Memory and conversations
Aleph separates durable agent knowledge from the history of a particular chat.
Four kinds of context
| Context | Scope | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Bundle instructions | Version | Defines stable behavior |
| Memory files | Agent | Durable knowledge across conversations |
| Messages | Conversation | User and assistant history |
| Runtime journal | Conversation | Resumes the Pi session and compaction state |
Memories use a unified Markdown filename namespace. The runtime retrieves relevant files instead of injecting every memory into every prompt.
What belongs in memory
Good memory is durable and useful later: decisions, preferences, stable project facts, and chronological state. Transcripts, hidden reasoning, temporary requests, unsupported guesses, and secrets do not belong there.
Conversation behavior
Web chats, channel chats, and scheduled work use conversations. Channel conversations keep transport-generated titles and are separated by Discord channel or Telegram chat. Web conversation titles may be generated after the first turn.
Deleting or leaving a conversation does not erase agent-level memory. Shared-memory clones may append or update common memories, but only the source owns deletion.