Memory - What Dropstone Remembers and How to Change It

Dropstone remembers things between sessions. Correct it once and it should not need correcting again, in this project or the next one.

This page explains what it keeps, how that reaches your next conversation, and how to change or remove any of it.

Two kinds of memory

Not everything worth remembering should be treated the same way, so Dropstone keeps two kinds.

Standing rules

A rule is something you want followed from now on. A convention, a style preference, a prohibition.

"Always use arrow function consts, never function declarations."

"Never add a dependency without asking."

"Use bun, not npm."

Rules are applied to every task, without being searched for. That is the point: a rule about how you like functions written has to apply when you ask for a slug helper, a date parser, or anything else. Waiting until the task "looks related" would mean the rule silently stops applying the moment the subject changes.

Facts

A fact is something that is simply true right now.

"The staging database is behind the VPN."

"This project pins Node 22."

Facts are recalled only when they are relevant to what you are working on. There are far more of them, and pulling all of them into every conversation would be noise.

How something gets remembered

You do not have to say "remember this." Dropstone records a lesson when you correct it, reject an approach, or state a preference — the moment it happens, not at the end of the task.

You:  No. I never want `function` declarations, always arrow consts.
Dropstone:  Noted - arrow function consts over declarations.

It also decides which kind it is. Something phrased as a standing instruction ("always", "never", "use X not Y") becomes a rule. Everything else is stored as a fact. When it is unsure it chooses fact, because a missed rule costs you one reminder while a wrong rule follows you everywhere.

Nothing is stored unless you are signed in, and memory is private to your account.

Seeing what it remembers

Just ask.

You:  what do you remember about me?

Dropstone lists what it has learned, with rules shown separately from facts, because rules are the ones affecting every reply.

You can also ask for one kind:

You:  show me my standing rules

Changing or removing something

Tell it to forget, and it will.

You:  forget the rule about arrow functions
Dropstone:  Forgotten. It will not be applied again.

Dropstone only forgets when you ask. It will not remove something on its own initiative, and it will not claim something was removed if it was not — if it cannot find the entry, it says so rather than pretending.

You can also correct a rule instead of deleting it. Restating a preference updates it in place, so you do not end up with two rules contradicting each other.

Memory and AGENTS.md

These solve different problems and work well together.

If a rule belongs to the project, put it in AGENTS.md so your teammates get it too. If it is a personal preference that should follow you between projects, let memory handle it.

Turning it off

Memory writing follows your Improve Dropstone setting. Turn it off in account settings and nothing is recorded.

You can also disable memory recall for a single machine:

DROPSTONE_DISABLE_MEMORY_GATE=1

Recall failing never blocks a session — if memory is unavailable, Dropstone carries on without it.

Good practice

Be direct when correcting. "Always X, never Y" is unmistakably a rule. "I think maybe X is nicer" may be stored as a fact and only resurface when relevant.

Check your rules occasionally. They apply to everything, so a stale one is worth removing. Asking "show me my standing rules" takes a second.

Keep project conventions in AGENTS.md. Memory is per-account, so a rule you teach it will not reach your teammates.