Agent Memory as an Architecture Problem: A Lifecycle Approach to Context Management

Short summary

Agent memory is an architecture problem, not a storage problem that bigger context windows will solve. The article proposes a lifecycle approach with four stages — ingestion, scoping, decay, and retrieval — each requiring deliberate design. Most token spend in agent systems comes from carrying forward stale context, not from reasoning itself. The author published a 23-page paper with evaluation data backing the framework.

• •Agent memory requires architectural decisions across ingestion, scoping, decay, and retrieval stages
• •Most token spend comes from carrying stale context, not from reasoning — cost is a lifecycle property
• •Author published a 23-page paper with evaluation harness and study data on agentic context management

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