Memory file
Also called memory files.
A memory file is a file a coding agentA coding agent is an AI agent that works on software tasks by reading a project, changing files, and using development tools, then preparing the changes for review. loads at the start of a session so instructions or notes from earlier work are present again.
Example
You write in a project CLAUDE.md that tests run with npm test. The next session loads that file, so you do not have to type the command again for Claude to see it. A chat you closed is a different record.
Why it matters
Claude Code's docs say each session begins with a fresh context windowA context window is how much content a model can handle at once, measured in tokens, with limits that depend on the model.. Two kinds of file carry knowledge across sessions. CLAUDE.md files are instructions you write, for a project, for yourself, or for an organization, and Claude reads them at the start of a session. Auto memory is notes Claude writes from your corrections and preferences. Those notes live in a directory with a MEMORY.md index and one file per memory.
The docs say the first 200 lines of MEMORY.md, or the first 25KB, whichever comes first, load at the start of every conversation. To confirm a CLAUDE.md file loaded, run /contextContext is the information available to an AI model for a particular response, including instructions, conversation, supplied material, and tool results. and check the list under Memory files. Claude Code treats the files as context the model reads, not as a switch that blocks an action no matter what the model decides.
How it shows up on bot.ski
On bot.ski, the Memory glossary page is the general idea of facts saved for later, and the ContextContext is the information available to an AI model for a particular response, including instructions, conversation, supplied material, and tool results. and memory Learn page is how a bot uses them. This page is the file a coding agentA coding agent is an AI agent that works on software tasks by reading a project, changing files, and using development tools, then preparing the changes for review. reads. Opening this page does not write a memory file for you.
Common confusion
A memory file is not the conversation historyConversation history is the record of earlier messages, and in some products tool activity, that an app saves so you can reopen or search it., and it is not the whole context windowA context window is how much content a model can handle at once, measured in tokens, with limits that depend on the model.. History is the saved transcript. The contextContext is the information available to an AI model for a particular response, including instructions, conversation, supplied material, and tool results. window is what fits in this reply. A file on disk is only useful for the reply if the product loads it.
Sources
Updated October 3, 2026.