Best Practices

Memory works best when it's focused, current, and named the way you ask for things. Use this page as a checklist; the basics are in Setup & Usage.

Let Fluent Keep the Details

• Say it once, in plain words: "Remember that…", "From now on…". Lasting things you mention in passing count too.
• Correct it the same way: "Actually, I moved to Hamburg." Fluent updates the detail instead of adding a second one.
• Glance at the Memory icon under a reply to see what was used or saved. Fix a wrong save in Settings → Memory, or say "Forget…".

Name Things the Way You Ask

Without the on-device relevance models, Fluent brings in a memory by itself only when your request mentions its name (for a file, its group's name works too).

• Prefer names like Tesla Charging, Project Atlas or Lisbon Trip over Misc or Docs 2.
• If Fluent keeps missing something, rename it or edit its description. Your words stay.
• To make sure a group is used, type @ and pick it.

Turn On the Relevance Models

On a Mac with Apple silicon, turn on On-device relevance models in the gear in Settings → Memory. Fluent then finds what a request needs without you naming it, like your allergy when you ask for a dinner idea, and brings up related earlier chats. The models take about 0.6 GB of memory while loaded.

Keep Groups Focused

Give each group one topic, or one kind of record:

• Transactions for bank statements, Clients for contracts, My Emails for your sent mail
• Not one Work group with everything in it

Focused groups help Fluent find the right context, and whole-group questions ("What did I spend by month?") work best when every item in the group is the same kind of record. When two groups belong together, link them instead of merging them.

Add Sources That Stay Current

• Add the folder where your files live, not copies. Fluent follows it, adds new files and learns changes about a minute after you save.
• Switch an item off instead of deleting it when it's only outdated for now, or to compare answers with and without it.
• Remove what's obsolete for good. A file you remove stays out, even if its folder still has it.
• Sort the Inbox now and then with Move to Group.

Add Less, Learn Faster

Apple Intelligence learns one file at a time, roughly 10–15 seconds each on a recent Mac, so hundreds of files take a while. The progress in the toolbar of Settings → Memory shows how many are done; click it for the time left.

• Start with what you actually ask about, not a whole archive.
• From Finder, Fluent asks before adding more than 100 files at once, and never adds a whole disk.

Teach Your Voice

• Add real writing you sent: emails, posts, messages. With a group per channel, such as My Emails and My LinkedIn Posts, you can pick the right one with @.
• Fill in My writing style in My Writing with the rules you follow.
• Check that your samples carry the signature icon. Fix a wrong one with My writing in the item's sheet.
• Voice matching needs Apple Intelligence. Without it, type @ and pick your writing group.

Keep Secrets Out

• Memory isn't a vault. It's stored on your Mac without encryption of its own, and while Fluent refuses to save passwords, keys and card numbers, it doesn't check the files you add.
• A cloud Learning model receives the text it learns. Keep Apple Intelligence for private material.
• Memories included in a request are sent to the model that answers it. For private matters, use a local model.

When Something's Off