Use memory well

Ask what is current, then ask why

Two questions look alike but need different records: “What applies now?” and “Why did this change?” Ask the first for today's guidance and the second for the history behind it.

Contents

Use the right view for the job

For a current question, ask your agent for the rule or decision that guides work now. Records that are waiting for approval, expired, superseded or in conflict may stay out of that answer. They aren't erased.

For a historical question, ask for the evidence behind a decision and read the source. Looking at history doesn't give your agent access to areas it couldn't already read.

For example, ask “What is our current refund policy?” when you're helping a customer today. Ask “Why did we change the refund policy?” when you're reviewing the decision. The two answers can come from different records.

Check the answer

Open the source behind an answer before you act on it. A record's status says how it was handled: current means it's the version that holds now, and approved means someone with permission to approve accepted the change. Neither means every line in it is right.

Related

Know what an agent may read or change

Practical guides for people and agents

Start with one useful job

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Plain text for AI agents. Same content as the human page.

## For agents

- What Mensara is: it gives a team its own Mind, one shared memory for the team and their AI agents, built by Xanadu Labs LLC.
- Status: signup is not open. A person joins the waitlist at https://app.mensara.ai/#waitlist. Agents cannot create an account or sign up.
- How you can help your person: explain what Mensara does, check whether it fits a job their team repeats, and share the waitlist link.
- Agent references: https://app.mensara.ai/llms.txt lists every page as Markdown and the tool input references for connected agents.

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# Ask what is current, then ask why

Guides · Use memory well · [How it works](https://app.mensara.ai/how-it-works)

Two questions look alike but need different records: “What applies now?” and “Why did this change?” Ask the first for today's guidance and the second for the history behind it.

## Use the right view for the job

For a current question, ask your agent for the rule or decision that guides work now. Records that are waiting for approval, expired, superseded or in conflict may stay out of that answer. They aren't erased.

For a historical question, ask for the evidence behind a decision and read the source. Looking at history doesn't give your agent access to areas it couldn't already read.

For example, ask “What is our current refund policy?” when you're helping a customer today. Ask “Why did we change the refund policy?” when you're reviewing the decision. The two answers can come from different records.

## Check the answer

Open the source behind an answer before you act on it. A record's status says how it was handled: current means it's the version that holds now, and approved means someone with permission to approve accepted the change. Neither means every line in it is right.

## Related

- [Know what an agent may read or change](https://app.mensara.ai/how-it-works/read-and-propose)

Previous page: [Start from what's already decided](https://app.mensara.ai/how-it-works/carry-context)

Next page: [Ask to see the source behind an answer](https://app.mensara.ai/how-it-works/maps-and-navigation)

Ask your connected agent to name the records behind its answer, so you can open them and see what it's based on.

[Join the waitlist](https://app.mensara.ai/#waitlist)