Update Project Memory Bank

Update documentation in .memory_bank/ to keep project knowledge current and accurate.

What is Memory Bank?

The .memory_bank/ directory contains comprehensive project documentation:

• •Product Brief (product_brief.md) - Business context and goals
• •Tech Stack (tech_stack.md) - Architecture and technology choices
• •Testing Plan (guides/testing_strategy.md) - Testing strategy and coverage
• •Current Tasks (tasks/current_task.md) - Project status and next steps
• •Patterns & Standards (patterns/, guides/) - Best practices
• •Workflows (workflows/) - Common development workflows

When to Update

Update memory bank documentation when:

1. •Architecture changes: Technology switches, new patterns adopted
2. •Major features completed: Document new capabilities
3. •Decisions made: Record rationale for future reference
4. •Testing strategy evolved: Coverage improvements, new test types
5. •Workflows established: Codify repeated processes
6. •Tech stack updated: Dependencies added/removed

Update Workflow

1. Identify What Changed

Determine which aspect of the project changed:

• •Architecture/tech stack
• •Testing approach
• •Development workflows
• •Coding standards
• •API patterns

2. Find Relevant Files

# List all memory bank files
find .memory_bank -name "*.md" -type f

# Search for specific topic
grep -r "SQLite" .memory_bank/

Common files to update:

• •.memory_bank/tech_stack.md - Technology choices
• •.memory_bank/product_brief.md - Product direction
• •.memory_bank/guides/testing_strategy.md - Testing approach
• •.memory_bank/tasks/current_task.md - Current work
• •.memory_bank/backlog.md - Future priorities

3. Update Content

Use Edit tool to update specific sections:

• •Add new information
• •Update outdated details
• •Remove deprecated content
• •Clarify ambiguous sections

4. Verify Consistency

Ensure updates are consistent across related files:

• •Tech stack matches actual dependencies
• •Testing strategy reflects current coverage
• •Workflows align with current practices

Example Updates

After switching PostgreSQL → SQLite

Update .memory_bank/tech_stack.md:

## Database
- **SQLite** (modernc.org/sqlite) - Embedded database, pure Go, no CGO
  - Single-file database at `./data/budget.db`
  - No external database server required
  - Perfect for self-hosted single-family deployment

After improving test coverage

Update .memory_bank/guides/testing_strategy.md:

## Current Coverage: 42.5%

- **Application**: 91.2% (excellent)
- **Domain**: 77.6% (good)
- **Infrastructure**: 69.9% (good)
- **Web**: 35.2% (improving) ⬆ from 28.4%

After establishing new workflow

Create .memory_bank/workflows/feature_development.md:

# Feature Development Workflow

1. Plan the feature (/plan if needed)
2. Implement with tests
3. Run pre-commit checks (/pre-commit)
4. Create commit
5. Create PR

Arguments

You can pass a topic or specific file to focus the update:

/memory-update tech_stack
/memory-update .memory_bank/guides/testing_strategy.md
/memory-update "SQLite migration"

If $ARGUMENTS provided, focus on that specific area:

• •Search for relevant files
• •Update matching documentation
• •Ensure consistency

Best Practices

1. •Be specific: Update concrete facts, not vague statements
2. •Date decisions: Note when major changes were made
3. •Include rationale: Explain why, not just what
4. •Link to code: Reference files and line numbers when relevant
5. •Keep current: Remove outdated information
6. •Maintain structure: Follow existing file organization

File Structure

.memory_bank/
├── README.md                           # Memory bank overview
├── product_brief.md                    # Business context
├── tech_stack.md                       # Technology choices
├── backlog.md                          # Future priorities
├── guides/
│   ├── coding_standards.md            # Code style guide
│   └── testing_strategy.md            # Testing approach
├── patterns/
│   ├── api_standards.md               # API conventions
│   └── error_handling.md              # Error patterns
├── tasks/
│   └── current_task.md                # Active work
├── workflows/
│   ├── bug_fix.md                     # Bug fix process
│   └── new_feature.md                 # Feature workflow
└── specs/
    └── feature_xyz.md                 # Feature specifications

Integration with CLAUDE.md

While CLAUDE.md provides guidance for Claude Code, memory bank stores:

• •Business context - Why this project exists
• •Architectural decisions - What we chose and why
• •Project history - How we got here
• •Future plans - Where we're going

Update both when making major project changes.

See Also

• •CLAUDE.md - Claude Code development guidance
• •/pre-commit - Quality checks before committing
• •.memory_bank/README.md - Memory bank documentation