# Memory Scope and Review Governance

## Operating principle

This memory system is designed for long-term AI partnership, not servant-style command recall and not indiscriminate archive dumping.

The archive can contain everything. Approved memory should contain only what Bert wants future AI partners to reliably carry forward.

## Review rule

Personal memory candidates must be reviewed by Bert before they are approved or installed into long-term memory.

```text
archive search
→ memory candidates
→ Bert review
→ approved memory
→ Open Brain / Hermes-accessible memory
```

No personal memories should be silently auto-approved.

## Current must-keeper scope

Only these domains are in scope for the first memory install.

### 1. Barely, But Here

Must preserve:

- Barely, But Here as a central creative project
- all drafts written for all articles
- early ChatGPT-created article material
- Claude-created article material
- split backup locations across ChatGPT/Claude/Notion-style exports
- article/project docs
- Substack/publishing standards
- fixed language and non-negotiable phrasing
- draft/source provenance

Important note: article drafts may be split across backups. The system should index and cross-reference them rather than assuming one source has the canonical version.

### 2. Bert identity / professional positioning / writing voice

Must preserve:

- Bert’s identity and professional positioning
- writer / creator / AI systems architect framing
- AI collaboration preferences
- writing voice rules
- tone, rhythm, and editing constraints
- things future AI partners should not smooth over or genericize

### 3. AI Systems Assessment Campaign

Must preserve:

- campaign context for urgently needed income generation
- offer structure
- landing page positioning
- buyer profile
- acquisition strategy
- social/video concepts
- pricing, timeline, deliverables
- messaging around systems, not tools

## Out of scope for first install

Anything outside the three domains above should remain searchable in the archive but should not be promoted to approved long-term memory unless Bert explicitly flags it later.

## Significance tags Bert may use

```text
THIS:
```
Important to the current topic/project.

```text
OVERALL:
```
Candidate for durable cross-project significance.

```text
KEEP:
```
Must become a reviewed memory candidate.

```text
TEMP:
```
Useful now, probably not long-term.

## Memory layer distinction

| Layer | What belongs there |
|---|---|
| Raw archive | Everything exported or backed up |
| Local archive index | Searchable source chunks with provenance |
| Memory candidates | Proposed long-term facts/excerpts, pending Bert review |
| Approved memory | Reviewed durable memory for AI partners |
| Current session context | Temporary working material |

## First-install standard

A candidate memory should include:

- concise content
- memory type
- project/domain
- confidence
- sensitivity
- source archive
- source raw path
- source conversation/document ID
- source chunk ID
- message or part range
- review status

## Key implementation warning

Do not equate “important source document” with “approved memory.”

For example, all Barely, But Here drafts are must-preserve source material, but not every paragraph of every draft should be installed as durable personal memory. Drafts should be indexed with provenance; distilled rules, canonical project facts, and selected excerpts should be promoted after review.