Memory Defrag

Reorganize memory files for clarity, efficiency, and relevance. Like filesystem defragmentation but for knowledge.

When to Run

Periodic

Weekly or biweekly via cron (recommended)

On demand

User asks to clean up, reorganize, or defrag memory
Threshold: When MEMORY.md exceeds ~500 lines or daily notes accumulate without consolidation Process 1. Audit Current State Inventory all memory files: MEMORY.md — long-term memory memory/ — daily notes, tasks, topical files memory/tasks/ — active and completed tasks For each file, note: line count, last modified, topic coverage, staleness. 2. Identify Problems Look for these common issues: Problem Signal Fix Bloated file

300 lines, covers many topics Split into focused files Duplicate info Same fact in multiple places Consolidate to one location Stale entries References to completed work, old dates, resolved issues Remove or archive Orphan files Files in memory/ never referenced or updated Review, merge, or remove Inconsistencies Contradictory information across files Resolve to ground truth Poor organization Related info scattered across files Restructure by topic Recursive nesting memory/memory/memory/... directories Delete nested dirs (indexer bug artifact) 3. Plan Changes Before making edits, write a brief plan:

Defrag Plan

[ ] Split MEMORY.md "Key People" section → memory/people.md

[ ] Update stale project status entries in MEMORY.md

4. Execute

Apply changes one at a time:

Split

Extract sections from large files into focused topical files

Merge

Combine related small files into coherent documents

Prune

Remove information that is no longer relevant or accurate

Restructure

Move files to appropriate directories, rename for clarity
Update: Fix outdated facts, dates, statuses 5. Verify & Log After changes: Verify no information was lost (compare before/after) Update any cross-references between files Log what was done in today's daily note:

Net result: X files, Y total lines (was Z lines)
Guidelines
Preserve raw daily notes.
Don't delete or modify
memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md
files — they're the audit trail.
Target 15-25 focused files.
Too few means bloated files; too many means fragmentation. Aim for the sweet spot.
File names should be scannable.
Use descriptive names:
people.md
,
project-status.md
,
competitive-landscape.md
— not
notes-2.md
.
Don't over-organize.
One level of directories is usually enough.
memory/tasks/
and
memory/competitive/
are fine;
memory/work/projects/active/basic-memory/notes/
is not.
Completed tasks: Tasks with status: done older than 14 days can be removed. Their insights should already be in MEMORY.md via reflection. Ask before destructive changes. If uncertain whether information is still relevant, keep it with a (review needed) tag rather than deleting.