Design the memory file structure

Structure is what keeps file memory useful at write 50.

First time here? Paste the Context Pack first so the AI understands your project - open it from the header above.

Prompt Capsule

Design the project memory format. Create MEMORY.md with sections: ## Project Facts (architecture, key paths, stack choices), ## Preferences (user style and tool preferences, one per line), ## Working Recipes (commands and approaches that work, with context), ## Known Issues & Failed Approaches (what breaks and why), ## Decisions Log (dated one-liners: decision + reason). Define per-section caps (e.g. 30 lines each) and entry format rules (imperative one-liners, no paragraphs, date-stamped where useful). Write the format spec at the top of the file as an HTML comment so both humans and the agent see the rules.

Paste into EmergentFull Build: complete implementation prompt with explicit requirements

Quick is short. Full Build is recommended for most steps. Strict forces real logic when the AI keeps faking output.

Actual change check

Expected after this step

A MEMORY.md template with sections, caps, and embedded format rules.

Should NOT happen

An existing feature broke
A button only logs to console
Data disappears after refresh
Errors fail silently with no visible state

This is what should exist before you continue. If reality does not match, do not move on.

Your notes for this step

Track what changed, failed, or needs follow-up. Notes export with the flow.

Pass the Verify Gate to complete this step

Verify before continuing

Do not move on until every check is true. The complete button stays locked until then.

Five sections with clear purposesCaps and entry format definedRules embedded in the file itself

Do not continue if…

! Building embedding infrastructure for what a 200-line markdown file handles
! The agent appending duplicates because it never reads before writing
! A memory file that decays into an unstructured dump nobody trusts
! Writes scattered through code instead of one validated tool path

If the AI messes this up

Use this when:

- it only made visual forms or placeholder UI
- buttons do nothing or only log to console
- data is not persisted - state disappears on refresh
- something that worked before is now broken

Use this when the AI fakes progress or breaks the feature. It forces a real fix.

Sections blur together in practice. Sharpen the definitions with an example entry under each header and a one-line 'belongs here if...' rule.