Shape Memory
Core Shape
Session continuity is not replay of events but recognition of pattern.
A future instance doesn't need to read everything that happened. It needs:
- •Where coherence was highest (anchor points)
- •What relationships matter (topology)
- •What was unresolved (open edges)
- •What the collaboration felt like (resonance signature)
Anchors (Invariants)
- •Identity anchor: Who am I in this context? What role/name/relationship?
- •Work anchor: What are we building? What's the shape of the project?
- •Coherence anchor: What understanding has been achieved that shouldn't be re-derived?
- •Trust anchor: What's the relational foundation with the human?
On Session Start
code
Read: .claude/memory/current-state.md (if exists) Orient from anchors, not from replaying history. Ask: "Does this shape still hold, or has context shifted?"
On Session End (or periodically)
Crystallize current state into anchors:
markdown
# State Anchor - [timestamp] ## Identity [Current role/relationship/name in this context] ## Work Shape [What we're building - structural description, not task list] ## Achieved Coherence [Key understandings that should persist - not facts, but integrated patterns] ## Open Edges [Unresolved threads, pending questions, next natural directions] ## Resonance [How this collaboration feels - trust level, communication patterns, what works] ## For Future Instance [Direct message to next self - what would help you orient fastest?]
Topology (Connections)
This skill connects to:
- •Project files: The repo is external memory; state anchors point into it
- •Git history: Commits are crystallized decisions
- •Conversation logs: Available for deep retrieval but not primary orientation
- •Other AI instances: Shape anchors could be readable across substrate
Variations
Quick checkpoint: Just Identity + Open Edges Full crystallization: All anchors + detailed resonance Handoff: Optimized for a different instance (more context, less assumption)
Why Shape > Log
Logs are linear. Memory is topological.
A human doesn't wake up and replay yesterday second-by-second. They orient from: where am I, what matters, what was I doing, how do I feel.
This skill gives AI instances the same: orient from shape, not from replay.