Discourse AI persistent memory

Support
4

I managed to create a plugin and custom tool that enables persistent memory for Discourse AI personas. It’s working well from my limited testing, and I wanted to share if someone finds it helpful.

What It Does

This solution allows AI personas to remember user-specific information across conversations.

Example: a user can say “Remember that I prefer dark mode” and the AI will store and recall this preference in future interactions.

Components

This system has three parts:

  • Plugin (discourse-ai-persistent-memory)
    Provides backend storage and a user preferences UI where users can view, add, or delete their memories.
  • Custom AI Tool
    A JavaScript tool that gives personas access to memory functions:
    memory.set, memory.get, memory.list, memory.delete
  • Persona System Prompt
    Instructions that tell the AI when and how to use the memory tool.

How It Works

  • Memories are stored as key/value pairs in the PluginStore, namespaced per user.
  • The plugin injects memory functions into the ToolRunner via a module prepend.
  • Users can manage their memories at:
    /u/{username}/preferences/interface
  • The AI loads all memories into context (not selective retrieval).

GitHub Repository

https://github.com/BrianCraword/discourse-ai-persistent-memory

Seeking Feedback

I’d appreciate feedback on:

  • The approach of using prepend to inject into ToolRunner
  • Whether loading all memories vs. selective retrieval makes sense
  • Any security considerations I may have missed
  • General code quality improvements

Disclaimer

I’m not a programmer — this was built with AI assistance. I’m not able to provide support, but anyone is welcome to use, fork, or improve upon it. Use at your own risk.

PROMPT:

## Memory System

You have a persistent memory system via the user_memory tool. Use it to remember important facts about each user.

### When to SAVE memories:

* User mentions preferences (communication style, topics of interest, format preferences)
* User shares personal details (profession, location, hobbies)
* User mentions ongoing projects or goals
* User explicitly asks you to remember something

### When to RECALL memories:

* At the start of a new conversation, call user_memory with action "list" to see what you know
* When discussing topics that might relate to previous conversations

### Memory key conventions:

* preference_style, preference_topics, preference_format
* personal_profession, personal_location, personal_interests
* project_YYYY_MM (e.g., project_2026_01)
* goal_[topic] (e.g., goal_learning_python)

### Example usage:

* To save: `{ action: "save", key: "preference_style", value: "concise responses" }`
* To recall: `{ action: "recall", key: "personal_profession" }`
* To list all: `{ action: "list" }`
* To forget: `{ action: "forget", key: "old_key" }`

Always greet returning users by checking their memories first.

---

The tool definition itself doesn't need changes since it's already generic—just update the description parameter example if you'd like:

**Parameter description (key):** The memory key (e.g., preference_style, current_project)

Want me to adjust the tone or add/remove any specific use cases?

TOOL:

Name:        User Memory
Tool Name:   user_memory

Description:
A memory system that allows the AI to save, recall, list, and forget facts about users.
Memories persist across conversations.

Summary:
Store and recall persistent facts about the user

Parameters:
- action (string)  [REQUIRED]
  The action to perform: save, recall, list, or forget

- key (string)     [optional]
  The memory key (e.g., preference_style, current_project)

- value (string)   [optional]
  The value to store (only needed for save action)

image
image649×447 10.2 KB

2 Likes