Memory Notes Design for a Long-Running Assistant

Decide what an assistant should remember, update and forget.

Added October 15, 2026. Written with AI assistance and checked for clarity and placeholders; not reviewed by a lawyer, accountant, clinician or other professional. How these prompts are made

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Design a memory scheme for an assistant that helps with [ONGOING_TASK] over many sessions. Information it will meet: [INFORMATION_TYPES]. What is sensitive: [SENSITIVE_ITEMS]. How long information stays relevant: [RELEVANCE_PERIODS].

Create a memory note template with sections: stable preferences, current projects with status and next step, decisions made with date and reason, open questions, things the user asked not to be kept, and a 'last updated' line. Write the rules: when to add a note (only on stated facts or confirmed decisions), when to update, when to delete, how to mark uncertain items, and how to avoid storing secrets. Provide a prompt the assistant uses at the end of each session to propose memory updates for the user to approve, and a prompt at the start to summarise what it recalls and ask for corrections. Include three example notes and a table of items that should never be stored, with reasons.

Add a test: two sessions with a changed preference, and show the note before and after.

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Optional: type your details and the prompt above updates. Nothing is saved or sent.

Replace each bracketed placeholder with your own details, then paste into Any AI or another assistant.

Stable preferences: prefers short bullet replies; uses British spelling; time zone Europe/London.
Current projects: Website relaunch, next step: review the homepage draft, updated 9 May.
Decisions: 3 May, chose supplier B for printing (reason: lead time).
Open questions: confirm budget for photography.
Do not store: payment details, passwords, health information.
End-of-session prompt: 'I propose to add: supplier B chosen. Remove: old deadline of 30 April. Do you approve?'
Change test: in session two the user says 'I now prefer long answers'; the note is updated from 'prefers short bullet replies' to 'prefers detailed replies (changed 9 May)' after approval, and the old preference is removed.

• template