AI Memory System Skill
Purpose: Manage persistent memory files (STATUS.md, ROADMAP.md, DECISIONS.md, JOURNAL.md) for AI-assisted development across sessions.
Use this skill when:
- •Starting a new AI Friday session
- •Ending a session and need to capture progress
- •Making significant architectural decisions
- •Discovering important learnings
- •Initializing memory system for a new project or team
Available Commands
/memory-init - Initialize Memory System
Creates the core memory files from templates.
When to use: First time setting up the memory system for a project or team branch.
What it does:
- •Creates STATUS.md (current state tracking)
- •Creates ROADMAP.md (milestone checklists)
- •Creates DECISIONS.md (decision log)
- •Creates JOURNAL.md (learning documentation)
- •Ensures CLAUDE.md exists (or creates from template)
Usage:
User: /memory-init
/memory-start - Start Session
Reads all memory files and provides situational awareness.
When to use: At the beginning of every AI Friday session.
What it does:
- •Reads CLAUDE.md (project context)
- •Reads STATUS.md (current state)
- •Reads ROADMAP.md (what's next)
- •Reads DECISIONS.md (decision history)
- •Summarizes current state and next steps
Usage:
User: /memory-start
/memory-update - Update Status
Updates STATUS.md with current progress and next steps.
When to use: At the end of a session, or when switching tasks.
What it does:
- •Reads current STATUS.md
- •Asks what was completed
- •Asks what's in progress
- •Asks about blockers
- •Asks about next steps
- •Updates STATUS.md with new information
Usage:
User: /memory-update
/memory-decision - Log Decision
Adds a decision entry to DECISIONS.md.
When to use: After making a significant architectural, technical, or process decision.
What it does:
- •Asks for decision details
- •Prompts for alternatives considered
- •Prompts for rationale
- •Prompts for tradeoffs
- •Formats and appends to DECISIONS.md
Usage:
User: /memory-decision
/memory-learn - Capture Learning
Adds a learning entry to JOURNAL.md.
When to use: When you discover something non-obvious or worth remembering.
What it does:
- •Asks what was discovered
- •Asks for context/why it matters
- •Asks for solution/pattern
- •Requests code examples (if applicable)
- •Formats and appends to JOURNAL.md
Usage:
User: /memory-learn
/memory-roadmap - Update Roadmap
Marks tasks complete or adds new tasks to ROADMAP.md.
When to use: When completing milestones or tasks.
What it does:
- •Shows current ROADMAP.md
- •Asks which tasks to mark complete
- •Asks if new tasks should be added
- •Updates ROADMAP.md accordingly
Usage:
User: /memory-roadmap
/memory-summary - Session Summary
Generates a summary of the session for STATUS.md.
When to use: End of session, before committing.
What it does:
- •Reviews git diff to see what changed
- •Summarizes work completed
- •Identifies what's in progress
- •Suggests next steps
- •Outputs formatted summary for STATUS.md
Usage:
User: /memory-summary
Workflow Examples
Starting AI Friday Session
User: /memory-start Claude: Reading memory files... 📍 Current State (from STATUS.md): - Phase: Milestone 1 - Core Referral Tracking - Task: Implementing referral hash generation (80% complete) - Last updated: 2025-01-13 16:30 🎯 Next Steps (from ROADMAP.md): - [ ] Complete hash generation - [ ] Add cookie tracking - [ ] Implement conversion detection 📋 Recent Decisions: - Decision 001: Using SHA-256 for referral hashes Ready to continue! Let's complete the hash generation.
Ending Session
User: /memory-update Claude: What did you complete this session? User: Finished hash generation and started cookie tracking Claude: What's currently in progress? (with %) User: Cookie tracking is about 40% done Claude: Any blockers? User: None Claude: What should we do next session? User: Complete cookie tracking and test with MemberPress Claude: ✅ Updated STATUS.md: **Last Updated:** 2025-01-20 11:00 **Current Task:** Implementing cookie tracking (40% complete) ## Recent Progress - ✅ Completed referral hash generation - ⏳ Started cookie tracking (40%) ## Next Steps 1. Complete cookie tracking implementation 2. Test integration with MemberPress hooks 3. Begin conversion detection
Logging a Decision
User: /memory-decision
Claude: What decision was made?
User: Use SHA-256 hashing for referral links instead of sequential IDs
Claude: What alternatives did you consider?
User: 1. Sequential IDs - simple but predictable
2. UUID - unique but too long for URLs
3. SHA-256 hash - chosen
Claude: Why did you choose SHA-256?
User: Non-reversible, secure, consistent length, no database lookup needed
Claude: What are the tradeoffs?
User: Pros: Security, no PII in URL
Cons: Can't reverse-lookup referrer without DB query
Claude: ✅ Added Decision 002 to DECISIONS.md
Best Practices
DO:
- •✅ Run
/memory-startat the beginning of every session - •✅ Run
/memory-updateat the end of every session - •✅ Use
/memory-decisionfor significant choices (architecture, tech stack) - •✅ Use
/memory-learnfor non-obvious discoveries - •✅ Keep STATUS.md focused on current state only
DON'T:
- •❌ Skip updating STATUS.md (next session will be confused)
- •❌ Log trivial decisions (variable names, formatting)
- •❌ Copy entire codebase into JOURNAL.md (keep entries concise)
- •❌ Let STATUS.md get stale (update it!)
Integration with AI Friday Workflow
Weekly Cycle:
Friday 9:00am - /memory-start (catch up from last week) Friday 9:05am - Start development Friday 10:45am - /memory-decision (if made architectural choice) Friday 10:50am - /memory-learn (if discovered something) Friday 11:00am - /memory-update (capture progress) Friday 11:05am - Commit changes (including memory files)
Git Workflow:
# At end of session git add . git status # Verify memory files are included git commit -m "feat: implement cookie tracking Updated STATUS.md with progress and next steps. 🤖 Generated with Claude Code Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>"
Team Adoption
For multi-team projects:
- •Each team branch has own STATUS.md, ROADMAP.md, DECISIONS.md, JOURNAL.md
- •Share DECISIONS.md across teams in presentation
- •Compare ROADMAP.md to see relative progress
- •Learn from each team's JOURNAL.md discoveries
Example:
memberpress-referral-program/ ├── yellow-team-01/ │ ├── STATUS.md # Yellow team's current state │ ├── ROADMAP.md # Yellow team's tasks │ └── ... ├── purple-team-01/ │ ├── STATUS.md # Purple team's current state │ ├── ROADMAP.md # Purple team's tasks │ └── ...
Technical Notes
File Locations:
- •Root level: STATUS.md, ROADMAP.md, DECISIONS.md, JOURNAL.md, CLAUDE.md
- •Domain-specific:
[directory]/CLAUDE.md(optional)
Formats:
- •All files are GitHub-flavored markdown
- •Use consistent checkbox syntax:
- [x],- ⏳,- [ ] - •Use ISO date format: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM
- •Use semantic status indicators: ✅ ⏳ ❌ ⚠️
Git:
- •Memory files SHOULD be committed with code changes
- •Include in .gitignore: Nothing (all memory files should be versioned)
- •Merge conflicts: Most recent wins (timestamps help resolve)
Resources
- •Full documentation:
/docs/AI-AGENT-MEMORY-SYSTEM.md - •Templates:
/.claude/skills/ai-memory/templates/ - •Training guide:
/.claude/skills/ai-memory/TRAINING.md
Version: 1.0 Last Updated: 2025-01-21 Compatible with: Claude Code, Claude (web/API), ChatGPT, any AI assistant