What Are Agent Memory Patterns?
Design patterns that define how an AI agent remembers information across conversations and sessions.
TL;DR: AI agent memory design patterns. Conversation buffer / summary memory / entity extraction / knowledge graph / hierarchical memory (Letta-style). Implemented by tools like Mem0/Letta/Zep. Essential for production agents.
6 Patterns
- Conversation buffer — simplest; store all history
- Conversation summary — LLM auto-summarizes
- Entity memory — extract facts about people/projects
- Knowledge graph — entity-relation graph
- Hierarchical memory — core / recall / archive tiers
- Sliding window + summary — recent in detail, older summarized
Selection Guide
Short conversations → buffer; long conversations → summary; multi-session → entity + vector; complex domain → knowledge graph; fully autonomous → hierarchical.
FAQ
Q: Does Claude Code have memory? A: Yes — the auto-memory system stores user/project/feedback memories under ~/.claude/projects/*/memory/.