Context

Design the abstract memory system interface per DESIGN_SPEC §7.1-7.3. Agents need different types of memory to operate effectively — short-term working memory for current tasks, episodic memory for past experiences, semantic memory for accumulated knowledge, and procedural memory for learned skills and patterns.

Note: This issue covers individual agent memory (§7.1-7.3). Shared organizational memory (company-wide policies, ADRs, conventions) is a separate concern addressed by the OrgMemoryBackend protocol (§7.4) — see the dedicated §7.4 issue.

Acceptance Criteria

Memory Types

• Working memory — current task context, ephemeral (cleared after task)
• Episodic memory — past events and experiences, configurable retention period
• Semantic memory — factual knowledge and domain expertise, long-term
• Procedural memory — skills, patterns, and learned workflows, long-term
• Social memory — relationships, interaction history with other agents, long-term

Interface Design

• Abstract interface with standard operations: store, retrieve, search, delete
• Memory type enum and metadata model
• Retrieval with relevance ranking support
• Per-agent memory isolation (each agent has its own memory space)
• Shared knowledge base interface (cross-agent knowledge — distinct from §7.4 org memory)
• Memory configuration model per spec §7.3 (retention, limits, consolidation settings)
• Interface designed to be compatible with memory layer candidate library (TBD — see Evaluate memory layer candidates: Mem0, Zep, Letta, Cognee, custom #39)

Testing

• Unit tests for interface contracts (>80% coverage)
• Tests verify per-agent isolation

Dependencies

None — this is the foundational interface.

Related Issues

• Evaluate memory layer candidates: Mem0, Zep, Letta, Cognee, custom #39 — Memory layer candidate evaluation (Mem0, Zep, Letta, Cognee, custom)
• §7.4 Shared Organizational Memory issue — separate OrgMemoryBackend protocol

Design Spec Reference

• §7.1 — Memory Types
• §7.2 — Memory Operations
• §7.3 — Memory Configuration
• §7.4 — Shared Organizational Memory (separate concern, separate issue)

Updated 2026-03-06: Clarified scope as individual agent memory (§7.1-7.3). Added note distinguishing from §7.4 Shared Organizational Memory (OrgMemoryBackend protocol), which is a separate issue.