Memory - Long-term Context

Read the current session's long-term memory files to access historical context preserved across compacts.

Background

Claude Code's /compact compresses conversations to save context. Repeated compaction causes "memory decay" - important early details gradually get lost.

Max's memory system automatically saves accumulated content to files during each compact, ensuring important information is never lost.

Memory Files

File	Content	Priority
errors.md	Error fix records	Highest - Avoid repeating mistakes
context.md	User messages + technical concepts	Medium - Full background
files.md	Code file references	Low - Only when needed

Instructions

Use the memory.py script to read files with automatic truncation (large files are trimmed to last ~15000 chars to save context):

# Read errors.md only (default, recommended)
cd /path/to/skills/memory && uv run memory.py errors.md

# Read specific files
cd /path/to/skills/memory && uv run memory.py errors.md context.md

# Read all files
cd /path/to/skills/memory && uv run memory.py all

The script automatically:

• Reads from ~/.claude/projects/$MAX_PROJECT_ID/max/$MAX_SESSION_ID/memory/
• Truncates files > 15000 chars (keeps most recent content)
• Skips non-existent files

When to Read Memory

After compact - When you see "Earlier details saved to..." in the summary:

• Always read errors.md first - Critical to avoid repeating past mistakes

On demand - Read specific files based on the situation:

Situation	Command
Encountering errors / Tests failing	uv run memory.py errors.md
Need to recall previous discussions	uv run memory.py context.md
Reusing code patterns / Finding files	uv run memory.py files.md

Notes

• Memory files are automatically updated during each /compact
• Files are appended with timestamps, newest content at the bottom
• Large files are truncated to ~15000 chars (≈3% of context) to prevent context overflow