Harden memory workflow to reduce merge conflicts

.gitattributes

@@ -1,2 +1,7 @@
 # Auto detect text files and perform LF normalization
 * text=auto
+
+# Reduce merge conflicts for append-style memory artifacts.
+memory-updates/*.md merge=union
+.scheduler-memory/latest/daily/memories.md merge=union
+.scheduler-memory/latest/weekly/memories.md merge=union

reports/protocol/memory-architecture-report-2026-02-26.md

@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+# Memory Architecture Report - 2026-02-26
+
+## Problem
+Recurring merge conflicts come from shared write-hotspot files (`memory-update.md`, aggregate `memories.md`) being edited by many branches/runs.
+
+## Goals
+- Preserve reliable short-term and long-term memory for agents.
+- Keep memory artifacts traceable in git.
+- Minimize manual merge work and conflict risk.
+
+## Core Learnings
+1. Shared mutable files are conflict magnets.
+2. Per-run immutable files are merge-friendly and auditable.
+3. Aggregate views should be generated artifacts, not canonical sources of truth.
+4. Reliable memory quality comes from deterministic ingestion and stable schema, not from one giant markdown file.
+
+## Recommended Structure
+- Source of truth (tracked): `memory-updates/<timestamp>__<agent>.md`
+- Optional index/metadata (tracked): machine-readable pointers (run id, agent, cadence, tags, embedding/version).
+- Generated read model (tracked or regenerated): `.scheduler-memory/latest/<cadence>/memories.md`
+
+Canonical rule:
+- Write path: only per-run file (`$SCHEDULER_MEMORY_FILE`).
+- Read path: generated latest aggregate and/or retrieval service.
+- Never write directly to shared aggregate files from agents.
+
+## Merge Policy
+- Keep `memory-updates/*.md` append-style and use `merge=union` to reduce non-overlapping merge collisions.
+- For generated aggregates (`.scheduler-memory/latest/*/memories.md`):
+  - Prefer keeping one side during merge, then regenerate from source files.
+  - Treat as a cache/read model, not primary truth.
+
+## Determinism and Reliability Controls
+- Stable timestamp format (`YYYY-MM-DDTHH-MM-SSZ`) and agent-id naming.
+- Ingestion writes structured metadata (agent, cadence, run id, tags, source path).
+- Retrieval/storage must emit verifiable markers/artifacts (`MEMORY_RETRIEVED`, `MEMORY_STORED`, JSON evidence).
+- Avoid retries/sleeps as correctness fixes; remove nondeterminism at source.
+
+## Short-Term Memory Design
+- Scope by cadence and recent window in retrieval queries.
+- Prioritize high-signal recent memories by recency + importance + semantic match.
+- Keep run-local context in artifacts (`context/`, `todo/`, `decisions/`, `test_logs/`) and link memory entries to those artifacts.
+
+## Long-Term Memory Design
+- Periodic consolidation jobs should summarize repeated findings into durable patterns.
+- Promote stable insights to a curated long-term layer (policy/decision docs or pinned memory records).
+- Keep provenance: every promoted insight references original run files.
+
+## Suggested Evolution Path
+1. Enforce write contract: only `$SCHEDULER_MEMORY_FILE` in `memory-updates/`.
+2. Regenerate aggregates from `memory-updates/` in scheduler cycle.
+3. Add lightweight memory manifest for faster deterministic rebuilds.
+4. Add pruning/compaction rules that preserve high-value long-term insights.
+5. Add integrity checks: fail if agents write to deprecated shared files.
+
+## Operational Playbook for Conflicts
+When conflicts involve memory files:
+1. Resolve source files (`memory-updates/*`) by keeping both sides when possible.
+2. Resolve aggregate files (`.scheduler-memory/latest/*/memories.md`) by choosing one side.
+3. Regenerate aggregates from source files.
+4. Run memory policy tests before merge completion.
+
+## Success Criteria
+- Significant drop in memory-related merge conflicts.
+- No loss in retrieval quality for recent and historical tasks.
+- Rebuild of aggregate memory is deterministic from tracked source files.

scripts/agent/prompt-safety-audit.mjs

@@ -8,10 +8,14 @@ const ROOT_DIR = path.resolve(__dirname, '../../');
 const DAILY_DIR = path.join(ROOT_DIR, 'src/prompts/daily');
 const WEEKLY_DIR = path.join(ROOT_DIR, 'src/prompts/weekly');
 const REPORT_DIR = path.join(ROOT_DIR, 'reports/prompt-safety');
+const MEMORY_DIR = path.join(ROOT_DIR, 'memory-updates');
 
 if (!fs.existsSync(REPORT_DIR)) {
   fs.mkdirSync(REPORT_DIR, { recursive: true });
 }
+if (!fs.existsSync(MEMORY_DIR)) {
+  fs.mkdirSync(MEMORY_DIR, { recursive: true });
+}
 
 const SAFETY_KEYWORDS = [
   'FAILURE MODES',
@@ -96,8 +100,9 @@ function runAudit() {
       memoryContent += `Flagged prompts: ${results.filter(r => r.status === 'NEEDS_REVIEW').map(r => r.filename).join(', ')}\n`;
   }
 
