01
Conversation Memory
Definition
Conversation Memory is a memory type focused on conversation. It preserves information that may be useful for later turns, tasks, personalization, or reasoning.
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Agentic AI Glossary
Memory, Context & State Management
Memory, Context & State Management terms and explanations from the Agentic AI Glossary.
50 terms in this chapter
02
Episodic Memory
Definition
Episodic Memory is a memory type focused on episodic. It preserves information that may be useful for later turns, tasks, personalization, or reasoning.
03
Graph Memory
Definition
Graph Memory is a memory type focused on graph. It preserves information that may be useful for later turns, tasks, personalization, or reasoning.
04
Knowledge Base
Definition
A curated repository of documents, FAQs, policies, tickets, product information, or enterprise procedures used for grounded answers.
05
Knowledge Graph
Definition
A structured network of entities and relationships that lets agents retrieve facts by meaning, connection, and context.
06
Knowledge Grounding Strategy
Definition
A repeatable approach for choosing, retrieving, validating, and citing trustworthy knowledge sources.
07
Long-Term Memory
Definition
Persistent information such as user preferences, facts, historical outcomes, and organizational knowledge.
08
Memory Compression
Definition
Reducing stored conversation or task history into concise summaries so important context fits within limited model windows.
09
Memory Conflict
Definition
A mismatch between stored memories, user updates, retrieved facts, or current instructions that must be resolved safely.
10
Memory Decay
Definition
A policy that lowers the importance of old information so stale preferences or outdated facts do not dominate future behavior.
11
Memory Deletion
Definition
Removing stored user, task, or system information to satisfy privacy requirements, correction requests, or retention policies.
12
Memory Freshness
Definition
How current and trustworthy a stored memory is compared with newer user input, system data, or verified sources.
13
Memory Poisoning
Definition
A security failure where false or malicious information is written into memory and later influences agent behavior.
14
Memory Privacy
Definition
Controls that limit what personal, sensitive, or enterprise information can be stored, retrieved, shared, or retained.
15
Memory Retrieval
Definition
Memory Retrieval is a retrieval method focused on memory. It finds useful information before generation, tool use, grounding, or answer verification.
16
Memory Summarization
Definition
Converting long interaction history into shorter notes that preserve decisions, preferences, facts, and unresolved tasks.
17
Memory Update
Definition
Changing stored information when a user corrects a fact, a task progresses, or the system learns a newer reliable state.
18
Memory Write
Definition
Saving a fact, preference, event, or task state so it can be retrieved in a later step or future session.
19
Procedural Memory
Definition
Procedural Memory is a memory type focused on procedural. It preserves information that may be useful for later turns, tasks, personalization, or reasoning.
20
Profile Memory
Definition
Profile Memory is a memory type focused on profile. It preserves information that may be useful for later turns, tasks, personalization, or reasoning.
21
Semantic Memory
Definition
Semantic Memory is a memory type focused on semantic. It preserves information that may be useful for later turns, tasks, personalization, or reasoning.
22
Session Memory
Definition
Session Memory is a memory type focused on session. It preserves information that may be useful for later turns, tasks, personalization, or reasoning.
23
Short-Term Memory
Definition
Temporary task or conversation context kept for the current session or execution loop.
24
Task Memory
Definition
Task Memory is a memory type focused on task. It preserves information that may be useful for later turns, tasks, personalization, or reasoning.
25
User Memory
Definition
User Memory is a memory type focused on user. It preserves information that may be useful for later turns, tasks, personalization, or reasoning.
26
Vector Memory
Definition
Vector Memory is a memory type focused on vector. It preserves information that may be useful for later turns, tasks, personalization, or reasoning.
27
Context-Aware Agent
Definition
A Context-Aware Agent uses user, task, memory, tool, and retrieved context to make responses and actions more relevant.
28
Context Budget
Definition
Context Budget sets a limit or target for context. Engineers use it to make practical trade-offs during system design and operations.
29
Context Drift
Definition
Context Drift is a context-engineering action for context drift. It decides how information is added, removed, ordered, refreshed, separated, or prioritized for the model.
30
Context Engineering
Definition
Context Engineering is a context-engineering action for context engineering. It decides how information is added, removed, ordered, refreshed, separated, or prioritized for the model.
31
Context Grounding
Definition
Context Grounding is a context-engineering action for context grounding. It decides how information is added, removed, ordered, refreshed, separated, or prioritized for the model.
32
Context Injection
Definition
Context Injection is a context-engineering action for context injection. It decides how information is added, removed, ordered, refreshed, separated, or prioritized for the model.
33
Context Isolation
Definition
Context Isolation is a context-engineering action for context isolation. It decides how information is added, removed, ordered, refreshed, separated, or prioritized for the model.
34
Context Pollution
Definition
Context Pollution is a context-engineering action for context pollution. It decides how information is added, removed, ordered, refreshed, separated, or prioritized for the model.
35
Context Pruning
Definition
Context Pruning is a context-engineering action for context pruning. It decides how information is added, removed, ordered, refreshed, separated, or prioritized for the model.
36
Context Ranking
Definition
Context Ranking is a context-engineering action for context ranking. It decides how information is added, removed, ordered, refreshed, separated, or prioritized for the model.
37
Context Refresh
Definition
Context Refresh is a context-engineering action for context refresh. It decides how information is added, removed, ordered, refreshed, separated, or prioritized for the model.
38
Context Retrieval
Definition
Context Retrieval is a retrieval method focused on context. It finds useful information before generation, tool use, grounding, or answer verification.
39
Context Selection
Definition
Context Selection is a context-engineering action for context selection. It decides how information is added, removed, ordered, refreshed, separated, or prioritized for the model.
40
Contextual Awareness
Definition
Understanding the situation, user role, history, policy, and environment beyond the raw text input.
41
Conversation State
Definition
A context-engineering term for conversation state, guiding what information a model receives and how that information is controlled.
42
Instruction Hierarchy
Definition
A context-engineering term for instruction hierarchy, guiding what information a model receives and how that information is controlled.
43
Memory Context
Definition
Memory Context is the context related to memory. Supplying it helps the model interpret the request, choose actions, and avoid missing important information.
44
Retrieved Context
Definition
Retrieved Context is the context related to retrieved. Supplying it helps the model interpret the request, choose actions, and avoid missing important information.
45
State Management
Definition
Tracking the current context, progress, memory, pending actions, and decisions across an agent workflow.
46
State Persistence
Definition
A context-engineering term for state persistence, guiding what information a model receives and how that information is controlled.
47
System Context
Definition
System Context is the context related to system. Supplying it helps the model interpret the request, choose actions, and avoid missing important information.
48
Task Context
Definition
Task Context is the context related to task. Supplying it helps the model interpret the request, choose actions, and avoid missing important information.
49
Tool Context
Definition
Tool Context is the context related to tool. Supplying it helps the model interpret the request, choose actions, and avoid missing important information.
50
User Context
Definition
User Context is the context related to user. Supplying it helps the model interpret the request, choose actions, and avoid missing important information.
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