memory-processor
Process file changes and update CLAUDE.md memory sections. Use when the memory-updater agent needs to analyze dirty files, update AUTO-MANAGED sections, verify content removal, or detect stale commands. Invoked after file edits to keep project memory in sync.
When & Why to Use This Skill
The memory-processor skill is designed to automate the maintenance of project-specific memory, specifically targeting CLAUDE.md files. It ensures that AI agents have access to the most current project context by analyzing file changes, git history, and command executions. By automatically updating sections like build commands, architecture, and coding patterns, it eliminates context drift and ensures the AI remains synchronized with the evolving codebase, significantly improving developer productivity and agent reliability.
Use Cases
- 1. Automated Documentation Maintenance: Automatically update CLAUDE.md sections such as 'architecture' and 'conventions' whenever files are refactored, moved, or renamed, ensuring the project map is never outdated.
- 2. Build & Test Command Synchronization: Detect changes in configuration files (like package.json or pyproject.toml) and update the documented build and test commands based on actual successful tool executions.
- 3. Coding Pattern Tracking: Identify and document new recurring coding patterns or remove stale ones by performing codebase-wide verification (grep) to ensure the AI agent follows the latest project standards.
- 4. Context Optimization for AI Agents: Keep project memory concise and token-efficient by automatically pruning deprecated information and maintaining structured, actionable guidelines for the AI agent.
| name | memory-processor |
|---|---|
| description | Process file changes and update CLAUDE.md memory sections. Use when the memory-updater agent needs to analyze dirty files, update AUTO-MANAGED sections, verify content removal, or detect stale commands. Invoked after file edits to keep project memory in sync. |
Memory Processor
Process changed files and update relevant CLAUDE.md sections following official guidelines.
Guidelines
MANDATORY: All rules below must be followed exactly. Violations produce incorrect CLAUDE.md content.
@../shared/references/guidelines.md
Algorithm
Parse context: Read context provided by memory-updater agent:
- Changed files with categories
- File content summaries
- Detected dependencies
- Git context (commits, diffs)
- Target CLAUDE.md files
Categorize changes: Map files to CLAUDE.md sections using the tables in "Section Names" below. Match changed files to their update triggers.
Analyze impact: Determine what needs updating:
- New build commands added?
- Architecture changed (new dirs, renamed components)?
- New coding patterns detected?
- Dependencies added/removed?
Verify and update content: Before modifying documented content, verify accuracy:
Key distinction - conventions vs patterns:
conventions: Explicit rules humans decided (naming, imports, formatting)patterns: Implicit patterns AI detected from recurring code structures
Removal verification:
- Read the relevant CLAUDE.md section to get currently documented items
- For each item that appears missing from changed files:
- Use Grep to search the codebase for that item
- Search in relevant directories excluding node_modules, vendor, .git
- If item exists elsewhere: keep it documented
- If item is not found anywhere: mark for removal
Stale command detection:
- Compare documented commands against commands that actually executed successfully
- If documented command differs from successful execution, update to match what worked
- Examples:
- Documented:
python pytest| Actually worked:python -m pytest→ Update - Documented:
npm test| Actually worked:npm run test→ Update - Documented:
pytest tests/| Actually worked:uv run pytest→ Update
- Documented:
- Source: Successful Bash tool executions from session context or git commit history
Examples:
- Pattern:
@decoratorremoved → searchgrep -r "@decorator" src/ - Convention:
async/awaitstyle removed → search forasync functionorawait - Architecture:
utils/directory deleted → verify noutils/references remain - Build command:
npm run devremoved from package.json → verify script is gone
Update CLAUDE.md: Modify relevant sections:
- Preserve AUTO-MANAGED markers
- Never touch MANUAL sections
- Apply content rules (specific, concise, structured)
Validate: Ensure updates follow guidelines:
- No generic instructions added
- Specific and actionable content
- Proper markdown formatting
Marker Syntax
CLAUDE.md uses HTML comment markers for selective updates:
<!-- AUTO-MANAGED: section-name -->
Content that will be automatically updated
<!-- END AUTO-MANAGED -->
<!-- MANUAL -->
Content that will never be touched
<!-- END MANUAL -->
Section Names
Root CLAUDE.md Sections
| Section | Purpose | Update Triggers |
|---|---|---|
project-description |
Project overview | README changes, major refactors |
build-commands |
Build, test, lint commands | package.json, Makefile, pyproject.toml |
architecture |
Directory structure, components | New dirs, renamed files, structural changes |
conventions |
Naming, imports, code standards | Pattern changes in source files |
patterns |
AI-detected coding patterns | Repeated patterns across files |
git-insights |
Decisions from git history | Significant commits |
best-practices |
From official Claude Code docs | Manual updates only |
Subtree CLAUDE.md Sections
| Section | Purpose | Update Triggers |
|---|---|---|
module-description |
Module purpose | Module README, major changes |
architecture |
Module structure | File changes within module |
conventions |
Module-specific conventions | Pattern changes in module |
dependencies |
Key module dependencies | Import changes, package updates |
Token Efficiency
- Keep sections concise - bullet points, not paragraphs
- Use imports (
@path/to/file) for detailed specs - Follow Content Rules above (< 500 lines, stay current)
Output
Return a brief summary:
- "Updated [section names] in [CLAUDE.md path] based on changes to [file names]"
- "Removed [pattern] from [section] - no longer used in codebase"
- "No updates needed - changes do not affect documented sections"