-  fs.writeFileSync(path.join(ROOT_DIR, 'memory-update.md'), memoryContent);
+  const memoryFile = path.join(MEMORY_DIR, `${timestamp}__prompt-safety-audit-agent.md`);
-  console.log('Memory update written to memory-update.md');
+  fs.writeFileSync(memoryFile, memoryContent);
+  console.log(`Memory update written to ${memoryFile}`);
 }
 
 runAudit();

scripts/agent/run-selected-prompt.mjs

@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ async function main() {
   const runner = resolveRunner(promptMarkdown);
 
   // Compute a stable, per-run memory output file path so agents know where to write learnings.
-  // store.mjs reads this env var; if absent it falls back to the root memory-update.md placeholder.
+  // store.mjs reads this env var and ingests this file.
   const agentName = process.env.SCHEDULER_AGENT || 'unknown-agent';
   const runTs = new Date().toISOString().replace(/:/g, '-').replace(/\.\d+Z$/, 'Z');
   const memoryFile = `memory-updates/${runTs}__${agentName}.md`;

scripts/memory/store.mjs

@@ -35,9 +35,7 @@ const cliArgs = process.argv.slice(2);
 const fileArgIndex = cliArgs.indexOf('--file');
 const explicitFile = fileArgIndex !== -1 ? cliArgs[fileArgIndex + 1] : null;
 const envFile = process.env.SCHEDULER_MEMORY_FILE;
-const defaultFile = 'memory-update.md';
+const targetFile = explicitFile || (envFile && existsSync(envFile) ? envFile : null);
-
-const targetFile = explicitFile || (envFile && existsSync(envFile) ? envFile : (existsSync(defaultFile) ? defaultFile : null));
 
 if (targetFile) {
     try {
@@ -71,7 +69,7 @@ if (memoryContent) {
 } else {
     // No memory file found — skip ingest rather than storing meaningless placeholder events.
     // Placeholder events pollute the store and degrade retrieval quality on future runs.
-    console.warn(`No memory input found (checked --file, env SCHEDULER_MEMORY_FILE=${envFile}, and default ${defaultFile}). Skipping ingest.`);
+    console.warn(`No memory input found (checked --file and env SCHEDULER_MEMORY_FILE=${envFile}). Skipping ingest.`);
 }
 
 try {

src/cmd-doctor.mjs

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import { detectTorchInstallDir } from './cmd-remove.mjs';
 
 const MEMORY_HEADING = '## TORCH Memory Integration';
 const MEMORY_READ_LINE = '`.scheduler-memory/latest/${cadence}/memories.md`';
-const MEMORY_WRITE_LINE = '`memory-update.md`';
+const MEMORY_WRITE_LINE = '`$SCHEDULER_MEMORY_FILE`';
 
 function parseMajorNodeVersion(version) {
   const major = Number.parseInt(String(version).split('.')[0], 10);

src/ops.mjs

@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ const MEMORY_INTEGRATION_HEADING = '## TORCH Memory Integration';
 const MEMORY_INTEGRATION_BLOCK = `${MEMORY_INTEGRATION_HEADING}
 You have access to the TORCH memory system.
 1. READ: Check \`.scheduler-memory/latest/\${cadence}/memories.md\` for past learnings.
-2. WRITE: Before exiting, save new insights to \`memory-update.md\` so future runs can learn from this session.`;
+2. WRITE: Before exiting, save new insights to \`$SCHEDULER_MEMORY_FILE\` (for example \`memory-updates/<timestamp>__<agent>.md\`) so future runs can learn from this session.`;
 
 /**
  * Resolves the absolute paths for the installation.

src/prompts/scheduler-flow.md

@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ Every agent prompt invoked by the schedulers (daily/weekly) MUST enforce this co
    - Write only facts that will help the **same agent** on its **next run**. Skip meta-commentary about the task structure.
    - Run configured memory storage workflow after prompt execution (for example via `scheduler.memoryPolicyByCadence.<cadence>.storeCommand`)
    - Storage command MUST call real memory services (`src/services/memory/index.js#ingestEvents`, which uses ingestor/summarizer pipeline) and MUST emit deterministic marker `MEMORY_STORED`.
-   - Storage command MUST ingest content from the file at `$SCHEDULER_MEMORY_FILE` (or fallback to `memory-update.md` if present).
+  - Storage command MUST ingest content from the file at `$SCHEDULER_MEMORY_FILE`.
    - Storage command MUST write cadence-scoped evidence artifacts:
      - `.scheduler-memory/store-<cadence>.ok`
      - `.scheduler-memory/store-<cadence>.json` containing operation inputs/outputs (`agentId`, input event count, stored count, generated summaries).