Memory Types

Agent memory systems divide into distinct types that mirror cognitive science categories, each solving a different persistence and retrieval challenge: short-term memory holds conversation history within a session, working memory tracks in-progress task state through scratchpads and variables, long-term memory persists facts across sessions in vector databases or knowledge bases, and episodic memory logs past interactions so agents can learn from previous experience. Understanding these categories is foundational because choosing the right memory type for each piece of information determines whether your agent maintains coherent state across complex multi-step tasks. The architectural decision of what to remember, for how long, and how to retrieve it is one of the highest-leverage design choices in any agent system.