memory-lifecycle

SKILL.md

Memory Lifecycle

Manage how entities move through status stages in Basic Memory. The core principle: archive, never delete. Completed work is valuable context — move it out of the active view, but keep it in the knowledge graph.

When to Use

User says something is "done", "finished", "completed", "submitted", "missed", or "cancelled"

Moving entities between status folders (active → archive, pipeline → active, etc.)

Reverting a mistaken completion

Periodic cleanup of stale active items

Core Principle: Archive, Never Delete

Deleting a note removes it from the knowledge graph — all its observations, relations, and history disappear. Archiving preserves everything while signaling the entity is no longer active.

# Good — entity stays in the knowledge graph
move_note → active/ to archive/