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Memory Types Reference

Complete reference for all 13 memory types in MEMANTO.

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Quick Reference

TypeUse CaseExample
factObjective information”User is in Finance dept”
preferenceLikes/dislikes”Prefers email contact”
decisionChoices made”Chose PostgreSQL”
commitmentPromises/obligations”Will deliver Friday”
goalObjectives”Reach 10K users”
eventThings that happened”Meeting at 2pm”
instructionRules/procedures”Validate input always”
relationshipConnections”Alice manages Bob”
contextSituational info”In Q1 planning”
learningLessons learned”Users need help”
observationPatterns noticed”Traffic peaks Fridays”
errorMistakes to avoid”Skip validation=bug”
artifactDocuments/files”Q3 budget.xlsx”

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Detailed Definitions

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fact

Objective, verifiable information about the world or domain.
  • Static information
  • Not opinions or preferences
  • Verifiable claims
  • Core knowledge
Examples:
  • “Paris is the capital of France”
  • “Database uses PostgreSQL”
  • “Team has 5 engineers”
CLI: 
memanto remember "Paris is the capital of France" --type fact

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preference

User or system likes, dislikes, or preferences.
  • Opinions about preferences
  • User/system choices
  • Style choices
  • Communication preferences
Examples:
  • “Prefers dark mode”
  • “Email over phone”
  • “Concise responses”
CLI: 
memanto remember "Prefers email contact" --type preference

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decision

Important choices made that affect future behavior.
  • Technology choices
  • Process decisions
  • Strategic choices
  • Why decisions
Examples:
  • “Chose TypeScript for codebase”
  • “Decided to use AWS”
  • “Selected Agile methodology”
CLI: 
memanto remember "Chose PostgreSQL for database" --type decision

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commitment

Promises or obligations made.
  • Deliverables
  • Promises to keep
  • Obligations
  • Accountability
Examples:
  • “Will deliver report by Friday”
  • “Committed to 10% growth”
  • “Promised 24/7 support”
CLI: 
memanto remember "Will deliver API docs by Friday" --type commitment

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goal

Objectives to achieve.
  • Future targets
  • KPIs
  • Milestones
  • Aspirations
Examples:
  • “Reach 1M users”
  • “Improve performance by 50%”
  • “Launch MVP by Q2”
CLI: 
memanto remember "Launch MVP by March 31" --type goal

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event

Something that happened or will happen.
  • Historical events
  • Meetings
  • Incidents
  • Milestones
Examples:
  • “Had meeting with CEO”
  • “System outage on March 20”
  • “Project launched successfully”
CLI: 
memanto remember "Team meeting at 2pm" --type event

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instruction

Rules, guidelines, or procedures to follow.
  • Policies
  • Best practices
  • Procedures
  • Constraints
Examples:
  • “Always validate input”
  • “Follow REST conventions”
  • “Require code review”
CLI: 
memanto remember "Always validate user input" --type instruction

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relationship

Connections or relationships between entities.
  • People relationships
  • System dependencies
  • Business relationships
  • Hierarchies
Examples:
  • “Alice manages Bob”
  • “Project X depends on API Y”
  • “Customer referred by John”
CLI: 
memanto remember "Alice manages Bob" --type relationship

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context

Contextual information about the current situation.
  • Seasonal context
  • Business phases
  • System states
  • Environmental factors
Examples:
  • “In Q1 planning phase”
  • “Budget season is active”
  • “System in maintenance”
CLI: 
memanto remember "We're in Q1 planning" --type context

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learning

Lessons learned from experience.
  • Insights
  • Lessons
  • Patterns recognized
  • Knowledge gained
Examples:
  • “Users need better onboarding”
  • “Mobile-first is essential”
  • “Documentation must be clear”
CLI: 
memanto remember "Users need simpler onboarding" --type learning

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observation

Something noticed or perceived.
  • Patterns observed
  • Trends noticed
  • Data observations
  • Field observations
Examples:
  • “Traffic peaks on Fridays”
  • “Users skip step 2”
  • “Support tickets spike after releases”
CLI: 
memanto remember "Traffic peaks on Fridays" --type observation

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error

Mistakes to avoid in the future.
  • Warnings
  • Lessons from failures
  • Anti-patterns
  • Known issues
Examples:
  • “Avoid deprecated API”
  • “Skip validation=bug”
  • “Don’t hardcode secrets”
CLI: 
memanto remember "Never skip input validation" --type error

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artifact

Important documents, files, or references.
  • Documents
  • Code files
  • Resources
  • References
Examples:
  • “Q3 budget spreadsheet”
  • “API documentation file”
  • “Customer contract”
CLI: 
memanto remember "Q3 budget spreadsheet" --type artifact

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Selection Guide

Does it describe something that happened?
  → event

Is it a choice or decision?
  → decision

Is it a promise or obligation?
  → commitment

Is it a rule or guideline?
  → instruction

Is it someone's preference?
  → preference

Is it an objective fact?
  → fact

Is it a future goal?
  → goal

Is it a lesson learned?
  → learning

Is it a pattern observed?
  → observation

Is it a warning or mistake?
  → error

Is it a connection between things?
  → relationship

Is it situational info?
  → context

Otherwise, ask: "Is it a document/file?"
  → artifact

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Best Practices

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DO

  • Use specific types for better organization
  • Choose the most specific type available
  • Be consistent in your selections
  • Filter queries by type when appropriate

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DON’T

  • Overuse generic “fact” type
  • Store everything as one type
  • Mix unrelated information in one memory
  • Ignore type distinctions
See Memory Types Concept for more details and examples.