𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲
Most people build agent memory wrong.
They focus on storage. They use vector stores or clever summarizers. They think if they save everything, the agent will know everything.
They are wrong.
When you have hundreds of sessions, you cannot read it all. If your agent starts a new session cold, it wastes time. If it starts with too much noise, it makes mistakes.
The problem is selection. Most people confuse salience with carry value.
- Salience tells you what was loud in the last session.
- Carry value tells you what the next session needs to function.
A loud argument about a variable name has high salience. But if that name does not affect future code, it has zero carry value. If you carry it forward, you just add noise.
I run a memory pipeline based on these rules:
Mechanical salience first. Use a deterministic scorer to find important moments. Weight corrections higher than simple comments. Every highlight must link back to the raw transcript. Do not let a model invent facts without a source.
Synthesis second. Use an LLM only to add a layer of meaning to the highlights. If your highlights are bad, the summary will just be confident nonsense.
Use a retrieval-time brief. Build a file like INDEX.md for every project. The agent reads this file at the start of a session. No model should invent this brief on the fly. It must be a plain file you can open and edit by hand.
To build better memory, you need more than just a list of important things. You need:
- Two scores: One for how loud it was (salience) and one for how much it matters later (carry value).
- Memory classes: Separate active decisions, operating constraints, and open loops.
- Expiry dates: Every piece of memory must have a reason to die. Without expiry, context clogs your system.
- Triggers: Define exactly when a piece of memory should appear.
The goal is to minimize recovery cost.
Recovery cost is how many tokens or minutes it takes for an agent to catch up to where it left off. If your memory pipeline is just theater, your recovery cost will stay high.
Stop building bigger storage. Start building better selection.
Source: https://dev.to/jugeni/salience-is-not-carry-value-notes-from-a-running-session-memory-pipeline-4dda
Optional learning community: https://t.me/GyaanSetuAi