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Questions this guide answers

  • Why does my verb forget details between messages?
  • What is short-term context vs long-term memory?
  • What should go into knowledge entries vs memory entries?
  • How does URL scraping fill knowledge automatically?
  • How do training examples and keywords influence replies?

The four memory layers

1. Conversation context (short-term)

  • Uses recent messages from the active conversation.
  • Controlled by your Model Context setting.
  • Higher context improves continuity but costs more tokens.

2. Long-term memory

  • Manual memory items your verb can keep using over time.
  • Best for durable facts and preferences.

3. Knowledge entries

  • Structured lore/reference entries (title, category, content, importance).
  • Best for world facts, policies, product facts, and evergreen docs.

4. Training examples

  • Input/output examples for style and behavior shaping.
  • Keyword matching can prioritize specific examples when relevant.

Where system instructions fit

System instructions are not a memory entry type. They are the persistent behavior policy prompt for the verb. Where to configure:
  • Dashboard -> Bot -> AI Engine -> Behavior
  • Field: systemInstructions
Limit:
  • systemInstructions: up to 8000 chars
Recommended split of responsibilities:
  • System instructions: behavior rules, format constraints, refusal/uncertainty policy
  • Knowledge entries: factual source material and documentation
  • Long-term memory: durable user/world facts
  • Training examples: preferred phrasing and style patterns

Long-term memory limits

Per memory entry:
  • content: up to 2000 chars
  • context: up to 500 chars
  • importance: 1..10
Auto-memory settings:
  • autoMemoryEnabled: on/off
  • autoMemoryInstructions: up to 2000 chars
Auto-memory is selective, not guaranteed on every turn. The system saves when it detects durable information worth retaining.

Knowledge entry limits

Per entry:
  • title: up to 100 chars
  • content: up to 8000 chars
  • category: up to 50 chars
  • importance: 1..10
Per verb:
  • Maximum knowledge entries: 50

Training data limits

Per example:
  • input: up to 500 chars
  • expected: up to 2000 chars
  • Optional keywords: used for relevance matching
When a user message matches example keywords, those examples are prioritized in prompt construction.

URL scraping into knowledge

The knowledge page can scrape a URL and generate a draft entry. Expected result:
  • title
  • content
  • category
If AI structuring fails, Verba still attempts a basic extraction fallback so you can edit and save manually.

Session memory by surface

SurfaceMemory keying behavior
Public API v1Uses session_id per caller + character
Discord DMScoped to user-DM context
Discord serverScoped to server context
App group/DM chatScoped to group/DM conversation

What to store where

Put this in long-term memory

  • Stable personal preferences
  • Ongoing commitments
  • Persistent roleplay relationships

Put this in knowledge entries

  • Product facts and policies
  • Rulebooks
  • Canon lore
  • Documentation snippets you want the bot to cite reliably

Put this in training examples

  • Desired phrasing style
  • Tone and boundary examples
  • Repeated Q/A patterns

Common mistakes

Store compact facts, not raw transcripts. Long noisy entries reduce retrieval quality.
Time-sensitive details belong in conversation context, not permanent knowledge.
Add targeted keywords so examples are picked when users ask matching questions.
Keep instructions strict and concise. Long broad prompts increase noisy memory writes.