36Project memory

A separate thing from skills, and a very useful one.

Most agents have a file that is read automatically at the start of every session. That's the project memory: permanent rules that always apply.

What usually goes in: how the project is laid out, what style to write code in, what must not be touched, where it deploys, any quirks. All the things you'd otherwise be explaining from scratch each time.

A real example. Mine says "don't delete anything without asking, even if it looks obsolete". That went in after an incident where a "junk" file turned out to be needed. Written once - and the problem never came back.

Setting it up is easy: ask the AI to create the file and to write rules into it as you go. After that just say "remember this" and it appends it itself.

One tip: don't let it become a dumping ground. Rules go in, not a diary. A bloated file starts to get in the way - attention goes to things that have nothing to do with the task.