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docs(skills): improve agent-memory skill guidelines#1087

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yamadashy merged 2 commits intomainfrom
docs/improve-agent-memory-summary-guidance
Jan 12, 2026
Merged

docs(skills): improve agent-memory skill guidelines#1087
yamadashy merged 2 commits intomainfrom
docs/improve-agent-memory-summary-guidance

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@yamadashy
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Improve the agent-memory skill documentation with clearer guidance on how to write effective memories.

Changes

  • Clarify summary field purpose: Added explanation that summaries are the decision point for agents scanning memories via rg "^summary:". This helps agents understand they need to include enough context in summaries for the decision of whether to read the full content.

  • Add resumption guideline: Added "Write for resumption" as the first guideline to emphasize that memories exist to resume work later and should capture all key points needed to continue without losing context.

Checklist

  • Run npm run test - N/A (docs only)
  • Run npm run lint - N/A (docs only)

Add guidance that summaries are the decision point for agents scanning
memories. Since agents use `rg "^summary:"` to list all summaries before
deciding which to read in full, the summary needs to contain enough
context for that decision.
Add "Write for resumption" as the first guideline to emphasize that
memories should capture all key points needed to continue work later
without losing context.
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Summary of Changes

Hello @yamadashy, I'm Gemini Code Assist1! I'm currently reviewing this pull request and will post my feedback shortly. In the meantime, here's a summary to help you and other reviewers quickly get up to speed!

This pull request enhances the documentation for the agent-memory skill by providing clearer and more effective guidelines for writing memories. The primary goal is to improve how agents interact with and utilize these memories, ensuring they can make informed decisions based on summaries and efficiently resume tasks by having all necessary context readily available.

Highlights

  • Clarified Summary Field Purpose: Added an explanation that the summary field acts as the primary decision point for agents scanning memories via rg "^summary:". This emphasizes the importance of including sufficient context in summaries for agents to determine whether to read the full memory content.
  • Introduced 'Write for Resumption' Guideline: Added a new guideline, 'Write for resumption,' as the first item in the list. This guideline stresses that memories should capture all essential points, such as decisions, reasons, current state, and next steps, to enable seamless continuation of work without loss of context.

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coderabbitai bot commented Jan 11, 2026

📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

Updates documentation in Claude's agent memory skill file to clarify that summaries serve as decision points for memory retrieval, introduces a new guideline about writing for resumption, and reorganizes the guidelines list accordingly.

Changes

Cohort / File(s) Summary
Agent Memory Skill Documentation
.claude/skills/agent-memory/SKILL.md
Added frontmatter narrative clarifying that summaries are scanned (via rg "^summary:") to decide whether to read full memories. Updated guidelines section from 4-item to 5-item list, introducing "Write for resumption" as new first item and shifting remaining guidelines (+7/-4 lines).

Estimated code review effort

🎯 1 (Trivial) | ⏱️ ~5 minutes

Possibly related PRs

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 3
✅ Passed checks (3 passed)
Check name Status Explanation
Title check ✅ Passed The title accurately describes the main change: documentation improvements to agent-memory skill guidelines, which matches the summary field clarification and new resumption guideline additions.
Description check ✅ Passed The description covers the main changes comprehensively, explains the rationale, and includes the required checklist with appropriate notes that tests/linting are N/A for documentation-only changes.
Docstring Coverage ✅ Passed No functions found in the changed files to evaluate docstring coverage. Skipping docstring coverage check.

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🔇 Additional comments (2)
.claude/skills/agent-memory/SKILL.md (2)

52-56: Clear explanation of how summaries function as agent decision points.

The new guidance on Line 56 effectively explains the decision-making process: agents scan summaries via rg "^summary:" to select which memories to read in full. This directly supports memory writers in understanding what context is necessary. The explanation is practical and actionable.


138-145: Well-structured guidelines that prioritize the core purpose of memories.

The addition of "Write for resumption" as the first guideline is well-placed and directly emphasizes the primary value of the memory system. The reorganized list (5 items) flows logically: resumption intent → self-contained content → summary quality → maintenance → practical scope. The guidelines reinforce the earlier clarifications about summary purpose and are cohesive with the documented workflow and content reference sections.


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Code Review

This pull request improves the agent-memory skill documentation by clarifying the purpose of the summary field and adding a new guideline about writing for resumption. The changes are clear and valuable. I've added one suggestion to improve the formatting of a shell command in the documentation for better readability.

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claude bot commented Jan 11, 2026

PR Review Summary

Overall Assessment: ✅ LGTM

This is a clean documentation-only PR that improves the agent-memory skill guidelines. The changes are well-thought-out and add practical value.

What Changed

  • Added explanation of summary field as the decision point for agents scanning memories
  • Added new "Write for resumption" guideline as the first item
  • Renumbered existing guidelines accordingly

Code Quality

The markdown is well-formatted and follows the existing style. The additions integrate seamlessly with the current documentation structure.

Review of Changes

Details

Summary field clarification (line 56)

  • This addition is valuable - it explains why summaries matter and how they're used (rg "^summary:")
  • The guidance to include "what the memory is about, the key problem or topic, and why it matters" gives concrete direction

"Write for resumption" guideline (line 140)

  • This is a sensible addition as the first guideline since it captures the primary purpose of memories
  • The specific elements mentioned (decisions made, reasons why, current state, next steps) provide actionable guidance

Minor Suggestions (Optional)

None - the changes are clear and well-documented.

Premortem Analysis

Potential Risks & Mitigations
Risk Likelihood Mitigation
Agents may interpret guidelines too rigidly Low Guidelines use flexible language ("consider", "when possible")
Summaries become too verbose Low Existing "Keep summaries decisive" guideline (now #3) balances this

No deployment risks since this is documentation-only.

Checklist

  • Documentation follows existing style
  • Changes are additive and non-breaking
  • No security concerns
  • Commit messages follow conventional commits format

🤖 Reviewed by Claude

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codecov bot commented Jan 11, 2026

Codecov Report

✅ All modified and coverable lines are covered by tests.
✅ Project coverage is 87.16%. Comparing base (b0d02a5) to head (ebea28f).
⚠️ Report is 3 commits behind head on main.

Additional details and impacted files
@@           Coverage Diff           @@
##             main    #1087   +/-   ##
=======================================
  Coverage   87.16%   87.16%           
=======================================
  Files         116      116           
  Lines        4379     4379           
  Branches     1019     1019           
=======================================
  Hits         3817     3817           
  Misses        562      562           

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@yamadashy yamadashy merged commit e930545 into main Jan 12, 2026
57 checks passed
@yamadashy yamadashy deleted the docs/improve-agent-memory-summary-guidance branch January 12, 2026 02:43
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