# Best Practices

Memory works best when it stays small, focused, and current. Use this page as the maintenance checklist for Memory.

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## Keep Groups Lean

Create groups around one topic or one job.

Good examples:
- `My Writing Style`
- `My Reddit Posts`
- `My LinkedIn Replies`
- `Product Docs`
- `Current Project`
- `Support Replies`

Avoid large mixed groups unless you have a clear reason for them. Narrow groups usually retrieve better, and help model with focus and consistency.

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## Prefer Notes For Dynamic Information

Use notes for information you expect to update over time.

Good note candidates:
- Personal profile details
- Project priorities
- Client-specific information

Use files for more stable source material such as docs, PDFs, markdown files, and transcripts.

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## Reindex After File Changes

If a source file changes, reindex the group.

Fluent does not automatically reindex changed files yet.

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## Disable Before Deleting

Disable an item when you want to exclude it temporarily.

This is useful when:
- The material is outdated for now
- You want to compare retrieval with and without one source
- You are cleaning a group without losing the item completely

Delete only if you know the item should be removed entirely.

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## Avoid Duplicates

Do not store the same information across several overlapping groups or notes unless there is a clear reason.

One clear source of truth is easier for Fluent to retrieve correctly than several near-duplicates with slightly different names.

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## Import Less

Import only what the workflow needs.

Large dumps usually lower retrieval quality and make AI decision or maintenance harder. Folder imports are capped for a reason (the limit is `1000` files).

Memory is intended to be a curated working set, rather than a raw archive of everything.