slowave_activate: Prime Working Memory at Task Start

Call slowave_activate at the start of every task to open a session, run spreading activation, and surface relevant memories and procedures for the scope.

slowave_activate is the entry point to every task in the Slowave cognitive cycle. It opens an implicit server-side session, runs spreading activation over your scoped memory store, and returns a compact working-memory set — directly relevant memories, execution-backed procedures, and structured warnings — along with the session_id and retrieval_id you will need for every subsequent call. You never need to call a separate session-start command.

Parameters

task · string · required

The verbatim task description. Must be nonblank. Slowave uses this text as the primary retrieval cue; pass the full, unsummarized task so that spreading activation works against the actual problem.

initial_goal · string · required

A concise, action-led provisional objective derived from the task. Must be nonblank. This is what the agent intends to accomplish, expressed as a brief verb phrase before full context is available.

scope · string · required

Retrieval boundary in kind:id form (for example project:my-repo). Both the kind and id parts must be nonblank. All memory retrieval, session ownership, and feedback authorization are scoped to this value. See the Overview for the scope contract.

continuity_id · string

An opaque token that correlates multiple activations within the same client conversation. Omit this field on the first activation in a new conversation, then retain and resend the token returned in the response on all subsequent activations in that conversation. Never invent a value or reuse a token from a different conversation.

task_context · object

Optional structured facts that condition retrieval — for example file paths, language, framework, or environment details relevant to this task. These facts become part of the retrieval cue and are persisted with the session for use by subsequent slowave_recall calls.

Response

All responses are wrapped in {"ok": true, "data": {...}} on success or {"ok": false, "error": {...}} on failure.

retrieval_id · string

An opaque identifier for this activation’s retrieval event. Pass this to slowave_feedback after using the returned memories and procedures.

session_id · string

The server-side session identifier. Pass this to slowave_remember, slowave_recall, and slowave_commit.

memory_state · string

Either cold_start or available.

• cold_start — the resolved scope has no memories yet. Read one stable context document, persist only durable facts not already observable in that document, then continue normally.
• available — the scope has existing memories and activation surfaced results.

memories · array

The compact working-memory set for this task.

Show memory object fields

memory_id · string

Stable sch_N identifier for this memory record. Use this in slowave_feedback to assess the memory.

content · string

The memory text, capped at 500 characters.

pathway · string

How this memory was surfaced: direct (query-relevant match), associated (graph-linked), or context_reinstatement (reinstated from a prior conversation in the same scope via continuity).

provenance · object

Optional. Present when provenance metadata is available, such as source_kind, integration, integration_version, or origin_scope (when the memory originated in a different scope than the one requested).

procedures · array

Execution-backed procedures relevant to the task. Each procedure includes a procedure_id, goal, summary, outcome, outcome_summary, and caveats (safety notes are never omitted). Pass procedure_id values to slowave_feedback to assess procedure usefulness.

warnings · array

Structured safety warnings. A scope_fragmentation warning is included when the provided scope looks like a case or separator variant of an existing scope, indicating possible accidental memory split.

continuity_id · string

Present when continuity is active. The server-issued token for this conversation thread. Retain this value and pass it back unchanged on the next slowave_activate call in the same conversation.

continuity_state · string

Present when continuity_id is returned. Either started (this is the first activation in a new conversation thread) or continued (this activation is continuing an existing thread). On started, Slowave may add context reinstatement memories to help bridge the new task with recent work.

more_available · boolean

Present when continuity is active. true when memories or procedures were omitted from the response to stay within the budget. Use slowave_recall to fetch additional context.

When to call activate

Call slowave_activate exactly once at the beginning of every task, before any other Slowave tool. Never call it mid-task or after recalling additional context — that is the job of slowave_recall.

{
  "task": "Fix the race condition in the session reaper that causes double-close errors",
  "initial_goal": "Eliminate the double-close race in the session reaper",
  "scope": "project:my-repo"
}

Cold start behavior

When memory_state is cold_start, the scope has no stored memories. The recommended pattern is:

1. Read one stable context document (for example, a project README or architecture note).
2. Use slowave_remember to persist only durable facts that are not already observable from the document on every task.
3. Continue the task normally.

Do not attempt to pre-populate memory with a full document dump. Store only claims that would be genuinely useful to recall in a future session.

Scope validation

The scope must be in kind:id form with nonblank values on both sides of the colon. An invalid scope returns {"ok": false, "error": {"code": "invalid_input", ...}} immediately without opening a session.

If activate returns a scope_fragmentation warning in the warnings array, confirm with the user whether the scope string is correct before proceeding. Two slightly different scope strings — project:my-repo versus project:my_repo — create completely isolated memory stores with no cross-visibility.