Move local agent docs into Lore
Move duplicated CLAUDE.md and AGENTS.md knowledge into shared, project-specific, and channel-specific Lore memories.
Do this after Lore is installed, /setup is complete, and at least one agent runtime can receive boot context.
Local files such as CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, plugin rules, and hook guidance are useful bootstrap files. They should not become the long-term source of truth for shared user preferences, project rules, coding standards, deployment commands, or operating habits. If the same instruction should affect more than one agent, move it into Lore.
What to keep local
Keep only the small bootstrap text that helps the runtime load Lore:
- connect to the Lore MCP server or plugin;
- load boot memory at session start;
- use recall before relying on memory;
- open recalled nodes before treating them as facts;
- write durable changes back to Lore.
Do not keep repeated product rules, user preferences, project deploy commands, or long process documents in every local agent file. That creates drift: one agent receives a newer rule, another keeps the stale one.
Where to move each kind of instruction
| Source material | Move to |
|---|---|
| Rules every agent should follow | core://agent |
| Stable user preferences, writing style, collaboration style | preferences://user |
| Project commands, constraints, architecture decisions, deploy notes | project://<project_slug>/... |
| Claude Code-only behavior | core://agent/claudecode |
| Codex-only behavior | core://agent/codex |
| Pi-only behavior | core://agent/pi |
| OpenClaw-only behavior | core://agent/openclaw |
| Hermes-only behavior | core://agent/hermes |
This matches how Lore's boot system works: at startup, the runtime loads the global boot nodes core://agent, core://soul, and preferences://user, plus the active client-specific node such as core://agent/codex or core://agent/claudecode.
Files to audit first
Common local sources:
| Runtime | Typical local file to inspect |
|---|---|
| Claude Code | ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md, project CLAUDE.md, imported Claude guidance files |
| Codex | ~/.codex/AGENTS.md, project AGENTS.md, repository-level agent instructions |
| OpenClaw | plugin guidance, ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json plugin config, project notes |
| Pi | extension guidance under ~/.pi/agent/extensions or PI_CODING_AGENT_DIR |
| Hermes | hermes-plugin/lore_memory/AGENT_RULES.md or local Hermes plugin guidance |
Use actual runtime paths on the machine you are configuring. Do not assume that a random AGENTS.md in another project directory is the one Codex is currently using.
Migration workflow
- Open the local file and split it into sections: shared, user preference, project-specific, runtime-specific, and temporary.
- Move shared rules into
core://agent. - Move stable personal preferences into
preferences://user. - Move project material into
project://<project_slug>/...nodes with clear titles such ascommands,deployment,architecture, orconstraints. - Move runtime-only deltas into
core://agent/<client_type>. - Delete duplicated long-form content from the local file.
- Leave a short bootstrap note that tells the agent to use Lore and recall.
- Restart the runtime so startup hooks reload the boot baseline.
Example split
Bad local file shape:
Better Lore shape:
Local AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md then becomes small:
Verify the migration
After removing duplicated local content:
- Restart the agent runtime.
- Ask a prompt that should need one migrated rule.
- Confirm startup context includes the shared and runtime-specific boot nodes.
- Confirm recall surfaces project-specific memories when the prompt mentions the project.
- If recall misses the memory, improve the memory's disclosure trigger and glossary terms instead of copying the rule back into local files.
Do not store secrets, API keys, tokens, or one-off temporary instructions in Lore. Keep secrets in environment variables or deployment secret stores; keep temporary task notes in the current chat or issue tracker.