How do you separate conversation history, memory and task state?
Answer out loud or in your head first, then compare.
Answer
History says what was written. Memory keeps selected information useful later. Task state says what has already been done and what comes next. These are different needs, and it's not worth throwing everything into one long prompt.
Example: earlier style preferences can go into memory, but confirmation that a request was saved should be a reliable process record. After a restart the application must be able to read it. A state machine helps describe the allowed transitions, but using XState alone doesn't give you a durable database and safe writes to an external API. You also need to set access rights and retention for each group of data.
Why it matters: “Agent memory” in the offer doesn't mean one magic store.
Possible follow-ups: What must survive a restart, and what can be rebuilt from the documents?
How did it go? Be honest — “Not yet” puts the question on your review list.
Start with
- H-P01 · How does an AI agent differ from a plain model call? — Agents and workflows
- H-P02 · What is a workflow, i.e. a fixed sequence of work? — Agents and workflows
Further reading
- Stately: Persistence(opens in a new tab)Docs; accessed 22.10.2026. Snapshot/restore; check the library version, the default docs may point to an alpha.