Memory Lifecycle

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 Archiving preserves everything while signaling the entity is no longer active.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/

# Bad — knowledge is lost
delete_note

The only exception: notes created by mistake (typos, true duplicates) can be deleted.

Folder Conventions

Organize entities by status using folders. The exact folder names depend on your domain, but follow a consistent pattern: