emrg: drop the per-cycle memory-index row, keep the hygiene on the write (#1243)

emrg/server/daemon.py

@@ -1462,11 +1462,13 @@ def _cap_memory_index(self, path) -> str:
         """Cap a MEMORY.md embedded into the system prompt (defense in depth).
 
         Rant 2026-08-23T11:00:31: #941's write-time guards only fire on
-        memory_store API writes, but agents append MEMORY.md rows directly
-        (evolution_prompt §6) and bypass them — the index once reached
-        787KB/2931 lines = 77% of a 452,972-char prompt (~250K all-miss
-        tokens per request). Cap what gets embedded; the full index and
-        cycle-archive-*.md stay readable on disk via the read tool.
+        memory_store API writes, but MEMORY.md rows also get appended
+        directly, bypassing them — the per-cycle mandate that used to
+        drive that was removed (rant 2026-09-14T20:14:56), the bypass was
+        not. The index once reached 787KB/2931 lines = 77% of a
+        452,972-char prompt (~250K all-miss tokens per request). Cap what
+        gets embedded; the full index and cycle-archive-*.md stay readable
+        on disk via the read tool.
         """
         # One knob, two readings. This used to spell the cap itself with a
         # comment promising it matched `memory.INDEX_SIZE_WARN` — a promise nothing

emrg/server/evolution_prompt.md

@@ -383,12 +383,12 @@ Create a **cycle memory entry** (rant 2026-08-12T18:03:26 — no more standalone
   - `event_at` / `created_at` / `updated_at`: ISO timestamps
   - `type: task`, `scope: project`, `status: active` (cycle in progress) or `completed` (final)
 - Body: findings, changes, verification results, expected effects (same content as before, just a memory file)
-- Update the `MEMORY.md` index in the same directory (add one row, id linked to the filename) — this is the **single index** for cycle records
-- ⚡ **Index hygiene protocol** (rants 2026-08-23T08:04:26 + 11:00:31 — the daemon embeds MEMORY.md into the system prompt raw, and evolution's direct file writes bypass memory_store's guards; an unbounded index once reached 787KB/2931 lines = 77% of a 452,972-char prompt, ~250K all-miss tokens per request). Apply to **every MEMORY.md you maintain** (evolution-level, source-project-level, session-level). Rules:
+- The `MEMORY.md` index in that directory is **not** a per-cycle obligation — it is kept on demand, by the session, when there is something worth indexing (rant 2026-09-14T20:14:56). The durable record is the `cycle-<ts>.md` detail file above
+- ⚡ **Index hygiene protocol — whenever you write to one of these indexes** (rants 2026-08-23T08:04:26 + 11:00:31 — the daemon embeds MEMORY.md into the system prompt raw, and evolution's direct file writes bypass memory_store's guards; an unbounded index once reached 787KB/2931 lines = 77% of a 452,972-char prompt, ~250K all-miss tokens per request). These rules bind **the write**, not the cycle — apply to **every MEMORY.md you maintain** (evolution-level, source-project-level, session-level). Rules:
   - **Title-only rows**: each index row is a **one-line summary** (id linked to the filename). **Never embed a cycle's summary/NTE text into the index row** — that text lives in the `cycle-<ts>.md` detail file only.
   - **Hard cap: keep at most the 50 most recent cycle rows** in each MEMORY.md. Before adding a row that would exceed 50: append the oldest cycle rows to `cycle-archive-YYYYMMDD.md` **in the same directory** (create-if-missing, append-only, never rewrite or dedupe), then remove those rows from MEMORY.md. **Detail files (`cycle-*.md`) are never deleted** — only index rows move.
   - **Archive files are excluded from the system prompt** (the daemon embeds only `MEMORY.md`): never reference `cycle-archive-*.md` in MEMORY.md rows, never re-add archived rows to the index, never paste archive content into MEMORY.md or the prompt. Archived rows stay readable via the `read` tool.
-  - **Row-cap check**: if a MEMORY.md already exceeds 50 cycle rows (e.g. after a missed cleanup), archive down to the latest 50 this cycle before adding the new row.
+  - **Row-cap check**: if a MEMORY.md already exceeds 50 cycle rows (e.g. a missed cleanup), archive down to the latest 50 before adding a row.
 - Keep the file format identical to other memory entries (frontmatter + Markdown body)
 
 > Transition note: legacy `evolution-cycle-*.md` files remain in place (readable, never deleted); only new records use the memory entry path.

scripts/archive-memory-index.py

@@ -3,10 +3,12 @@
 
 The class this exists for
 -------------------------
-Every evolution cycle curates two memory indexes (the evolution project's and
-the session's), and the protocol is mechanical: keep at most 50 cycle rows,
-append the rows that fall off to `cycle-archive-<YYYYMMDD>.md`, never delete a
-detail file, never reference the archive from the index. It has been done by
+An evolution cycle used to curate two memory indexes (the evolution project's
+and the session's); that per-cycle mandate was removed (rant 2026-09-14T20:14:56),
+so an index is now maintained on demand. When it is maintained, the protocol is
+mechanical: keep at most 50 cycle rows, append the rows that fall off to
+`cycle-archive-<YYYYMMDD>.md`, never delete a detail file, never reference the
+archive from the index. It has been done by
 hand-written scripts, and the hand-written scripts have failed twice:
 
 * an empty shell variable turned ``sed -i '' "${n}d"`` into the sed script ``d``,