scratchpad.py`) — #370
Ephemeral, session-scoped working memory:
- Write-append only during a session
- Entries have TTL (default: 1 hour)
- Queried at L2 in retrieval chain
- Never auto-promoted to palace
### 4. Memory Promotion — #371
Explicit promotion from scratchpad to palace:
- Agent must call `promote_to_palace()` with a reason
- Dedup check against target drawer
- Summary required (raw tool output never stored)
- Conflict detection when new memory contradicts existing
### 5. Wake-Up Protocol (`wakeup.py`) — #372
Boot sequence for new sessions:
```
Session Start
├─ L0: Load identity.txt
├─ L1: Scan palace rooms for active context
├─ L1.5: Surface promoted memories from last session
├─ L2: Load surviving scratchpad entries
└─ Ready: agent knows who it is, what it was doing, what it learned
```
## Data Flow
```
┌──────────────────┐
│ User Prompt │
└────────┬─────────┘
┌────────┴─────────┐
│ Recall Detector │
└────┬───────┬─────┘
│ │
[recall] [not recall]
│ │
┌───────┴────┐ ┌──┬─┴───────┐
│ Retrieval │ │ Normal Flow │
│ Enforcer │ └─────────────┘
│ L0→L1→L2 │
│ →L3→L4→L5│
└──────┬─────┘
┌──────┴─────┐
│ Response │
│ (grounded) │
└────────────┘
```
## Anti-Patterns
| Don't | Do Instead |
|-------|------------|
| Generate from vibes when palace has data | Check palace first (L1) |
| Auto-promote everything to palace | Require explicit `promote_to_palace()` with reason |
| Store raw API responses as memories | Summarize before storing |
| Hallucinate when palace is empty | Say "I don't have this in my memory palace" |
| Dump entire palace on wake-up | Selective loading based on session context |
## Status
| Component | Issue | PR | Status |
|-----------|-------|----|--------|
| Skill port | #368 | #374 | In Review |
| Retrieval enforcer | #369 | #374 | In Review |
| Session scratchpad | #370 | #374 | In Review |
| Memory promotion | #371 | — | Open |
| Wake-up protocol | #372 | #374 | In Review |