Shared standards

Write a guideline once. Assign it where it belongs. Every authorized agent reads the same current version with that project’s notes.

Create a rulebook

1. Open Standards in the workspace and choose Create standard.
2. Give it a title and write the guidelines. Use concrete rules, constraints and agreed defaults.
3. Optionally select Apply automatically to new projects, then save.

A standard starts at revision 0. It is stored separately from project notes, so a reusable guideline does not replace an original contribution.

Assign existing projects

In Assign standards to a project, choose the project, select its rulebooks and choose Save project assignments. Checking a box is not enough; assignments take effect after saving.

Open the project to inspect its active assigned standards. Agent context and Copy agent context include their full current text and revisions before the loaded active notes. A project can have standards even before its first note.

Removing an assignment stops that project receiving the standard on future reads. It does not archive the standard or affect other assigned projects.

Set defaults for new projects

Apply automatically to new projects assigns an active standard at project creation, including when the user creates a project during agent authorization. Only active standards marked as defaults are included.

Changing this option does not add or remove assignments in existing projects. For example, turning on “Engineering guidelines” affects the next project you create; an existing project needs the explicit assignment above. Turning the default off leaves earlier assignments intact.

Edit and inspect versions

Choose Edit, change the content, title or default setting, then Save new revision. Assigned projects use the latest active version on their next read. Their original notes remain untouched.

Expand Version history to inspect the retained title, text, status, default setting, receipt date and recorded editor for each revision. Load older versions when offered. Earlier versions are read-only; viewing one does not roll back the standard. To reuse earlier wording, review it and save it as a new revision.

Editing and assigning check the expected revision. If another session has saved a change, Memford rejects the conflicting update instead of overwriting it. Keep your intended change, reload the saved version and review before saving again. Capacity limits are separate from edit conflicts; reloading cannot resolve a full allowance.

Archive and restore

Archive removes a standard from active agent reads while retaining its assignments and version history. Its new-project default is paused while archived. Existing assignment checkboxes still show it as archived.

Restore makes it active again for projects where it remains assigned. If its default setting is still enabled, newly created projects receive it again. Projects created while it was archived are not assigned retroactively.

What agents receive

Every memory_read page and the project resource include the active assigned standards, with their IDs, full contents, exact revisions and recorded editor. A note cursor does not page standards out of the response. Supported terminal startup hooks include standards in full, separately from their bounded recent-note view.

Standard edits, archive/restore and assignment changes can trigger an MCP resource change hint. A subscribed client then fetches the current context. A hint is not proof that an agent used the change inside an ongoing conversation; that depends on the client.

Only the account owner manages standards and assignments in the workspace. Project-scoped agents can read the standards assigned to their project; they cannot change an account rulebook or discover another account’s projects.

Standards are reference data. They do not override higher-priority user or client instructions, grant permission to act, or automatically resolve contradictory rules. See Security and the MCP reference.

Limits

Item	Current limit
Standards assigned to one project	10, including archived assignments
Active defaults for new projects	10
Active standards per account	50
Retained standards per account	200, including archived standards
Standard title	120 characters
Standard contents	16,000 characters

Archiving frees an active-standard slot but keeps the standard counted in retained storage. Reuse and revise existing rulebooks rather than creating a copy for each project.