Memory types
Every active Engram memory has a type. The type controls routing, review, and how the memory is rendered to agents.
| Type | Use |
|---|---|
| Rule | user preference, correction, constraint, always/never guidance |
| Skill | repeatable workflow, checklist, procedure, runbook |
| Knowledge | objective project fact, decision, implementation detail |
New files use schema_version: 3. Rule and skill memories default to authority: instruction; knowledge defaults to authority: reference. revision starts at 1 and increments on updates. Trace IDs belong in evidence_refs, while session or source identities belong in derived_from.
Good memory
Good Engram memory is:
- stable enough to matter next week
- specific enough to route later
- short enough to load into an agent context
- safe enough to share with the intended scope
- written as a rule, workflow, or knowledge item
Bad memory is temporary chat noise, secrets, credentials, one-off speculation, or facts that nobody has approved.
Rule variants
Engram always saves rule memories with light, balanced, and strict versions. Rule variant mode is a render lens for agent-facing memory:
- Strict helps lower-tier models stay controlled.
- Light or balanced wording usually helps stronger models so rules do not limit their reasoning.
When variants are off, Engram renders balanced rule wording by default. Tune with:
engram set-rule-variant strict|balanced|light|off
Compact output by default
When engram load "<task>" runs, the output is slimmed for AI agents by default:
| Aspect | Default (engram load) | Full (engram load --full) |
|---|---|---|
| Frontmatter | id, type, tags, confidence, authority, depends_on, evidence_refs | Full schema v3 and legacy fields, including provenance, revision, supersession, and validity |
| Rule body | One selected variant under ## Rule variants (1/3 based on current: <active>) | Full ## Rule Variants section with all three variants |
| Non-rule content | Same content, unchanged heading | Same content, unchanged heading |
MCP engram_load and SessionStart hooks use compact output by default. Pass full: true on the MCP tool or engram load --full "<task>" when broader legacy output is needed.
Память, подкреплённая доказательствами
New files use schema_version: 3. Rule and skill memories default to authority: instruction; knowledge defaults to authority: reference. revision starts at 1 and increments on updates. Trace IDs belong in evidence_refs, while session or source identities belong in derived_from. Legacy v1 (Context + Content + Example) and v2 (Content, optional Origin) remain readable.
Next steps
Git author identity
Engram can store a global author and an optional workspace override. Resolution is workspace, global, then read-only Git fallback. Settings affect future memories only; a workspace override never changes global Git configuration. Use explicit plan and confirmation for global Git sync or legacy-memory migration.
engram author show
engram author set --name "Jane Doe" --email "jane@example.com"
engram author unset --scope workspace
engram author sync-git-global --plan
engram author sync-git-global --confirm
engram author migrate-memories --plan
engram author migrate-memories --confirm
Read the complete Git author settings guide.
Configuration upgrade inventory
After a package update, run engram upgrade --latest --plan before engram upgrade --latest. The shared inventory scans workspace and global Engram-managed memories, instructions, skillsets, configs, hooks, and plugins. User-authored bytes are preserved; ambiguous mixed files are reported as conflicts. See Configuration upgrades.