name: searching-memory
description: >
Search, browse, and inspect memory quickly in pi-context-repo. Use when asked
to find prior notes, inspect memory files, locate preferences, or sync recent
memory updates. Trigger phrases: "search memory", "list memory files",
"find in memory", "read memory file", "memory status", "sync memory".

---

Searching Memory

Use this workflow for fast retrieval and lightweight maintenance.

1) Find candidate files

• memory_search when you have a keyword.
• memory_list when you need directory-oriented discovery.

Start broad, then narrow:

• memory_list (root overview)
• memory_list { directory: "system" }
• memory_list { directory: "reference" }

2) Read exact file

Use memory_read with a single relative path (e.g. system/style.md).

• Prefer reading one file at a time.
• If result is close but not exact, branch back to memory_search.

3) Update only if needed

If memory is stale:

1. memory_write with concise, merged content
2. memory_commit with clear message

Avoid duplicate files or repetitive notes.

4) Verify sync state

• Run /memory for status + recent history.
• If ahead of remote, push from shell:

git -C "$MEMORY_DIR" push

Heuristics

• Known file path? → memory_read
• Known keyword, unknown file? → memory_search
• Unknown shape entirely? → memory_list
• Need old conversation context? → memory_recall

Constraints

• Keep writes under file limit.
• Never modify read_only files.
• Preserve frontmatter schema (description, limit, optional protected read_only).