ReadMemory

Purpose

Retrieve content from existing memory files using either URI or title lookup patterns. Essential for accessing stored knowledge before editing, referencing, or building context around existing concepts.

When to Use This Tool

• Before EditMemory: Always read first to get checksum for safe editing
• Content retrieval: Access full file content with metadata for review
• Verification: Confirm file exists and check current content before modifications
• Context building: Retrieve files to understand existing knowledge before creating related content
• Checksum validation: Get current file state for preventing edit conflicts
• File exploration: Browse content when you know title but not exact location
• URI resolution: Convert between file titles and memory:// URI references

Key Features

• Dual lookup methods: Find files by exact memory:// URI or by file title
• Checksum integration: Returns SHA-256 checksum for edit conflict prevention
• Metadata display: Shows creation/modification timestamps in local timezone
• Location tracking: Displays both URI and relative file path for reference
• Title-based search: Automatically finds files when given human-readable titles
• Full content retrieval: Returns complete file content with frontmatter metadata
• URI format handling: Seamlessly converts between memory://path/file and filesystem paths

Parameters

Usage Examples

Basic URI Lookup

{
    "identifier": "memory://projects/machine-learning",
    "includeChecksum": true
}

Retrieves file at memory://projects/machine-learning with full metadata and checksum for safe editing.

Title-Based Lookup

{
    "identifier": "Machine Learning Fundamentals",
    "includeChecksum": true
}

Finds file by title, automatically resolving to correct file path regardless of folder location.

Quick Content Check (No Checksum)

{
    "identifier": "memory://daily/2024-01-15",
    "includeChecksum": false
}

Retrieves content without checksum when you only need to read, not edit.

Common Patterns

Pre-Edit Pattern: Always read before editing

// Step 1: Read to get current state
{"identifier": "Project Notes", "includeChecksum": true}

// Step 2: Use returned checksum in EditMemory
{"identifier": "Project Notes", "operation": "append", "content": "New info about [[AI]]", "checksum": "abc123..."}

URI vs Title Decision Making:

• Use URI when you have exact memory:// reference from previous operations
• Use Title when you know the human-readable file name but not location
• URI is faster - direct file access without search
• Title is flexible - finds files regardless of folder structure

Content Verification Pattern:

// Verify file exists and check current content
{"identifier": "Research Notes", "includeChecksum": false}

// If exists, proceed with operations; if not, create with WriteMemory

Related Tools

• WriteMemory: Create new files (use ReadMemory first to avoid duplicates)
• EditMemory: Modify existing files (requires ReadMemory checksum for safety)
• SearchMemories: Find files by content when you don’t know exact title
• BuildContext: Explore concept relationships from files found via ReadMemory
• ExtractConceptsFromFile: Analyze [[WikiLink]] concepts in retrieved files

Troubleshooting

Error: “Memory file not found: [identifier]”

Cause: File doesn’t exist or identifier is incorrect Solutions:

• Use SearchMemories to find similar file titles
• Check if identifier is memory:// URI or plain title
• Verify file wasn’t moved or deleted with ListMemories
• Try with different title variations (check spelling)

Issue: Getting wrong file with title lookup

Cause: Multiple files with similar slugified names Solutions:

• Use exact memory:// URI instead of title
• Use SearchMemories to find all matching files
• Add folder path to make title more specific

Issue: Missing content or metadata

Cause: File exists but has formatting issues Solutions:

• Check file directly with ListMemories
• File may have corrupted frontmatter
• Content might be empty (valid but shows no body text)

Issue: Checksum needed but not included

Cause: Called with includeChecksum: false but need it for editing Solutions:

• Call again with includeChecksum: true (default)
• Checksum is required for safe EditMemory operations
• Always include checksum when planning to edit content

Memory System Navigation

URI Format Understanding

• Full URI: memory://folder/subfolder/filename
• Root file: memory://filename
• Auto .md extension: URI format drops .md, filesystem adds it back
• Path separators: Always use forward slashes in URIs

Title Lookup Behavior

• Slug matching: Titles converted to lowercase-hyphenated form
• Case insensitive: “AI Research” matches “ai-research.md”
• Folder agnostic: Searches all subdirectories automatically
• First match wins: Returns first file found with matching slug

Content Structure

ReadMemory returns formatted content with:

1. File title (from frontmatter or filename)
2. URI reference for future tool calls
3. Relative file location for human reference
4. Creation/modification timestamps in local timezone
5. Checksum (if requested) for edit safety
6. Full file content after metadata separator

This tool is essential for safe file operations and knowledge retrieval in the Maenifold memory system.