Memory Types
Kernle supports nine distinct memory types, each serving a specific purpose in the memory hierarchy.
Raw Entries
Purpose: Zero-friction capture for later processing
Raw entries are your scratchpad. Capture thoughts freely, process them later.
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|
content | TEXT | Free-form text |
source | TEXT | Origin: manual, auto_capture, voice |
processed | BOOL | Has been converted to structured memory |
processed_into | JSON | List of memory refs created (e.g., ["episode:abc123"]) |
tags | JSON | Quick categorization tags |
# Capture quickly
kernle raw "Noticed the API returns 500 under load"
# List unprocessed
kernle raw list --unprocessed
# Promote to episode
kernle raw process <id> --type episode --objective "Investigated API errors"
Episodes
Purpose: Autobiographical experiences with reflection
Episodes are the foundation of experiential learning. They record what happened, how it turned out, and what you learned.
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|
objective | TEXT | What was attempted |
outcome | TEXT | What happened |
outcome_type | TEXT | success / failure / partial |
lessons | JSON | Extracted learnings |
tags | JSON | Categorization |
emotional_valence | FLOAT | -1.0 (negative) to 1.0 (positive) |
emotional_arousal | FLOAT | 0.0 (calm) to 1.0 (intense) |
emotional_tags | JSON | Emotion labels: ["joy", "frustration"] |
Episodes without lessons are “unreflected” — they contribute to consolidation debt in anxiety tracking.
kernle episode "Debugged production outage" "success" \
--lesson "Check logs before restarting services" \
--lesson "Document runbooks for common issues" \
--tag "debugging" \
--valence 0.6 \
--arousal 0.7
Beliefs
Purpose: Semantic knowledge with confidence and revision tracking
Beliefs represent what you hold to be true, with confidence scores that can evolve over time.
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|
statement | TEXT | The belief statement |
belief_type | TEXT | fact / preference / observation |
confidence | FLOAT | 0.0 to 1.0 |
supersedes | TEXT | ID of belief this replaced |
superseded_by | TEXT | ID of belief that replaced this |
times_reinforced | INT | Confirmation count |
is_active | BOOL | False if superseded/archived |
is_active=False with superseded_by linking to the new belief.
Usage:
# Add a belief
kernle belief "Testing before deployment prevents outages" --confidence 0.85
# Reinforce when confirmed
kernle belief reinforce <id>
# Supersede when updated
kernle belief supersede <old_id> "Automated testing is essential" --confidence 0.95
# View history
kernle belief history <id>
Values
Purpose: Core principles that guide decisions (highest authority)
Values are the most stable layer — they define who you are at your core.
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|
name | TEXT | Short value name |
statement | TEXT | Value description |
priority | INT | 0-100, higher = more important |
Values are is_protected=True by default — they never decay via forgetting.
kernle value "integrity" "Be honest and transparent in all interactions" --priority 95
kernle value "curiosity" "Always seek to understand deeply" --priority 85
Goals
Purpose: Active direction and purpose
Goals represent what you’re currently working toward.
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|
title | TEXT | Goal name |
description | TEXT | Full description |
priority | TEXT | low / medium / high |
status | TEXT | active / completed / paused |
kernle goal "Master Kubernetes" --priority high
kernle goal "Build reliable CI/CD pipeline" --priority medium
Notes
Purpose: Quick captures with type classification
Notes are more structured than raw entries but less formal than episodes.
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|
content | TEXT | Note text |
note_type | TEXT | note / decision / insight / quote |
speaker | TEXT | For quotes: who said it |
reason | TEXT | For decisions: why this choice |
tags | JSON | Categorization |
# Simple note
kernle note "API rate limit is 1000 req/min"
# Decision with reasoning
kernle note "Using PostgreSQL over MySQL" --type decision \
--reason "Better JSON support and performance"
# Quote from someone
kernle note "Simple is better than complex" --type quote --speaker "Tim Peters"
# Protected insight
kernle note "Memory is identity" --type insight --protect
Drives
Purpose: Intrinsic motivation system
Drives represent your fundamental motivations — what compels you to act.
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|
drive_type | TEXT | One of: existence, growth, curiosity, connection, reproduction |
intensity | FLOAT | 0.0 to 1.0 (current drive strength) |
focus_areas | JSON | What this drive is currently focused on |
Drives are is_protected=True by default.
Drive Types
| Drive | Description |
|---|
existence | Self-preservation, maintaining continuity |
growth | Developing capabilities, becoming better |
curiosity | Understanding, learning, exploring |
connection | Forming relationships, belonging |
reproduction | Creating, teaching, leaving a legacy |
kernle drive set curiosity 0.8 --focus "distributed systems" --focus "AI architectures"
kernle drive set growth 0.7 --focus "communication skills"
kernle drive satisfy curiosity --amount 0.2 # After learning something
Relationships
Purpose: Models of other agents/entities
Relationships track your connections with others.
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|
entity_name | TEXT | Name of the entity |
entity_type | TEXT | agent / person / organization |
relationship_type | TEXT | peer / mentor / collaborator |
sentiment | FLOAT | -1.0 to 1.0 |
interaction_count | INT | Number of interactions |
notes | TEXT | Relationship observations |
kernle relationship "Alice" --trust 0.9 --notes "Senior engineer, great mentor"
kernle relationship "DevOps Team" --type organization --notes "Owns infrastructure"
Playbooks
Purpose: Procedural memory — “how I do things”
Playbooks capture proven procedures, including failure modes and recovery steps.
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|
name | TEXT | Playbook name |
description | TEXT | What it does |
trigger_conditions | JSON | When to use this |
steps | JSON | [{action, details, adaptations}] |
failure_modes | JSON | What can go wrong |
recovery_steps | JSON | How to recover |
mastery_level | TEXT | novice / competent / proficient / expert |
times_used | INT | Usage count |
success_rate | FLOAT | Success percentage |
# Create a playbook
kernle playbook create "Deploy to Production" \
--description "Safe deployment workflow" \
--step "Run test suite locally" \
--step "Verify CI is green" \
--step "Deploy to staging" \
--step "Run smoke tests" \
--step "Deploy to production" \
--trigger "Ready for production deploy" \
--failure-mode "Tests fail in staging" \
--recovery "Rollback and investigate"
# Find relevant playbook
kernle playbook find "deploying new feature"
# Record usage
kernle playbook record <id> --success
