Tree Ring Memory

Tree Ring Memory is a framework-agnostic, local-first memory lifecycle layer for AI agents. It helps agents remember useful decisions, warnings, preferences, and evidence without turning memory into raw transcript storage.

The checked-in skill teaches an agent when to recall, remember, redact, forget, and avoid memory capture. The Rust-native CLI owns the local store, recall, evidence capture, audit, consolidation, import/export, maintenance, terminal onboarding, and Ratatui operator console.

Knowledge Freshness

This listing was verified on 2026-07-08 against the public repository, README, portable SKILL.md, integration guide, press kit, and Rust-native CLI launch article. Tree Ring Memory is currently marked as protocol-preview, so re-check the release and CLI help before production integration.

Retrieval Sources

• https://github.com/TerminallyLazy/Tree-Ring-Memory
• https://github.com/TerminallyLazy/Tree-Ring-Memory/blob/main/README.md
• https://github.com/TerminallyLazy/Tree-Ring-Memory/blob/main/skills/tree-ring-memory/SKILL.md
• https://github.com/TerminallyLazy/Tree-Ring-Memory/blob/main/docs/integrations/agent-skill.md
• https://terminallylazy.github.io/Tree-Ring-Memory/press-kit.md
• https://terminallylazy.github.io/Tree-Ring-Memory/launch/rust-native-agent-memory-cli.md

Core Workflow

Install the CLI from source with Cargo:

cargo install --git https://github.com/TerminallyLazy/Tree-Ring-Memory tree-ring-memory-cli --locked

Initialize local memory and try recall:

tree-ring init
tree-ring remember "Use project-scoped recall before risky release changes." --event-type lesson --scope project
tree-ring recall "release changes"
tree-ring evidence "The eval passed after the fix." --outcome promoted --evidence-ref evals/run-042
tree-ring tui

Use adapter previews when source artifacts already exist:

tree-ring dox sync --source-root . --dry-run
tree-ring revolve sync --source-root revolve --dry-run
tree-ring integrations scan --source-root .

Capability Scope

• Project-scoped and global memory recall.
• Explicit memory capture through remember.
• Evidence-backed outcomes through tree-ring evidence.
• Ring lifecycle model: cambium, outer, inner, heartwood, scar, and seed.
• Local SQLite/FTS storage and JSONL import/export.
• Forgetting, redaction, supersession, audit, consolidation, and maintenance.
• DOX and Revolve source adapters with dry-run previews.
• Portable SKILL.md, generated .tree-ring/ guidance, and agent-framework discovery.
• Terminal onboarding and Ratatui operator console.

Compatibility

Native

• Rust CLI / terminal workflows: use tree-ring commands directly.
• Agent hosts that support local skills or instruction packs: load skills/tree-ring-memory/SKILL.md or the generated .tree-ring/SKILL.md.

Manual Adaptation

• Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, OpenCode, and Generic AGENTS workflows: point project bridge files at .tree-ring/SKILL.md, .tree-ring/AGENTS.md, and .tree-ring/CLI.md so host-specific instructions stay scoped to the current project.
• DOX-aware repositories: merge the generated .tree-ring/AGENTS.md guidance manually when agents should discover Tree Ring rules before entering the memory directory.

Production Rules

• Treat memory as a lifecycle, not a transcript dump.
• Recall before changing architecture, storage, security, privacy, release behavior, or project conventions.
• Store concise lessons, decisions, warnings, user preferences, or future seeds only when they will materially help future work.
• Prefer tree-ring evidence for evaluated outcomes, incidents, checkpoints, or reviewed run artifacts.
• Run source adapters with --dry-run first and preserve source references.
• Do not promote weak claims to heartwood; use outer or seed until evidence is stronger.
• Redact or delete memories that are wrong, sensitive, stale, or superseded.
• Keep source documents authoritative; memory points back to them instead of replacing them.

Troubleshooting

Issue: tree-ring is not on PATH after a global install Fix: open a new shell, run $HOME/.local/bin/tree-ring, or add the install bin directory to the current terminal path.

Issue: An agent wants to store too much context Fix: apply the portable skill guidance and store only durable, concise, privacy-safe lessons with source references.

Issue: A source adapter produces noisy memories Fix: keep the --dry-run output, narrow the source root, and write only the summaries that are useful and source-linked.

Output Contract

When using this skill, produce:

1. Relevant recalled lessons, warnings, preferences, or decisions.
2. A clear decision on whether new durable memory is warranted.
3. The exact tree-ring command to write, evidence-link, redact, delete, or supersede memory.
4. Safety and privacy notes for any proposed write.
5. Source references for memories derived from docs, issues, PRs, evals, DOX, or Revolve artifacts.

Duplicate Review

Checked content/skills, generated catalog text, and current source entries for Tree Ring Memory, local-first agent memory lifecycle, DOX/Revolve memory adapters, and Rust-native agent memory CLI listings. Existing entries cover general agent skills, plugin creation, portability, and other AI memory resources, but no HeyClaude skills entry lists Tree Ring Memory's portable skill plus Rust-native local memory lifecycle CLI.

Editorial Disclosure

Submitted by the project owner as a source-backed community listing. The project is MIT-licensed, protocol-preview software; review the installer, generated guidance files, and local privacy boundary before adopting it in a production agent workflow.

• Source repositorygithub.com 2026-07-08
• Documentationgithub.com
• Websiteterminallylazy.github.io
• Package downloadgithub.com
• Submitted by TerminallyLazy2026-07-08