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Memory Types

NeuralMemory supports typed memories for better organization and automatic lifecycle management.

Available Types

Type Description Default Expiry Use Case
fact Objective information Never API endpoints, configuration values
decision Choices made Never Architectural decisions, tool choices
preference User preferences Never Coding style, naming conventions
todo Action items 30 days Tasks, reminders, follow-ups
insight Learned patterns Never Debugging tricks, optimization tips
context Situational info 7 days Meeting notes, temporary context
instruction User guidelines Never Project rules, conventions
error Error patterns Never Bug fixes, error solutions
workflow Process patterns Never Deployment steps, review processes
reference External references Never Documentation links, resources

Using Memory Types

Explicit Type

nmem remember "We decided to use PostgreSQL" --type decision
nmem remember "API endpoint: /v2/users" --type fact
nmem remember "Review PR before merge" --type instruction

Auto-Detection

NeuralMemory can detect types from content:

# Detected as TODO
nmem remember "TODO: fix the login bug"

# Detected as ERROR
nmem remember "ERROR: null pointer in auth module"

# Detected as DECISION
nmem remember "We chose FastAPI over Flask"

Type-Specific Features

fact

Facts are objective, verifiable information.

nmem remember "Database host is db.example.com" --type fact
nmem remember "Max file size is 10MB" --type fact

Behavior:

  • Never expires
  • High priority in retrieval for technical queries
  • Good for configuration, endpoints, specifications

decision

Architectural and strategic decisions.

nmem remember "DECISION: Use JWT for auth. REASON: Stateless, scales better." --type decision

Best Practice: Include rationale

nmem remember "DECISION: PostgreSQL over MongoDB. REASON: Strong consistency needed. ALTERNATIVE: Considered MongoDB for flexibility." --type decision

Behavior:

  • Never expires
  • Searchable by decision keywords
  • Critical for understanding project history

preference

User and team preferences.

nmem remember "User prefers tabs over spaces" --type preference
nmem remember "Team uses camelCase for JS" --type preference

Behavior:

  • Never expires
  • Lower activation weight (preferences are contextual)
  • Used for personalization

todo

Action items and tasks.

nmem todo "Fix the login bug"
nmem todo "Review PR #123" --priority 8
nmem todo "Deploy to production" --priority 10 --expires 1

Behavior:

  • Expires in 30 days by default
  • Supports priority 0-10
  • Listed with nmem list --type todo

insight

Learned patterns and tips.

nmem remember "Cache invalidation causes 90% of our bugs" --type insight
nmem remember "Always check for null before array access" --type insight

Behavior:

  • Never expires
  • High value for similar problem-solving
  • Good for documenting "lessons learned"

context

Temporary, situational information.

nmem remember "Currently working on auth module" --type context
nmem remember "Sprint 5 focus: performance" --type context --expires 14

Behavior:

  • Expires in 7 days by default
  • Lower retrieval priority for older queries
  • Good for session-specific context

instruction

Rules and guidelines.

nmem remember "Always run tests before committing" --type instruction
nmem remember "Use semantic commit messages" --type instruction

Behavior:

  • Never expires
  • High priority in retrieval
  • Good for enforcing conventions

error

Error patterns and solutions.

nmem remember "ERROR: 'Cannot read id of undefined'. SOLUTION: Add null check before user.id" --type error

Best Practice: Include both error and solution

nmem remember "ERROR: CORS blocked request. SOLUTION: Add origin to allowed list in cors.config.ts" --type error --tag cors --tag api

Behavior:

  • Never expires
  • Highly relevant for debugging queries
  • Pairs well with tags for categorization

workflow

Process documentation.

nmem remember "Deploy process: 1. Run tests 2. Build 3. Push to staging 4. Verify 5. Push to prod" --type workflow

Behavior:

  • Never expires
  • Good for recurring processes
  • Can be broken into steps

reference

External links and resources.

nmem remember "FastAPI docs: https://fastapi.tiangolo.com" --type reference
nmem remember "Design doc: notion.so/design-v2" --type reference

Behavior:

  • Never expires
  • Lower activation weight (supplementary info)
  • Good for documentation links

Priority System

All types support priority 0-10:

Priority Meaning Use Case
0-2 Low Nice to have, minor notes
3-4 Below normal Useful but not critical
5 Normal (default) Standard importance
6-7 Above normal Important items
8-9 High Critical information
10 Critical Must not forget 
nmem remember "API key rotation needed" --priority 9
nmem todo "Update dependencies" --priority 3

Expiry

Set custom expiry in days:

nmem remember "Sprint goal" --type context --expires 14
nmem todo "Review before Friday" --expires 5

Check expired memories:

nmem list --expired
nmem cleanup --expired --dry-run

Querying by Type

# List all TODOs
nmem list --type todo

# List high-priority decisions
nmem list --type decision --min-priority 7

# Get only facts about auth
nmem recall "auth configuration" --type fact

Cleanup by Type

# Clean expired context
nmem cleanup --type context --expired

# Preview cleanup
nmem cleanup --type todo --expired --dry-run