Lesson 1243 of 1455
Short-Term vs Long-Term Memory for Agents
Know which facts the agent should remember within a run vs across runs.
Builders · Agentic AI · ~4 min read
The big idea
scratchpad memory dies with the run; vector memory survives
Some examples
- Notes the agent jots while planning
- Facts saved about you across sessions
- Things you do not want it to remember at all
Try it!
Open your favorite AI tool and try one of the examples above. Pick the one that matches what you are actually working on this week. Spend 10 minutes, no more. Notice what worked and what did not — that's the real lesson.
Key terms in this lesson
Practice this safely
Try this with a school, hobby, or family example where the stakes are low. Use the AI output as a draft you can question, not as the final answer.
- 1Ask AI to explain scratchpad in plain language, then underline anything that sounds uncertain or too broad.
- 2Give it one detail from "Short-Term vs Long-Term Memory for Agents" and ask for two possible next steps plus one reason each step might be wrong.
- 3Check vector memory against a trusted source, teacher, adult, expert, or original document before you use it.
End-of-lesson quiz
Check what stuck
8 questions · Score saves to your progress.
Lesson help
Questions are best handled with a grown-up here.
For this age range, Tendril keeps freeform AI chat paused until parent/guardian consent and child-safe moderation are fully verified. Use the quiz, notes, and related lessons below, or ask a parent, guardian, teacher, or librarian to work through the question with you.
Progress saved locally in this browser. Sign in to sync across devices.
Related lessons
Keep going
Creators · 9 min
Agentic AI: Choose Short-Term vs Long-Term Memory Without Building Both
Most agents do not need a vector database — pick the simplest memory that solves the actual recall problem in front of you.
Creators · 11 min
Giving Agents a Scratchpad They Re-Read
Use a working file the agent updates and consults each step.
Builders · 40 min
Builder Capstone: Design an Agent for Your Life
No code. Just design. Pick a real task you do every week and draft a complete agent spec — goal, tools, loop, stop, approvals, and what success looks like.