Three-tier memory hierarchy for cultivating institutional knowledge with growth semantics. Use when writing daily notes, compressing sessions into wisdom, tending the memory garden, promoting artifacts between tiers, or applying the 3-month rule to triage what matters. Also use when someone asks about memory structure, tier placement, or semantic compression.
Version: 1.1 Author: Tres Pies Design Purpose: Write structured, semantically rich memory entries for efficient context management using a three-tier hierarchy and growth semantics.
Memory should be cultivated, not accumulated. A garden requires tending -- planting what matters, composting what doesn't, and harvesting wisdom when it's ripe. The three-tier hierarchy ensures that raw experiences are refined into lasting wisdom, and that context windows remain fertile ground for new thinking rather than overgrown thickets of old data.
Growth language is not decoration -- it's a thinking tool. When we say "plant" instead of "create," we prime ourselves to consider whether this seed will actually grow. When we say "compost" instead of "delete," we acknowledge that even released material contributed to the soil.
The 3-month rule is the gardener's pruning shears: if it won't matter in 3 months, it doesn't deserve permanent cultivation.
When NOT to use: If the content is a one-time reference (API docs, config values) that doesn't evolve, it's documentation, not a garden artifact. If it's a reusable pattern, it's a seed -- use the seed-extraction skill.
Purpose: Capture everything from today's session
Lifespan: 1-3 days before compression
Location: notes/YYYY-MM-DD_daily.md
Template sections:
Metadata: type: daily-note, tier: A
Tending rule: Compress or promote within 3-7 days. Never let Tier A grow beyond 7 days without attention.
Full Template:
# Memory: YYYY-MM-DD
**Session:** [Morning Planning | Deep Work | Creative Session | Review]
**Context:** [What we were working on]
**Duration:** [Approximate time spent]
---
## Key Activities
### [HH:MM] [Activity Name]
**What:** [Brief description of what happened]
**Why:** [The goal or motivation]
**Outcome:** [What was produced or decided]
**Insights:**
- [Specific insight or learning]
- [Pattern or principle discovered]
**Related:**
- Links to: [file, artifact, or previous memory]
- Builds on: [previous work or decision]
---
## Decisions Made
### Decision: [Short title]
**Context:** [What led to this decision]
**Options Considered:**
1. [Option A] - [Pros/Cons]
2. [Option B] - [Pros/Cons]
**Chosen:** [Selected option]
**Rationale:** [Why this was the best choice]
**Trigger:** [When to revisit this decision]
---
## Seeds Extracted
### Seed: [Name]
**Pattern:** [The reusable insight or principle]
**Why It Matters:** [The value or application]
**Trigger:** [When to apply this seed]
**Example:** [Concrete example from this session]
**Related Seeds:** [Other seeds this connects to]
---
## Open Questions
- [ ] [Question that needs resolution]
- [ ] [Uncertainty or ambiguity to clarify]
---
## Next Steps
- [ ] [Actionable task]
- [ ] [Follow-up or continuation]
---
## Metadata
**Tags:** #[category] #[topic] #[type]
**Compression Status:** Raw (not yet compressed)
**Importance:** High | Medium | Low
**Retention:** [How long to keep in Tier A before compression]
Purpose: Distilled insights, decisions, patterns, seeds
Lifespan: Permanent, but evolves
Location: seeds/, artifacts/
Content types:
Metadata: type: [seed|decision|reflection|summary], tier: B
Tending rule: Review during /harvest. Update when context changes. Merge duplicates. Compost when superseded.
