# Memory Dump > Create exhaustive knowledge-transfer dumps from context for model transitions and session restoration - **Type:** Skill - **Install:** `agentstack add skill-pvalena-claude-skills-memory-dump` - **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior - **Seller:** [pvalena](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/pvalena) - **Installs:** 0 - **Category:** [Agent Skills](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/agent-skills) - **Latest version:** 0.1.0 - **License:** MIT - **Upstream author:** [pvalena](https://github.com/pvalena) - **Source:** https://github.com/pvalena/claude-skills/tree/main/memory-dump ## Install ```sh agentstack add skill-pvalena-claude-skills-memory-dump ``` Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent. ## About # Memory Dump Skill **Purpose**: Create exhaustive knowledge-transfer documents from the current context window that enable seamless continuation of work across model transitions, session boundaries, context compactions, and working directories. Think logbook, not snapshot. ## When to Use This Skill Use this skill when: - Approaching context window limits (token budget running low) - Switching to a newer/different Claude model version - Taking extended breaks from complex multi-session work - Need to preserve detailed session state for future reference - Creating handoff documentation for collaborative work - Work spans multiple directories/repos that need a unified reference ## Core Principles **Write from memory, not from discovery.** Do NOT run commands (git status, ls, grep) to gather state. Write everything from what is already in the context window. The dump captures what was learned, decided, and understood — not what `git log` says right now. If you need to verify something, do it BEFORE invoking this skill, not during. **Logbook over snapshot.** A good dump teaches. It explains WHY things are the way they are, not just WHAT they are. A reader should understand the domain, the constraints, the failure modes, and the reasoning — not just the current file state. Structure around the domain and the work, not around "what I did today". **Everything reusable.** Include every technical lesson, every non-obvious decision, every failure path discovered. A lesson that seems obvious now will not be obvious to a fresh model in a new context window. When in doubt, include it. **Dense and complete.** Prefer tables for cross-referencing (fix matrices, module mappings, ticket status). Prefer inline code for patterns and commands. One thorough explanation beats three brief mentions. Prioritize completeness over formatting. **Standalone.** No "as mentioned before" references. No "see above". Every section should be understandable by a reader who jumped directly to it. Spell out acronyms on first use. Include file paths, branch names, commit SHAs. ## Workflow A dump has these sections, ordered from broadest context to most specific state. Not all sections are needed for every dump — skip what doesn't apply. ### 1. Header ```markdown # CONTEXT DUMP — [topic/project name] **Generated**: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM **Session Type**: [New/Continuation/Handoff] **Primary Working Directory**: /full/path ``` ### 2. What This Project Is One or two paragraphs of domain context. What does this codebase do? What problem is being solved? Why does this work matter? A fresh model reading this section should understand the domain well enough to make judgment calls. ### 3. Repository Layout All repos, branches, worktrees, and their relationships. Include: - Paths, branch names, versions - Which directories are worktrees of which repos (this is easy to get wrong) - Related repos that are NOT worktrees (separate git histories) - Cross-reference tables when naming conventions differ across versions (e.g., module numbering) - Key tools and scripts with their invocation syntax ### 4. The Technical Domain This is the core teaching section. Structure it around the DOMAIN, not the session history. For a security fix project, this means the vulnerability class. For a refactoring project, this means the architecture. For a migration, this means the before/after systems. Include: - **The pattern being fixed/built/changed** — general description, then every specific instance with data flows - **Each instance** with: source of data -> writer/transform -> sink/consumer, which branches are affected, what the fix is, code snippets of before/after - **What was verified safe** and WHY — the negative findings are as important as the positive ones. Include the reasoning so a future model doesn't re-investigate the same files. - **Cross-cutting concerns** — things that affect multiple instances (e.g., "printf '%q' escaping is consumed on source, so downstream writers need their own escaping") ### 5. Status Per Work Unit For multi-branch/multi-component work, a per-unit status table with commit SHAs, then detailed notes per unit. Include: - What's done (with commit SHAs) - What's unfixed and why - Bugs found during the work (e.g., missed companion changes in cherry-picks) - A summary matrix table for quick scanning ### 6. External References