curating-memories

Curating Memories

Active curation keeps the knowledge base accurate and connected. Outdated notes pollute search results and reduce effectiveness.

Triggers

Trigger Phrase	Operation
how do I update a memory	edit_note with append/replace_section
how do I mark a memory obsolete	edit_note to add obsolescence marker
how do I link related memories	edit_note to add relation wikilinks
how do I deduplicate memories	Curation workflow: search, analyze, merge
how do I clean up stale memories	Identify and mark obsolete outdated content

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When to Update a Note

Use edit_note when:

• Information needs correction or clarification
• Content needs refinement or additional observations
• Relations to other notes need to be added
• A section needs replacement with updated content

# Append new observations to a note
mcp__plugin_brain_brain__edit_note({
  "identifier": "<note title or permalink>",
  "operation": "append",
  "content": "\n- [fact] Updated information about this topic #tag"
})

# Replace a specific section
mcp__plugin_brain_brain__edit_note({
  "identifier": "<note title or permalink>",
  "operation": "replace_section",
  "heading": "Observations",
  "content": "## Observations\n\n- [decision] Revised approach selected #architecture\n- [fact] New constraint discovered #constraint"
})

# Find and replace specific content
mcp__plugin_brain_brain__edit_note({
  "identifier": "<note title or permalink>",
  "operation": "find_replace",
  "content": "old content",
  "replacement": "new content"
})

When to Mark Obsolete

Mark a note obsolete when:

• Note is outdated or contradicted by newer information
• Decision has been reversed or superseded
• Referenced code/feature no longer exists
• Note was created in error

# Add obsolescence marker via append
mcp__plugin_brain_brain__edit_note({
  "identifier": "<note title or permalink>",
  "operation": "append",
  "content": "\n\n## Status\n\n- [decision] OBSOLETE: Superseded by new architecture decision #obsolete\n\n## Relations\n\n- supersedes [[New Decision Note Title]]"
})

For notes that should be fully removed:

mcp__plugin_brain_brain__delete_note({
  "identifier": "<note title or permalink>"
})

When to Link Notes

Use edit_note to add relations when:

• Concepts are related but not connected via wikilinks
• Building explicit knowledge graph structure
• Connecting decisions to their implementations
• Relating patterns across projects

# Add relations to an existing note
mcp__plugin_brain_brain__edit_note({
  "identifier": "<note title or permalink>",
  "operation": "append",
  "content": "\n- relates_to [[Target Note Title]]\n- implements [[ADR-015 Auth Strategy]]"
})

Relations are expressed as wikilinks in the Relations section. Valid relation types: implements, depends_on, relates_to, extends, part_of, inspired_by, contains, pairs_with, supersedes, leads_to, caused_by.

Curation Workflow

When creating new notes, check impact on existing knowledge:

Step 1: Search for Related Notes

mcp__plugin_brain_brain__search({
  "query": "<topic of new note>",
  "mode": "semantic",
  "limit": 5
})

Step 2: Analyze Each Result

For each existing note, determine action:

Situation	Action
Existing note is still accurate	Add relation wikilink to it
Existing note has minor gaps	Edit it with edit_note (append)
Existing note is now wrong	Mark obsolete, create new note
Existing note is partially valid	Create new note, add relations between both

Step 3: Execute Curation Plan

Present plan to user before executing:

Curation plan:
- Create: "New Authentication Approach" in decisions/
- Mark obsolete: "Old Auth Pattern" (superseded)
- Add relation: New note -> "Security Requirements" note

Proceed? (y/n)

Step 4: Execute and Report

After user confirms:

1. Create new note via write_note
2. Mark obsolete notes via edit_note (append obsolescence marker)
3. Add relations via edit_note (append wikilinks)
4. Report results with all changes made

Signs of Poor Curation

Watch for these indicators:

• Multiple similar notes on same topic (deduplicate)
• Notes referencing deleted code (mark obsolete)
• Contradictory notes (resolve conflict)
• Orphaned notes with no relations (consider linking or removing)

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When to Use

Use this skill when:

• Existing notes need correction or updated content
• New information supersedes an older note
• Building explicit relations between related knowledge
• Duplicate notes need consolidation
• Referenced code or features no longer exist

Use exploring-knowledge-graph instead when:

• Traversing relations for comprehensive context
• Investigating cross-project connections

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Process

1. Search for the target note using mcp__plugin_brain_brain__search
2. Read the note using mcp__plugin_brain_brain__read_note
3. Evaluate whether the note needs editing, linking, or marking obsolete
4. Apply the appropriate curation operation via edit_note, write_note, or delete_note
5. Verify the change took effect

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Anti-Patterns

Avoid	Why	Instead
Deleting notes without checking relations	Breaks wikilinks in other notes	Mark obsolete first, check for incoming relations
Creating duplicates of existing notes	Pollutes search results	Search first, edit existing if found
Linking everything to everything	Dilutes relationship signal	Link only semantically meaningful connections
Skipping user confirmation on curation plans	May obsolete valuable content	Present plan and wait for approval
Ignoring orphaned notes	Degrades search quality over time	Periodically review and cull disconnected notes

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Verification

After curation operations:

• [ ] Updated notes reflect accurate current state
• [ ] Obsolete notes have clear reason documented
• [ ] New relations use valid relation types and wikilink format
• [ ] No duplicate notes remain on the same topic
• [ ] Curation changes were confirmed by user before execution