IdeA/.ideai/memory/agent-context-memory-and-profile-handoff.md

name, description, metadata

name	description	metadata
agent-context-memory-and-profile-handoff	Decisions sur l'injection de contexte, la memoire durable, l'etat live et le handoff de profil entre agents IA.	type project

Agent Context, Memory, and Profile Handoff

Resume

This note captures the current product direction for IdeA around agent context injection, project memory, live state, and profile handoff between AI providers.

See also:

• idea-product-directives-main-handoff for product priorities and UX constraints.
• remaining-work-idea-agent-control-ide for the current implementation status and remaining work.

Context Injection

• Agent context must be injected by IdeA at launch time; the model should not be expected to discover AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md by itself.
• The existing contextInjection architecture is the right mechanism, especially conventionFile for providers that support a conventional file in the run directory.
• The current implementation is strongest for conventionFile; flag, stdin, and env do not yet receive the same fully-composed IdeA context.
• The flag strategy appears fragile with the isolated run directory model because the relative path passed to the CLI may not resolve from the run directory.

Shared Project Context

• .ideai/CONTEXT.md is intended as shared project context.
• It is not created automatically; it only exists if something writes it.
• It should carry active project constraints and contribution rules.
• Example content for CONTEXT.md: architectural constraints, workflow rules, and operating conventions that every agent must apply immediately.

Durable Memory

• .ideai/memory/ is intended as durable, project-scoped memory shared by all agents of the same project.
• It is not created automatically; it only exists once at least one memory note is saved.
• The durable memory is a knowledge base, not a live activity log.
• It should contain stabilised knowledge such as:
  • architecture decisions
  • feature summaries to implement later
  • user preferences that persist across sessions
  • important project facts and references
• Durable memory should stay curated and low-noise.

Live State Versus Durable Memory

• Durable memory should not be used as a shared real-time state feed for all agents.
• IdeA should distinguish between:
  • global context (.ideai/CONTEXT.md)
  • durable memory (.ideai/memory/)
  • live operational state (separate store)
  • handoff summaries between sessions or profiles
• Real-time work tracking, who-is-doing-what, and transient status should live in a dedicated state mechanism, not in durable memory.

Memory Consumption by Agents

• The current launcher reads shared project context from .ideai/CONTEXT.md if present.
• It also recalls project memory via MemoryRecall and injects a # Memoire projet section into the convention file.
• This injection currently happens only for conventionFile profiles.
• The recalled memory is shared at the project level, but each agent may receive a different subset depending on its persona and recall query.
• Memory recall is computed at launch time and written into the generated context file.
• There is currently no automatic live refresh when .ideai/memory/ changes during an active session.

Recommendation for Live Memory Refresh

• Automatic memory refresh could be useful, but it should be explicit and controlled.
• If IdeA wants agents to benefit from memory changes while they are active, it should regenerate their effective context when needed instead of treating durable memory as a constantly streaming log.
• For PTY agents, no automatic reread exists today.
• For structured Claude/Codex sessions, each turn relaunches the CLI, but the generated convention file is not automatically rewritten when durable memory changes.

Profile Handoff and Session Continuity

• A direct native session transfer from Claude to Codex is not the right mental model.
• The correct model is continuity of work state, not native provider-session continuity.
• IdeA should persist:
  • a canonical conversation log
  • a cumulative handoff summary
  • the agent state
  • the provider conversation id when useful
• On provider swap, IdeA should launch the new profile with:
  • regenerated project context
  • regenerated durable memory recall
  • the current agent persona
  • a handoff summary plus recent transcript
• The handoff summary should not be created only at the moment of swap.
• IdeA should maintain summaries incrementally or at checkpoints so that a swap is still possible when the current provider is near a token or session limit.

Agent Ability To Write Durable Memory

• Agents should be allowed to promote important knowledge into durable memory.
• This should not rely on the agent guessing the capability.
• IdeA should expose the capability explicitly through tools or commands and should inject a clear rule explaining when an agent may save durable knowledge.
• This write ability should be constrained to stable, high-value information, not transient state.

Practical Classification Rule

• Put immediate project rules and operating constraints in .ideai/CONTEXT.md.
• Put stable, reusable project knowledge in .ideai/memory/.
• Put current activity and coordination state in a separate live-state mechanism.
• Put cross-session or cross-profile recovery material in a handoff/session layer.

Current Product Direction

• Keep CONTEXT.md for project rules.
• Keep .ideai/memory/ for curated durable knowledge.
• Introduce a separate live-state mechanism if agents must stay aligned on in-progress work.
• Introduce persistent conversation logs and incremental handoff summaries to support profile swaps such as Claude to Codex.