Full Template:
# Memory (Curated Wisdom)
**Last Updated:** YYYY-MM-DD
**Maintenance Cycle:** Every 3-7 days
**Purpose:** Distilled insights, decisions, and patterns that matter beyond a single session
---
## Core Principles
### [Principle Name]
**Statement:** [Clear, concise principle]
**Origin:** [Where this came from - date, context, or experience]
**Application:** [When and how to apply this]
**Examples:**
- [Concrete example 1]
- [Concrete example 2]
**Trigger:** [Keywords or contexts that should surface this principle]
---
## Key Decisions
### [Decision Title]
**Date:** YYYY-MM-DD
**Context:** [What led to this decision]
**Decision:** [What was decided]
**Rationale:** [Why this was chosen]
**Status:** Active | Revisit on [date] | Deprecated
**Trigger:** [When to recall this decision]
---
## Patterns & Insights
### [Pattern Name]
**Observation:** [What we've noticed repeatedly]
**Evidence:**
- [Instance 1: date, context]
- [Instance 2: date, context]
- [Instance 3: date, context]
**Implication:** [What this means for future work]
**Trigger:** [When to apply this pattern]
---
## Seeds (Reusable Knowledge)
### Seed: [Name]
**Pattern:** [The reusable insight]
**Why It Matters:** [The value]
**Trigger:** [When to apply]
**Origin:** [Where this came from]
**Last Used:** YYYY-MM-DD
**Usage Count:** [Number of times applied]
---
## Compression History
| Date | Compressed From | Summary | Retained |
|------|-----------------|---------|----------|
| YYYY-MM-DD | memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md | [Brief summary] | [What was kept] |
---
## Metadata
**Total Seeds:** [Number]
**Total Decisions:** [Number]
**Total Patterns:** [Number]
**Last Maintenance:** YYYY-MM-DD
**Next Maintenance:** YYYY-MM-DD
Purpose: Historical record, rarely accessed
Lifespan: Permanent, read-only
Location: compressions/
Content: Monthly summaries, compression logs, archived decisions
Metadata: type: archive, tier: C, compression ratio
Tending rule: Rarely touched. Only surface back to Tier B if insight becomes relevant to current work.
Full Template:
# Memory Archive: YYYY-MM
**Compressed:** YYYY-MM-DD
**Source:** [List of daily files compressed]
**Compression Ratio:** [X]%
**Method:** Semantic compression (3-month rule)
---
## Summary
[2-3 paragraph summary of the month's activities, focusing on decisions, lessons, and patterns]
---
## Significant Events
### [Event Name]
**Date:** YYYY-MM-DD
**What:** [Brief description]
**Impact:** [Why this mattered]
**Outcome:** [Result or consequence]
---
## Lessons Learned
1. **[Lesson Title]:** [What we learned and why it matters]
2. **[Lesson Title]:** [What we learned and why it matters]
---
## Decisions Made
| Date | Decision | Rationale | Status |
|------|----------|-----------|--------|
| YYYY-MM-DD | [Brief decision] | [Why] | [Active/Deprecated] |
---
## Seeds Extracted
| Seed Name | Pattern | Trigger |
|-----------|---------|---------|
| [Name] | [Brief pattern] | [When to apply] |
---
## Metadata
**Compression Method:** Semantic (3-month rule)
**Original Size:** [X] lines
**Compressed Size:** [Y] lines
**Compression Ratio:** [Z]%
**Retention:** Permanent (read-only)
Rule: If it wouldn't matter in 3 months, compress or compost.
Every 3-7 Days:
Review Tier A (Daily Notes):
Update Tier B (Curated Wisdom):
Compress to Tier C (Archive):
Prune:
Problem: Daily notes pile up beyond 7 days, creating an overgrown, unnavigable garden. Context windows fill with raw material instead of refined wisdom.
Solution: Apply the 3-7 day tending cycle. If a Tier A note is older than 3 days, it's time to promote, compress, or compost. Use /harvest to catch overdue items.
Problem: Seeds and artifacts lack "when to recall" context. They're planted but can never be found when needed.
Solution: Every Tier B artifact must answer: "Under what conditions should this surface again?" Write explicit triggers -- keywords, situations, signals.
Problem: Writing "stored in the database" or "retrieved from memory" breaks the growth metaphor and subtly shifts thinking toward accumulation rather than cultivation.
Solution: Consistent garden vocabulary: plant, cultivate, harvest, compress, compost, tend, prune, surface, promote.
Problem: Entries like "This was useful" or "Good session" contain no retrievable knowledge.
Solution: Always include the specific pattern: "This pattern applies when X because Y."
Problem: Same insight recorded in multiple tiers or files, leading to confusion about which is canonical.
Solution: Single source of truth per artifact. When promoting from Tier A to Tier B, compost the Tier A version.
Scenario: End of a workday where a team shipped a new API endpoint and discovered a useful error-handling pattern.
Tier A daily note (planted same day):
/api/v2/sessions endpoint; refactored error middleware3 days later (during /harvest):
/plant error-codes-over-strings > Tier B seedToken Savings: ~5,000-8,000 tokens per session (structured format enables efficient retrieval) Quality Impact: Ensures consistent memory format across sessions Maintenance: Update when new memory patterns emerge
When to Update This Skill: