advanced
Advanced Workflows
Team Collaboration
Context Accumulation
Each phase builds on previous work:
Multi-Feature Development
Context Engineering Architecture
mem8 implements Anthropic's context engineering principles to maximize Claude's effectiveness while minimizing context usage.
The Context Economy
mem8's Context Engineering Approach
1. Sub-Agent Architecture
Instead of loading entire codebases into context, mem8 spawns specialized sub-agents:
Key Benefits:
- Parallel Exploration - Multiple agents search simultaneously
- Context Isolation - Each agent has focused context
- Result Compaction - Only high-signal findings returned
- Scalable - Works on codebases of any size
2. Structured Note-Taking
mem8 creates persistent, structured documents that serve as lightweight context:
vs Loading Full Files:
- Research doc (~2KB) vs Full codebase (~500KB+)
- Plan doc (~5KB) vs Re-analyzing everything (~1MB+)
- File reference (
auth.py:45) vs Full file content (~10KB)
3. Just-in-Time Context Retrieval
Context loaded only when needed:
4. Compaction Through Synthesis
Anthropic's Principles → mem8 Implementation
| Principle | mem8 Implementation |
|---|---|
| Minimal Context | File references (file:line) not full files |
| Just-in-Time | Load research docs only when relevant |
| Sub-Agents | Parallel exploration with codebase-locator, etc. |
| Structured Notes | Research → Plan → Implement documents |
| Compaction | Synthesize sub-agent findings into concise docs |
| Autonomous Navigation | Agents explore codebase independently |
| Lightweight References | Links to thoughts, not full content |
Context Budget Example
Feature: Add OAuth2 Support
Context Savings:
- Without mem8: ~2M tokens (reload codebase each time)
- With mem8: ~200K tokens (use persistent documents)
- 10x reduction in context usage
Why Memory-First Development Works
Context Preservation
Compounding Knowledge
Each cycle adds to your project's knowledge base:
- First Feature: Research from scratch → plan → implement
- Second Feature: Browse past research → faster planning → reuse patterns
- Third Feature: Rich context → precise plans → confident implementation
- Nth Feature: Comprehensive memory → minimal research → rapid delivery