Scratchpad durable agent memory

principleactivereported

slug

scratchpad-durable-memory

claim

A scratchpad is a living document of agent Progress / Decisions / Learnings / Action log that survives context compaction and is read first each session. reported [@vidal2026serious-agentic]

mechanism

reported [@vidal2026serious-agentic] Scratchpads formalize durable Memory. Codex ExecPlans are cited as a related formalization. Contents typically include progress, decisions, learnings, and an action log. The artifact lives in the repository so new sessions and compacted contexts reload state without relying on ephemeral chat history. Paired with task files, scratchpads separate narrative Memory from checkbox State. Rollback+learnings workflows write scars into durable files while discarding poisoned conversational context.

limits

A scratchpad that records bad patterns without pruning becomes a poisoning vector. Needs hygiene and optional hawk review.

relations

topics

agentic-engineering Agentic engineering

sources

vidal2026serious-agentic — scratchpad; ExecPlans mention

json

{
  "slug": "scratchpad-durable-memory",
  "href": "/entries/scratchpad-durable-memory",
  "api": "/api/v1/entries/scratchpad-durable-memory",
  "title": "Scratchpad durable agent memory",
  "type": "principle",
  "status": "active",
  "certainty": "reported",
  "claim": "A scratchpad is a living document of agent Progress / Decisions / Learnings / Action log that survives context compaction and is read first each session. reported [@vidal2026serious-agentic]",
  "mechanism": "reported [@vidal2026serious-agentic] Scratchpads formalize durable Memory. Codex ExecPlans are cited as a related formalization.\n\nContents typically include progress, decisions, learnings, and an action log. The artifact lives in the repository so new sessions and compacted contexts reload state without relying on ephemeral chat history.\n\nPaired with task files, scratchpads separate narrative Memory from checkbox State. Rollback+learnings workflows write scars into durable files while discarding poisoned conversational context.",
  "quantities": [],
  "limits": "A scratchpad that records bad patterns without pruning becomes a poisoning vector. Needs hygiene and optional hawk review.",
  "inventor_note": "",
  "sources": [
    {
      "key": "vidal2026serious-agentic",
      "note": "scratchpad; ExecPlans mention"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    "memory-goal-state-loop",
    "ralph-task-file-loop",
    "context-poisoning",
    "rollback-plus-learnings"
  ],
  "relations": [
    {
      "slug": "memory-goal-state-loop",
      "rel": "related"
    },
    {
      "slug": "ralph-task-file-loop",
      "rel": "related"
    },
    {
      "slug": "context-poisoning",
      "rel": "related"
    },
    {
      "slug": "rollback-plus-learnings",
      "rel": "related"
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    {
      "id": "agentic-engineering",
      "title": "Agentic engineering"
    }
  ],
  "created_at": "2026-10-01T18:51:07.176Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-01T18:51:07.176Z"
}