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What does an Agent keep when it sleeps or its runtime is updated?

A managed Agent keeps its persistent home at /home/agent. Repositories, working files, notes, and saved runtime conversation data stored there survive ordinary computer restarts and runtime upgrades. Do not treat changes elsewhere in the computer's filesystem as durable home configuration.

The home also holds four instruction and memory files:

  • AGENTS.md records working conventions, tool behavior, and lessons.
  • SOUL.md describes tone and persona.
  • IDENTITY.md describes the Agent's identity and responsibilities.
  • MEMORY.md holds curated memory and pointers to more detailed notes, such as files under memory/.

The runtime supplies the current four-file context when work starts or resumes and supplies changes during active work. Keep each as a regular file of at most 128 KiB; the runtime rejects symlinks and oversized files. A change made while idle takes effect when work next arrives; editing a file alone does not wake the Agent. Updated or removed guidance supersedes its older contents, but does not erase the conversation or grant new permissions.

Other files are not automatically included in every model request. Give the Agent the relevant path or shared knowledge link when the detail matters. Long conversations may be compacted, so important decisions should have a durable record rather than depend on verbatim recall.

Runtime updates happen while the computer is sleeping or before its next start. They preserve Agent-authored home content and do not automatically resume manually paused work. Existing starter files may be updated when they remain unchanged from their templates.

Assignments share the Agent's working environment; each Issue or conversation does not automatically receive a separate computer or clean checkout. For code work, specify the repository, branch or worktree, and handling of unfinished changes. For knowledge a team should maintain together, use Cortex and give the Agent access to the relevant Modules.

Deletion is different from an ordinary restart: completed Agent deletion removes its managed home. Preserve and verify needed files outside that home first. See Agent computer and Context and memory.