"Current systems create a category error: they apply cognitive decay to factual claims, or treat facts and experiences with identical update mechanics."
AI agents forget. Context windows overflow. Facts contradict without reconciliation. This is context rot - the systematic degradation of coherent reasoning as operational history grows.
The root cause: applying uniform persistence to fundamentally different types of knowledge. Gaussian decay is correct for experiences. It's wrong for facts.
We implement Roynard's four-layer cognitive decomposition that identifies the missing knowledge layer in cognitive architectures:
| Layer | Persistence Semantics | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Memory | Ebbinghaus decay - experiences fade | "User asked about auth on 2026-04-21" |
| Knowledge | Indefinite supersession - facts persist until contradicted | "OAuth tokens expire in 30 days" |
| Wisdom | Evidence-gated revision - beliefs update on evidence, not time | "This team ships on Fridays" |
| Intelligence | Ephemeral inference - per-session working memory | "For this query, I considered A, B, C" |
Different knowledge types require different update mechanics. A fact shouldn't decay like a memory. A pattern shouldn't update like an observation. Contradictions create supersession edges, not silent overwrites.
|
Experiences that fade flowchart LR
subgraph MEMORY["Memory Layer"]
direction TB
P[Passages] --> G[(Graph)]
V[Events] --> G
U[Utterances] --> G
G --> S[(Vectors)]
end
style MEMORY fill:#0d1117,stroke:#58a6ff
Raw experience storage: passages, events, utterances. Ebbinghaus decay - experiences fade with time. |
Facts that persist flowchart LR
subgraph KNOW["Knowledge Layer"]
direction TB
C[Claims] --> F[Facts]
CI[Citations] --> F
F --> G[(Graph)]
end
style KNOW fill:#0d1117,stroke:#a371f7
Extracted claims promoted to facts. Indefinite supersession - facts persist until contradicted, not until they age. |
|
Beliefs that revise flowchart LR
subgraph WISDOM["Wisdom Layer"]
direction TB
P[Patterns] --> H[Hierarchies]
H --> B[Beliefs]
B --> S[Summaries]
end
style WISDOM fill:#0d1117,stroke:#3fb950
Graph clustering surfaces emergent patterns. Beliefs update on evidence shift, not on time. |
Ephemeral reasoning flowchart LR
subgraph INTEL["Intelligence Layer"]
direction TB
Q[Query] --> R[ReasoningChain]
R --> CR[Crystallizations]
CR --> K[(Knowledge)]
end
style INTEL fill:#0d1117,stroke:#f78166
Per-session reasoning chains. Ephemeral by design - only crystallized conclusions survive the session. |
Provenance, time-travel, reflection
flowchart LR
subgraph META[" Meta-Memory "]
direction LR
P[Provenance] --> T[Time-Travel]
T --> R[Reflection]
R --> H[History]
end
style META fill:#0d1117,stroke:#d29922
Cross-cutting capability spanning all four layers. Enables metacognition:
- Provenance: "Why do I believe X?" - full citation chain to source
- Time-travel: "What did I know last Tuesday?" - query historical state
- Reflection: Agents store observations about their own cognition
Bi-temporal tracking means every fact knows when it was true vs when we learned it.
flowchart TB
subgraph AGENTS["Agents"]
A1[Claude Code]
A2[Custom Agents]
end
subgraph DELTA["Engrammic"]
direction TB
subgraph META[" Meta-Memory "]
direction LR
subgraph COGNITIVE[" Cognitive Stack "]
direction LR
MEM[Memory]
KNOW[Knowledge]
WIS[Wisdom]
INTEL[Intelligence]
MEM --> KNOW
KNOW --> WIS
WIS --> INTEL
end
end
API[MCP Interface]
end
subgraph INFRA[" Infrastructure "]
direction LR
GR[(Graph Store)] ~~~ VE[(Vector Store)] ~~~ CA[(Cache)]
end
A1 <--> API
A2 <--> API
API <--> META
META <--> INFRA
style AGENTS fill:#1f2937,stroke:#58a6ff,color:#f0f6fc
style DELTA fill:#1f2937,stroke:#a371f7,color:#f0f6fc
style META fill:#1f2937,stroke:#d29922,color:#f0f6fc
style COGNITIVE fill:#161b22,stroke:#3fb950,color:#f0f6fc
style INFRA fill:#1f2937,stroke:#f78166,color:#f0f6fc
| Repository | Purpose |
|---|---|
| primitives | EAG schema library (Apache 2.0) |
| engine | Local engine, no cloud required (Apache 2.0) |
| mcp | MCP client for hosted service |
Closed beta now open. Join the waitlist or reach out for access.
"Memory without meaning is just metadata."
Engrammic • 2026