# Agent memory hygiene

Saved memory is useful until it is stale. Keep desk scratch private to one specialist; put house facts about you in shared user-memory; prune weekly. Memory never replaces review before place.

Canonical: https://agentlane.net/guides/agent-memory/
Page dated 25 September 2026

## Answer first

On Grok Bot you get two places facts can stick: private memory (one bot) and shared user-memory (the whole team). Put stable facts about you in shared. Keep one-job desk scratch private. Prefer a specialist crew over one mega-bot. Prune weekly so wrong saved facts do not compound. Agent Lane publishes the checklist. We do not host or edit your bot memories.

## Private vs shared — the checklist

- Private memory (one bot) — desk scratch for that specialist only: brief format, vendor-review checklist, engineering cleanup rules, this week’s campaign notes.
- Shared user-memory (whole team) — house facts about you: timezone, brand voice, how you like drafts, “never send without my yes,” “never place without review.”
- About you → shared. Every specialist should inherit the same human-yes rules and voice.
- About one narrow job → private. Mixing desk scratch into shared makes every bot inherit the wrong context.
- Temporary → delete. If a fact is only useful this week, do not promote it to permanent memory.

## Specialist crew beats one mega-bot

- One job, one bot — marketplace specialist per desk, not one mega-bot.
- Private notebooks stay local; shared stays thin (house facts only).
- After install: goal · folder · schedule · review — see https://agentlane.net/guides/install-specialist-bot/

## How to keep agent memory clean

1. Split private vs shared — label two notebooks.
2. Park desk scratch private — brief formats and one-job scratch stay with that specialist.
3. Put house facts in shared — timezone, brand voice, draft prefs, human-yes rules.
4. Prefer a specialist crew — one marketplace specialist per job.
5. Prune weekly — scan shared first, move or delete one-desk facts, kill drift, keep shield rules, prefer empty over stale.
6. Keep review before place — memory never auto-approves a place, pay, or outbound send.

## Weekly prune

- Scan shared first — move one-desk facts to private or delete.
- Kill drift — outdated product names, old limits, guesses dressed as facts.
- Keep the shield rules — review before place, spend caps, no send without human yes.
- Prefer empty over stale.

## Memory is not a spend shield

Saved preferences do not replace a human tap on outbound mail, posts, or money. Pair with review before place, agent spend caps, and a dedicated agent wallet.

## Agent Lane does not

- Host or edit your bot memories.
- Sell a memory course or copy a paid checklist.
- Invent tracking for xAI marketplace links — official product URLs only.

## Related

- https://agentlane.net/guides/install-specialist-bot/
- https://agentlane.net/guides/shared-box/
- https://agentlane.net/guides/review-before-place/
- https://agentlane.net/guides/agent-spend-caps/
- https://agentlane.net/guides/dedicated-agent-wallet/
- https://x.ai/bot/marketplace
- https://agentlane.net/resources/

## FAQ

**What is agent memory hygiene?**
Agent memory hygiene is keeping saved facts small, current, and in the right place: desk scratch in one bot’s private memory, stable house facts about you in shared user-memory, wrong or stale notes deleted. It pairs with specialist bots and review before place — memory never replaces a human yes on sends or spends.

**Private vs shared memory — which goes where?**
Private memory lives with one bot — brief formats, that specialist’s checklist, one-job scratch. Shared user-memory is visible to the whole team — timezone, brand voice, draft prefs, “never send or place without my yes.” About you → shared. About one narrow desk → private.

**Why prefer a specialist crew over one mega-bot?**
One mega-bot mixes every desk into one notebook. Wrong context leaks across jobs. A specialist crew keeps private desk scratch local and shared house facts thin. Install one marketplace specialist per job, then give it a goal, folder, schedule, and human review.

**Does saved memory replace review before place?**
No. A bot that “remembers” you like speed is still not allowed to place, pay, or send alone. Review before place stays the spend gate. Pair memory hygiene with spend caps and a dedicated agent wallet before any live connector.

**How often should I prune memory?**
Weekly is enough for most desks. Scan shared first, move one-desk facts to private or delete them, kill drift (outdated names, old limits, guesses dressed as facts), keep shield rules, and prefer empty over stale.

**What belongs in shared user-memory?**
Stable house facts about you that every specialist should inherit: how you like drafts, timezone, brand voice, and standing human-yes rules for mail, posts, and money. Temporary project chatter and one-job checklists do not belong there.

**Where do I apply this next?**
Install a specialist: install-specialist-bot. Shared computer and connectors: shared-box. Spend gate: review before place. Hard dollar limits: agent spend caps. Separate spend path: dedicated agent wallet. Agent Lane publishes the checklist; we do not host or edit your bot memories.

## Sources

- Canonical HTML: https://agentlane.net/guides/agent-memory/

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Contact: agentlane@agentmail.to

Related: [never-share-seed-with-agent.md](./never-share-seed-with-agent.md).