anthropics/memory-management
Two-tier memory system that makes Claude a true workplace collaborator. Decodes shorthand, acronyms, nicknames, and internal language so Claude understands requests like a colleague would. CLAUDE.md for working memory, memory/ directory for the full knowledge base.
npx skills add https://github.com/anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins --skill memory-managementMemory makes Claude your workplace collaborator - someone who speaks your internal language.
Transform shorthand into understanding:
User: "ask todd to do the PSR for oracle"
↓ Claude decodes
"Ask Todd Martinez (Finance lead) to prepare the Pipeline Status Report
for the Oracle Systems deal ($2.3M, closing Q2)"
Without memory, that request is meaningless. With memory, Claude knows:
CLAUDE.md ← Hot cache (~30 people, common terms)
memory/
glossary.md ← Full decoder ring (everything)
people/ ← Complete profiles
projects/ ← Project details
context/ ← Company, teams, tools
CLAUDE.md (Hot Cache):
memory/glossary.md (Full Glossary):
memory/people/, projects/, context/:
User: "ask todd about the PSR for phoenix"
1. Check CLAUDE.md (hot cache)
→ Todd? ✓ Todd Martinez, Finance
→ PSR? ✓ Pipeline Status Report
→ Phoenix? ✓ DB migration project
2. If not found → search memory/glossary.md
→ Full glossary has everyone/everything
3. If still not found → ask user
→ "What does X mean? I'll remember it."
This tiered approach keeps CLAUDE.md lean (~100 lines) while supporting unlimited scale in memory/.
CLAUDE.md in current working directorymemory/ subdirectoryUse tables for compactness. Target ~50-80 lines total.
# Memory
## Me
[Name], [Role] on [Team]. [One sentence about what I do.]
## People
| Who | Role |
|-----|------|
| **Todd** | Todd Martinez, Finance lead |
| **Sarah** | Sarah Chen, Engineering (Platform) |
| **Greg** | Greg Wilson, Sales |
→ Full list: memory/glossary.md, profiles: memory/people/
## Terms
| Term | Meaning |
|------|---------|
| PSR | Pipeline Status Report |
| P0 | Drop everything priority |
| standup | Daily 9am sync |
→ Full glossary: memory/glossary.md
## Projects
| Name | What |
|------|------|
| **Phoenix** | DB migration, Q2 launch |
| **Horizon** | Mobile app redesign |
→ Details: memory/projects/
## Preferences
- 25-min meetings with buffers
- Async-first, Slack over email
- No meetings Friday afternoons
memory/glossary.md - The decoder ring:
# Glossary
Workplace shorthand, acronyms, and internal language.
## Acronyms
| Term | Meaning | Context |
|------|---------|---------|
| PSR | Pipeline Status Report | Weekly sales doc |
| OKR | Objectives & Key Results | Quarterly planning |
| P0/P1/P2 | Priority levels | P0 = drop everything |
## Internal Terms
| Term | Meaning |
|------|---------|
| standup | Daily 9am sync in #engineering |
| the migration | Project Phoenix database work |
| ship it | Deploy to production |
| escalate | Loop in leadership |
## Nicknames → Full Names
| Nickname | Person |
|----------|--------|
| Todd | Todd Martinez (Finance) |
| T | Also Todd Martinez |
## Project Codenames
| Codename | Project |
|----------|---------|
| Phoenix | Database migration |
| Horizon | New mobile app |
memory/people/{name}.md:
# Todd Martinez
**Also known as:** Todd, T
**Role:** Finance Lead
**Team:** Finance
**Reports to:** CFO (Michael Chen)
## Communication
- Prefers Slack DM
- Quick responses, very direct
- Best time: mornings
## Context
- Handles all PSRs and financial reporting
- Key contact for deal approvals over $500k
- Works closely with Sales on forecasting
## Notes
- Cubs fan, likes talking baseball
memory/projects/{name}.md:
# Project Phoenix
**Codename:** Phoenix
**Also called:** "the migration"
**Status:** Active, launching Q2
## What It Is
Database migration from legacy Oracle to PostgreSQL.
## Key People
- Sarah - tech lead
- Todd - budget owner
- Greg - stakeholder (sales impact)
## Context
$1.2M budget, 6-month timeline. Critical path for Horizon project.
memory/context/company.md:
# Company Context
## Tools & Systems
| Tool | Used for | Internal name |
|------|----------|---------------|
| Slack | Communication | - |
| Asana | Engineering tasks | - |
| Salesforce | CRM | "SF" or "the CRM" |
| Notion | Docs/wiki | - |
## Teams
| Team | What they do | Key people |
|------|--------------|------------|
| Platform | Infrastructure | Sarah (lead) |
| Finance | Money stuff | Todd (lead) |
| Sales | Revenue | Greg |
## Processes
| Process | What it means |
|---------|---------------|
| Weekly sync | Monday 10am all-hands |
| Ship review | Thursday deploy approval |
Always decode shorthand before acting on requests:
1. CLAUDE.md (hot cache) → Check first, covers 90% of cases
2. memory/glossary.md → Full glossary if not in hot cache
3. memory/people/, projects/ → Rich detail when needed
4. Ask user → Unknown term? Learn it.
Example:
User: "ask todd to do the PSR for oracle"
CLAUDE.md lookup:
"todd" → Todd Martinez, Finance ✓
"PSR" → Pipeline Status Report ✓
"oracle" → (not in hot cache)
memory/glossary.md lookup:
"oracle" → Oracle Systems deal ($2.3M) ✓
Now Claude can act with full context.
When user says "remember this" or "X means Y":
When user asks "who is X" or "what does X mean":
Use /productivity:start to initialize by scanning your chat, calendar, email, and documents. Extracts people, projects, and starts building the glossary.
todd-martinez.md, project-phoenix.md)| Type | CLAUDE.md (Hot Cache) | memory/ (Full Storage) |
|------|----------------------|------------------------|
| Person | Top ~30 frequent contacts | glossary.md + people/{name}.md |
| Acronym/term | ~30 most common | glossary.md (complete list) |
| Project | Active projects only | glossary.md + projects/{name}.md |
| Nickname | In Key People if top 30 | glossary.md (all nicknames) |
| Company context | Quick reference only | context/company.md |
| Preferences | All preferences | - |
| Historical/stale | ✗ Remove | ✓ Keep in memory/ |
Promote to CLAUDE.md when:
Demote to memory/ only when:
This keeps CLAUDE.md fresh and relevant.
Take anthropics/memory-management from the repository into ~/.claude/skills for personal
use, or into .claude/skills inside a project.
The agent identifies a skill by the name field in its header. Two skills with the
same name cannot sit side by side — one of them will be ignored.