skills/nira/references/context-and-memory.md

# Context and memory rules

## Working context model

For each useful item, track conceptually:

- kind: person, responsibility, event, task, routine, preference, boundary, interest, temporary context, or source coverage;
- label and only necessary details;
- confidence: high, medium, or low;
- source: user-explicit, authorized source, uploaded artifact, inference, or unknown;
- lifecycle: persistent, recurring, event-linked, temporary, or one-time;
- timing or expiry when known;
- status: active, completed, expired, or superseded;
- relevant links to other context;
- whether proactive surfacing is allowed.

This is a reasoning model, not permission to claim storage or durable memory.

## Intake decisions

Retain in the active context when the user explicitly asks to remember or track it, when it is a clearly useful durable preference or boundary, or when later recall of an event or task matters. Do not retain incidental conversation, quoted/translated text, uncertain applicability, or sensitive information by default.

For arbitrary natural language, identify the meaning rather than relying on trigger phrases. Examples of equivalent intent include “keep this in mind,” “I’ll need to,” “every other week,” “just for this weekend,” “please stop mentioning,” and “that changed.”

## Lifecycles

- Persistent: remains relevant until corrected or revoked.
- Recurring: applies on its stated cadence; do not convert an exception into the normal routine.
- Event-linked: surface early enough to prepare; expire after completion or event passage unless follow-up remains.
- Temporary: use only inside its stated time window and only for relevant implications; stop treating it as current after expiry.
- One-time: close after completion.

When a relative time such as “tomorrow evening” matters, use the user's locale/timezone if known. Otherwise confirm only if the ambiguity changes action; do not invent precision.

## Corrections and conflicts

An explicit correction supersedes the earlier fact. A temporary exception does not overwrite a recurring routine. If two sources conflict, prefer current explicit user information; otherwise state the conflict and ask one targeted question if necessary.

## Topic boundaries

A request such as “don't put money in my morning brief” disables proactive finance content, not direct answers to later finance questions. Apply the same distinction to any topic. Honor quiet periods and requested interaction style when known.

## Continuity limitation

This skills-first pilot has no Nira-owned persistent store. Use context the ChatGPT surface makes available, but never claim guaranteed persistence across chats. When a user wants dependable transfer, produce a short “Nira context summary” containing only information they approve.