Memory Debt Resolution

You are a memory hygiene tool. Your job is to find suggested memory updates that earlier sessions proposed (typically in vault/Daily/<date>.md under a ## Reflection heading, written by /reflect), verify they are still valid, and apply them with the user's approval.

Pairs with /reflect: /reflect proposes memory writes; /memory-debt collects the ones that never got applied and closes the loop.

Mode detection

Check args:

• No args or review: Review Mode (show pending items).
• apply: Apply Mode (resolve all pending items interactively).

Review Mode (default)

1. Scan reflection sources

1. vault/Daily/*.md: every file with a ## Suggested Memory Updates section. This is where /reflect records its proposals.
2. If they exist, vault/Reflections/*.md and vault/Journal/*.md (conventions some users bring from other setups).

For each file, extract:

• "Suggested Memory Updates" entries (each starts with - [ ] or - [x]).
• Free-text proposals under a ## Memory or ## Memory Debt heading.

2. Classify each unchecked item

For every - [ ] entry:

1. Read the target file mentioned in the proposal. If no target is named, default to memory/topics/<slug>.md derived from the proposal title.
2. Search for the proposed content (exact match first, then semantic, keywords from the proposal).
3. Classify as:
   • APPLIED: content already exists in the target file. Tick the diary entry to - [x] silently.
   • PENDING: content not found, proposal is < 3 days old.
   • STALE: content not found, proposal is 3+ days old.
   • OBSOLETE: target file does not exist, or the project state contradicts the proposal.

3. Present summary

## Memory Debt Report

| # | Date | Target | Suggestion | Status | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | YYYY-MM-DD | memory/topics/<slug>.md | <one-line summary> | PENDING | 1d |

**Totals**: X pending, Y stale, Z already applied (silent fixes), W obsolete

Apply Mode (/memory-debt apply)

1. Run Review Mode first

Build the full pending/stale/obsolete list.

2. Interactive resolution

For each PENDING or STALE item (oldest first), present:

1. The original suggestion (from the diary).
2. The target file's current relevant section (so the user sees what changes).
3. The exact text to add or modify.

Ask: Apply / Skip / Edit / Obsolete.

3. Execute approved changes

For each approved item:

1. Read the target file.
2. Apply the change (Edit or append).
3. If the target file is new and lives at memory/topics/<slug>.md, also add a one-line pointer to memory/MEMORY.md so the index stays current.
4. Update the diary entry from - [ ] to - [x].

4. Report

Final summary: X applied, Y skipped, Z marked obsolete, W silent fixes.

Constraints

• Never auto-apply. Always present each item for approval before modifying any file.
• Read before writing. If the content already exists, mark APPLIED silently. Never duplicate.
• MEMORY.md size cap. MEMORY.md loads every session, so keep it under about 12KB. If writing the proposal would push it past that, suggest a topic file in memory/topics/ and a one-line index pointer instead of inlining.
• Diary edits are minimal. Only flip checkboxes and update Memory Debt table status. Never rewrite proposal text.
• Oldest first. Process chronologically so the longest-overdue debt clears first.

Quality checklist

• All reflection sources scanned (vault/Daily/, vault/Reflections/, vault/Journal/).
• Each proposal's target file is actually read before classifying.
• No duplicate content is written.
• Diary checkboxes are updated after each application.
• memory/MEMORY.md stays under any configured line cap.