Memory and skills

The memory config block materialises instructions and skills into the agent's workspace at startup. The backend reads them as part of its normal context, so the agent has persistent knowledge across sessions.

{
  "memory": {
    "instructions": "./memory/instructions.md",
    "skills": ["./memory/skills/code-review", "./memory/skills/testing"]
  }
}

Relative paths resolve against the directory containing the config file.

Where files are writtenCopy Anchor Link

Each backend has its own conventions, and core maps them for you:

Codex also reads AGENTS.md in the workspace root for project-level instructions.

Skill formatCopy Anchor Link

A skill is a folder with a SKILL.md containing frontmatter and instructions:

---
name: code-review
description: Provides code review guidelines and checklists
license: MIT
compatibility:
  - copilot
  - opencode
allowed-tools:
  - read_file
  - search_files
---

# Code Review Skill

Instructions for the model on how to perform code reviews...

The name must be kebab-case and at most 64 characters. A skill folder may also contain scripts/, references/ and assets/.

Memory skills versus card skillsCopy Anchor Link

• memory.skills are internal instructions for the model. They are never exposed externally.
• agentCard.skills are public metadata for discovery.

Keep them in sync by hand. They often deserve different wording: the card entry is short and aimed at orchestrators, while the memory skill is detailed and technical.