# Carry project knowledge into the next session

> Keep decisions, source material, and next actions in durable project records that an agent can actually recover.

Canonical: https://hermeswatcher.com/workflows/project-knowledge  
Category: Research & knowledge work  
Basis: An editorial blueprint: an original, source-informed approach. Check commands against the official docs for your version.

## The useful result

A compact project record with current decisions, their rationale, supporting sources, and the next concrete action.

## Before you begin

- A project directory or knowledge system with an agreed home
- A distinction between durable files and agent memory
- Permission boundaries for reading and changing project records

## How to approach it

1. **Choose the authoritative record**: Identify where project facts and decisions live. Avoid making multiple competing copies that all appear current.
2. **Record decisions with reasons**: A useful entry includes the decision, date, rationale, source, and what would cause it to be reconsidered. Keep speculation separate from accepted facts.
3. **Use memory for orientation**: Let memory help the agent find the project and understand preferences. Keep detailed evidence and volatile operating status in durable, inspectable records.
4. **Test recovery in a fresh session**: Ask a new session to locate a past decision and cite its record. A claim that something was remembered is weaker than a successful retrieval.
5. **Correct the source record**: When a decision changes, update or supersede the authoritative entry and retain enough history to explain the change.

## A prompt to adapt

Replace the brackets and run a bounded trial first.

```text
Review [project folder]. Locate the latest accepted decisions and outstanding actions. Cite the exact files supporting each conclusion. Identify conflicts or stale records before proposing updates. Do not treat an old status summary as current runtime evidence.
```

## When it does not work

If two records disagree, present the conflict and their dates. Do not silently choose whichever version makes the project look further along.

## Check the result

Can a fresh session recover an accepted decision, its rationale, and its source without the original chat?

## Official reference (Nous Research)

- [Persistent memory](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/memory)
- [Context files](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/context-files)

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HermesWatcher is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Nous Research. The [official Hermes Agent documentation](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs) and [repository](https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent) from Nous Research are the authority; each page here lists the official sources it was written from. If this site and the official docs disagree, trust the official docs. Index for agents: https://hermeswatcher.com/llms.txt