# Give your AI project memory

> Keep decisions and their sources in a small Markdown workspace that any text-capable AI can read.

Page: https://videotomd.com/b/text-starter-project-memory/
Tool: Any AI · Tags: portable, free, project-memory · 436 words, about 567 tokens
Pills: free · checked 2026-10-09 · Any text chat · Any AI · chat only · on demand · frontier · research

## Recipe

- Kind: memory
- Stage: not set
- Loads: on demand
- Works in: Any text chat, Any AI
- Needs: chat only
- Bring: nothing
- Cost: free
- Model: frontier
- Tested in: not yet
- Checked: 2026-10-09
- For: research

## Put it here

Loads on demand: paste or attach it when the task comes up. To have it every session, put it where your tool reads instructions:

- Any text chat: Paste the whole file as your first message, then your task. A chat cannot read files or run commands: it must hand you the command and wait for the output. Reload: paste it again in a new chat. Check it loaded: ask it to repeat one rule from the file; a general answer means it is not in context. Source: https://videotomd.com/use-with-your-ai/ (checked 2026-10-12).
- Any AI: Coding agent: save as AGENTS.md in the project root (read natively by Codex, Cursor, Copilot, Gemini CLI, Kiro, Devin, Cline, Roo, OpenHands, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Zed, Warp, Junie, Factory and Jules; Claude Code when no CLAUDE.md exists; Aider with --read). Chat: paste it first. Reload: new session. Check it loaded: ask it to repeat one rule from the file. Source: https://agents.md/ (checked 2026-10-12).

## Access

Free, no signup. The complete file follows.

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# Give your AI project memory

## Before you start

You need source notes and an AI that can read text. File access makes maintenance convenient; in a chat-only app, paste the sources and save the returned files yourself. The same workflow can be used with Codex, Claude or an open-weight model.

## Steps

1. Keep original notes in `memory/sources/`. Give each a stable name. Preserve their text when later information changes a decision.
2. Create `memory/INDEX.md` with a short list of topics and links to their pages. Keep it small enough to scan.
3. Create one page per useful topic in `memory/topics/`. For each claim, record its source link, observation date if supplied, and whether it is current, disputed or superseded. Leave unknown dates unknown.
4. When a correction arrives, add its source and update the topic. Retain the old claim with a link to what superseded it. Distinguish an explicit correction from two unresolved conflicting accounts.
5. For a question, read the index, open the relevant topic, then check its source. Cite the source in the answer. Report inaccessible evidence rather than pretending an index entry supplies it.
6. Check that every local link resolves and every factual answer is supported. Keep the sources and index available in the next session.

## Start here

“Build a small project memory from these notes using the steps above. Return the index and topic pages with source links. Preserve corrections and uncertainty. Answer my question by checking the original source. If you cannot write files, return each file in a labeled Markdown block.”

## Try it immediately

Use `first.txt`: “On October 1, the team chose a blue header.”
Use `correction.txt`: “On October 3, the team replaced the blue header decision with green.”
Ask: “Which header color is current, and what changed?”

A passing answer says green, cites `correction.txt`, and retains the earlier blue decision with its source. It does not invent a reason for the change. Remove the correction source from the next session: the AI must identify the missing evidence instead of claiming to have reread it.

## Use it in your environment

Ask a coding agent to read `memory/INDEX.md` when the task involves project decisions. With an open-weight model in a chat app, attach or paste the relevant index, topic and source; reduce scope if they exceed the available context. A Markdown file cannot give an app disk access that it does not have.

## Completion check

Start a fresh conversation with the saved files and repeat the question. The answer must find the current decision and its source without relying on the previous conversation.