Update Memory

Append a dated entry to a section of a memory file in About Me/. The server prefixes the date automatically ("- YYYY-MM-DD: entry text") and inserts newest-first by default. Idempotent — an exact duplicate (same date + text in the same section) is a no-op, so retrying a timed-out call is safe. Memory files are append-only by default: when a preference changes, append the new state (newest wins) rather than deleting the old one. A file may declare entry-policy: living in frontmatter (surfaced by vault_list_memory_files) — a current-state file where pruning expired entries is expected maintenance rather than a violation.

Example: vault_update_memory({ file: "Opinions", section: "Code patterns (newest first)", entry: "Prefer immutable data structures" }) Example: vault_update_memory({ file: "Routines", section: "Daily/weekly rhythm (newest first)", entry: "Gym Mon/Wed at 6am", options: { date: "2026-10-01", position: "bottom" } }) — a backdated entry placed below the existing ones

When to use: Recording a new preference, principle, opinion, or fact about the user. Call vault_list_memory_files first and reuse existing file and section names so entries stay grouped. Prefer vault_write_note for creating non-memory notes. A missing file or section is created automatically (new sections get "(newest first)" appended; new files get a placeholder scope callout to fill in via vault_replace_in_note). A new section name nearly identical to an existing heading (an HTML-entity slip, typo, or spacing variation) is rejected, so a mistyped name cannot silently fragment the file — names differing only in digits (e.g. "2025" vs "2026") are distinct.

Parameters:

• options.date only sets the bullet's date; placement follows options.position, never the date.

Obsidian syntax: Entry text is Obsidian Flavored Markdown. Watch for: #word = tag, [[ = wikilink. Escape with # or backticks when unintentional.

Errors:

• "refusing memory write: … would shrink content" — safety guard: the write would leave the file at under half its size, which happens when the file holds content a rewrite cannot keep (for example long YAML comments in its properties). A retry returns the same refusal until a manual edit removes that content; inspect the file with vault_read_note to find it.

• "entry must be a single line" — memory entries are single dated bullets; collapse newlines or append multiple entries.

• "section must be a single line" — section names become H2 headings; remove line breaks.

• "date must be a real ISO calendar date" — options.date only accepts an existing calendar date in bare YYYY-MM-DD form (e.g. "2026-07-02"), not a timestamp.

• "entry contains a control character" / "section contains a control character" — the value includes a non-printable control byte; remove it before writing.

• "memory file must not start with a dot" / "memory file must be a bare name without path separators" — use a bare file name: no folder or slash, and no leading dot (that would create a hidden file, invisible in Obsidian and to every listing).

• "section not created: … is nearly identical to existing section …" — near-duplicate guard; pass the exact existing heading (listed in the error) to append there, or choose a clearly different name for a genuinely new section.

• "memory file …: properties block …" — the file's properties block can't be read, or a rewrite would lose it; the error says how to repair it

• "memory file …: the note would open with a properties block …" — the write would leave --- lines at the top of a file with no properties, around text that can't be kept as properties; the error says how to avoid it

Returns: "Added entry to About Me/.md → ## ", plus a note to fill in the placeholder scope callout when the file is new; an exact duplicate returns "Entry already exists in About Me/.md → ## — nothing was written."