Ticket/issue mappings, report file locations, test script locations. Tables work well here. ### 7. Technical Lessons Learned Each lesson as a self-contained paragraph with: - **The fact/rule** — stated directly - **Why it matters** — what breaks if you get it wrong - **The non-obvious part** — what a reasonable person would get wrong without this lesson These should be reusable beyond this specific project. "printf -v creates globals, not caller locals" is reusable. "We fixed file X on line 42" is not — that belongs in section 5. Also include: - User preferences and constraints (communication style, commit message rules, scope limitations) - Process constraints (embargo, review requirements) ### 8. Pending Work What's left to do, ordered by priority. For each item: what it is, why it matters, what the proposed approach is (if known). ### 9. Context Restoration Instructions Practical instructions for a fresh model picking up this work: - Which files to read first - Key constraints to remember - What NOT to do (push to remote, mention exploits in commits, etc.) ### 10. Timestamp Trail Chronological record of when major milestones happened across sessions. ### 11. End Marker ```markdown ## END OF CONTEXT DUMP **Comprehensiveness**: [Minimal/Moderate/Exhaustive] **Restoration confidence**: [Low/Medium/High] ``` ## What Makes a Good Dump **Good**: "printf '%q' produces shell-safe escaping that is consumed when the output is sourced. After sourcing, the variable holds the RAW value. This means printf '%q' protects exactly ONE sourcing step. If the value is then passed to another unescaped writer (like die()), the protection is gone." **Bad**: "We used printf '%q' to fix the escaping issue." **Good**: A module numbering table showing that the same logical module has different numeric prefixes across 4 branches, so you know to look for `74iscsi/` in rawhide but `95iscsi/` in rhel-9. **Bad**: "Module paths vary across branches." **Good**: "An intermediate attempt used printf -v which broke dynamic scoping — when callers declare local variables, printf -v creates globals instead of setting the caller's locals. Tests pass if you check globals; the actual caller gets empty strings." **Bad**: "We tried printf -v but it didn't work, so we used local -n." ## File Location - **Multi-directory projects**: Place in the parent/umbrella directory that spans all work (e.g., `source-git/DUMP_MEMORY.md` for work spanning `source-git/rawhide/`, `source-git/rhel-10/`, etc.) - **Single-repo projects**: Place in project root - **Global/cross-project**: `~/.claude/session_dumps/YYYY-MM-DD-topic.md` ## Relationship to CLAUDE.md and MEMORY.md - **CLAUDE.md**: Repo instructions — what the repo is, how to work in it, constraints. Loaded automatically. - **MEMORY.md**: Working knowledge — current status, workflows, quick reference. Invoked when needed. - **DUMP_MEMORY.md**: Knowledge transfer — everything learned across sessions, structured for a reader who has never seen this work. Not loaded automatically — read on demand when restoring context. DUMP_MEMORY.md is the most exhaustive of the three. It may duplicate content from CLAUDE.md and MEMORY.md intentionally — it must be standalone. When CLAUDE.md and MEMORY.md exist, the dump should still be self-contained, but can reference them in the restoration instructions ("read CLAUDE.md and MEMORY.md first"). ## Version History - **1.0.0** (2026-04-13): Initial version based on model transition dump creation - **1.1.0** (2026-04-21): Trimmed from 1008 to ~500 lines; removed redundant templates - **1.2.0** (2026-04-22): Optimized for LLM-readability and token efficiency - **2.0.0** (2026-06-11): Major rewrite. Shifted from state-gathering to knowledge-transfer (write from context window). Restructured around domain knowledge and technical lessons instead of session chronology. Added cross-directory/multi-repo guidance and CLAUDE.md/MEMORY.md hierarchy documentation. ## See Also - **auto-memory** - For creating and maintaining project-level MEMORY.md - **refresh-docs** - For coordinated updates across documentation tiers - **review** - Context for code review dumps ## Source & license This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code. - **Author:** [pvalena](https://github.com/pvalena) - **Source:** [pvalena/claude-skills](https://github.com/pvalena/claude-skills) - **License:** MIT Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above. ## Pricing - **Free** — Free ## Security capabilities Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access: - **Network access:** no - **Filesystem access:** no - **Shell / process execution:** no - **Environment & secrets:** no - **Dynamic code execution:** no *"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.* ## Versions - **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source. ## Links - Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-pvalena-claude-skills-memory-dump - Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/pvalena - Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse --- Listed on AgentStack — the marketplace for AI agent skills and MCP servers. Every listing is security-reviewed. Creators keep 70%.