MIF

# Memory Interchange Format (MIF) [](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT) [](./SPECIFICATION.md) [](https://mif-spec.dev) [](https://github.com/zircote/MIF/actions/workflows/validate.yml) [](https://json-ld.org/) [](https://www.w3.org/TR/prov-dm/) [](https://github.com/zircote/MIF) An open standard for portable AI memory representation. ## Overview MIF is a proposed standard that aims to enable interoperability between AI memory providers by defining a common data model with dual representations: - **Markdown** (`.memory.md`) - Human-readable, Obsidian-compatible - **JSON-LD** (`.memory.json`) - Machine-processable, semantically linked ## Why MIF? <picture> <source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset=".github/readme-infographic-dark.svg"> <source media="(prefers-color-scheme: light)" srcset=".github/readme-infographic.svg"> <img src=".github/readme-infographic.svg" alt="How MIF Works" width="100%"> </picture> The AI memory ecosystem is fragmented. Mem0, Zep, Letta, LangMem, Subcog, and others all use proprietary schemas. MIF solves: - **Vendor lock-in** - Move memories between providers - **Data ownership** - Local-first, plain text files - **Interoperability** - Common vocabulary for relationships and entities - **Future-proofing** - Standard formats survive provider discontinuation ## Quick Start ### Minimal Memory (Markdown) ```markdown --- id: 550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000 type: semantic created: 2026-01-15T10:30:00Z namespace: _semantic/preferences --- User prefers dark mode for all applications. ``` ### Minimal Memory (JSON-LD) ```json { "@context": "https://mif-spec.dev/schema/context.jsonld", "@type": "Memory", "@id": "urn:mif:550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000", "memoryType": "semantic", "namespace": "_semantic/preferences", "content": "User prefers dark mode for all applications.", "created": "2026-01-15T10:30:00Z" } ``` ## Key Features | Feature | Description | |---------|-------------| | **Dual Format** | Markdown AND JSON-LD representations | | **Obsidian Native** | Valid Obsidian notes with wiki-links | | **Typed Relationships** | 9 core relationship types (RelatesTo, DerivedFrom, Supersedes, etc.) | | **Entity Types** | Person, Organization, Technology, Concept, File | | **Bi-Temporal** | Track when recorded AND when facts are valid | | **Flexible Namespaces** | `_public`, `_shared`, `{org}/{scope}+` with reserved prefixes | | **Model-Agnostic Embeddings** | Store model + source text for re-embedding | | **Citations** | Structured references with type/role taxonomy (Level 3) | | **W3C PROV** | Standard provenance tracking | | **JSON Schema** | Automated validation for MIF documents | | **Ontology System** | Three-type hierarchy with domain extensions | ## Ontology System MIF includes an ontology system for organizing memories into three base types: ``` semantic/ # Facts, concepts, relationships ├── decisions/ # Architectural choices, rationale ├── knowledge/ # APIs, context, learnings, security └── entities/ # Entity definitions episodic/ # Events, experiences, timelines ├── incidents/ # Production issues, postmortems ├── sessions/ # Debug sessions, work sessions └── blockers/ # Impediments, issues procedural/ # Step-by-step processes ├── runbooks/ # Operational procedures ├── patterns/ # Code conventions, testing └── migrations/ # Migration steps, upgrades ``` ### Features - **Hierarchical namespaces** - Cognitive memory types with sub-namespaces - **Entity types** - Define custom entities with traits and schemas - **Discovery patterns** - Auto-detect capture opportunities from content - **JSON-LD export** - Semantic web compatibility via `yaml2jsonld.py` - **Extensible** - Domain-specific ontologies extend the base See [ontologies/](./ontologies/) for base ontology and examples. ## Specification See [SPECIFICATION.md](./SPECIFICATION.md) for the complete technical specification. ## Validation JSON Schema files are available for automated validation: ```bash # Validate a MIF document npx ajv validate -s schema/mif.schema.json -d your-memory.json # Validate citations only npx ajv validate -s schema/citation.schema.json -d citation.json # Validate ontology definitions npx ajv validate -s schema/ontology/ontology.schema.json -d ontology.yaml ``` ### Ontology Conversion Convert YAML ontologies to JSON-LD for semantic web compatibility: ```bash python scripts/yaml2jsonld.py ontologies/mif-base.ontology.yaml python scripts/yaml2jsonld.py --all # Convert all ontologies ``` ## Examples See the [examples/](./examples/) directory for: - Minimal memories (Level 1) - Standard memories with relationships (Level 2) - Full-featured memories with temporal, provenance, and citations (Level 3) ## Conformance Levels | Level | Requirements | |-------|--------------| | **Level 1: Core** | id, type, content, created | | **Level 2: Standard** | + namespace, entities, relationships, timestamps | | **Level 3: Full** | + bi-temporal, decay, provenance, embeddings, citations | ## Migration MIF includes migration guides for: - Mem0 - Zep - Letta (Agent File) - Subcog - Basic Memory ## Contributing This specification is open source. Contributions welcome: 1. Open an issue for discussion 2. Submit PRs for specification changes 3. Implement and share converters ## Related - [Subcog](https://github.com/zircote/subcog) - AI memory system implementing MIF - [Mnemonic](https://github.com/zircote/mnemonic) - Claude Code plugin using MIF ontologies - [Issue #82](https://github.com/zircote/subcog/issues/82) - Original proposal ## Citing This Project If you use MIF in your research or projects, please cite it: ```bibtex @software{allen_mif_2026, author = {Allen, Robert}, title = {{Memory Interchange Format (MIF)}}, version = {0.1.0}, date = {2026-01-23}, url = {https://mif-spec.dev}, license = {MIT} } ``` You can also use GitHub's built-in **"Cite this repository"** button on the repository page to get an auto-generated citation in APA or BibTeX format. ### Acknowledgments MIF builds on the following standards: > Manu Sporny, Dave Longley, Gregg Kellogg, Markus Lanthaler, Pierre-Antoine Champin, and Niklas Lindstrom. *JSON-LD 1.1: A JSON-based Serialization for Linked Data.* W3C Recommendation, 2020. https://www.w3.org/TR/json-ld11/ > Luc Moreau and Paolo Missier. *PROV-DM: The PROV Data Model.* W3C Recommendation, 2013. https://www.w3.org/TR/prov-dm/ ## License [MIT](./LICENSE)