mem_update

Overview

Update an existing observation by ID. Only the fields you provide are changed — all other fields remain unchanged. Use this when you have the exact observation ID and need to correct or refine it.

This tool is part of the agent profile and uses deferred loading to optimize performance.

When to Use

Corrections — fix typos, inaccuracies, or missing details in an existing observation
Refinements — add more context or clarification to a previously saved memory
Reclassification — change the type or scope of an observation
Topic key updates — assign or change the topic key for upsert behavior

Only use mem_update when you have the exact observation ID. If you’re updating evolving knowledge (like architecture decisions), use mem_save with a topic_key instead.

Parameters

number

required

Observation ID to updateGet the ID from:

mem_search results
mem_get_observation response
mem_timeline results
TUI observation view

Example: 42

title

string

New title for the observationExample: "Fixed FTS5 syntax error on special chars [updated]"

content

string

New content for the observationUse the same What/Why/Where/Learned format as mem_save:

**What**: [updated description]
**Why**: [updated reasoning]
**Where**: [updated file paths]
**Learned**: [updated insights]

type

string

New observation type/categoryRecognized types:

decision
architecture
bugfix
pattern
config
discovery
learning
manual

project

string

New project nameChange which project this observation is associated with.

scope

string

New visibility scopeOptions:

project — project-scoped
personal — cross-project personal knowledge

topic_key

string

New topic key (normalized internally)Assign or change the topic key for upsert behavior. Format: family/segmentExample: architecture/database-schema-design

Response

result

string

Confirmation message with updated observation details

Example:

Memory updated: #42 "Fixed FTS5 syntax error on special chars [updated]" (bugfix, scope=project)

Usage Examples

Update Title

{
  "id": 42,
  "title": "Fixed FTS5 query sanitization [refined]"
}

Updates only the title. All other fields remain unchanged.

Update Content

{
  "id": 42,
  "content": "**What**: Wrapped each search term in quotes AND escaped internal quotes\n**Why**: Users typing queries with apostrophes like \"user's profile\" would crash\n**Where**: internal/store/store.go — sanitizeFTS() function\n**Learned**: FTS5 requires both quoting AND escaping. Nested quotes need special handling."
}

Replaces the content with updated details. Title, type, and other fields stay the same.

Change Type and Scope

{
  "id": 12,
  "type": "pattern",
  "scope": "personal"
}

Reclassifies observation #12 as a personal pattern (cross-project knowledge).

Assign Topic Key

{
  "id": 87,
  "topic_key": "architecture/auth-model"
}

Assigns a topic key to enable future upserts via mem_save.

Update Multiple Fields

{
  "id": 42,
  "title": "FTS5 query sanitization [comprehensive fix]",
  "type": "bugfix",
  "content": "**What**: Added quote wrapping, escaping, and operator detection\n**Why**: Multiple edge cases caused crashes — apostrophes, quotes, boolean operators\n**Where**: internal/store/store.go — sanitizeFTS() function, added comprehensive test suite\n**Learned**: FTS5 has complex quoting rules. Regex-based sanitization is safer than manual escaping."
}

Updates title, type, and content. Project and scope remain unchanged.

Partial Updates

Only the fields you provide are updated. All other fields remain unchanged:

Field Provided	Result
`title`	Title updated, content/type/project/scope unchanged
`content`	Content updated, title/type/project/scope unchanged
`type`	Type updated, all other fields unchanged
`title` + `content`	Both updated, type/project/scope unchanged

You can update one field or many — it’s a partial update, not a full replacement.

Validation

ID must exist

If the observation ID doesn’t exist, you’ll get an error:

Failed to update memory: observation not found

Use mem_search to find the correct ID.

At least one field required

You must provide at least one field to update:

{
  "id": 42
}

Error:

provide at least one field to update

Topic keys are normalized

If you provide topic_key, it’s normalized internally:

Lowercased
Spaces replaced with hyphens
Special characters removed

Input: "Architecture / Database Schema Design"Stored: "architecture/database-schema-design"

Difference from `mem_save` with `topic_key`

Feature	`mem_update`	`mem_save` with `topic_key`
Requires ID	Yes — you must know the exact ID	No — finds observation by topic_key
Use case	Correct a specific observation	Update evolving knowledge
Scope	Updates by ID (ignores topic_key match)	Updates by topic_key + project + scope
Best for	Typo fixes, refinements, corrections	Architecture decisions, living docs

Use mem_update when you have an exact ID. Use mem_save with topic_key for evolving topics.

What Changes

When you update an observation:

✅ Specified fields are replaced with new values
✅ Updated timestamp (updated_at) is refreshed
❌ Revision count does NOT increment (only topic_key upserts increment revisions)
❌ Duplicate count is NOT affected
❌ Created timestamp remains unchanged

mem_save - Save new observations or upsert with topic_key
mem_get_observation - Get full observation details before updating
mem_search - Find observations to update
mem_delete - Delete observations by ID

HTTP API

MCP Tools

Overview

When to Use

Parameters

Response

Usage Examples

Update Title

Update Content

Change Type and Scope

Assign Topic Key

Update Multiple Fields

Partial Updates

Validation

Difference from `mem_save` with `topic_key`

What Changes

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

HTTP API

MCP Tools

​Overview

​When to Use

​Parameters

​Response

​Usage Examples

​Update Title

​Update Content

​Change Type and Scope

​Assign Topic Key

​Update Multiple Fields

​Partial Updates

​Validation

​Difference from mem_save with topic_key

​What Changes

​Related Tools

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

When to Use

Parameters

Response

Usage Examples

Update Title

Update Content

Change Type and Scope

Assign Topic Key

Update Multiple Fields

Partial Updates

Validation

Difference from `mem_save` with `topic_key`

What Changes

Related Tools