diff --git a/docs/config-reference.md b/docs/config-reference.md
index 5a59a87..b8e0ff0 100644
--- a/docs/config-reference.md
+++ b/docs/config-reference.md
@@ -51,6 +51,23 @@ Methods are `auto`, `osc9`, `notify-send`, `bell`, and `none`.
 - `events` (default `["ready", "waiting", "error", "dead"]`) — session state changes forwarded to the orchestrator agent as `[linkshell event]` messages. `ready` fires when a session finishes (goes quiet); remove it if completion events are too chatty for your workflow.
 - `event_cooldown_secs` (default `30`) — minimum seconds between events for the same (session, state) pair.
 
+## `[orchestrator]` agent memory and skills
+
+Both live under `~/.config/linkshell/` by default and are created
+automatically the first time an orchestrator starts — no configuration
+needed. Override the locations with `skills_dir` and `memory_file` (both
+accept `~`).
+
+- **Skills** (`~/.config/linkshell/skills/`) — one `.md` file per skill;
+  the name + description go in the prompt, the body loads on demand via
+  `use_skill` (API class) or by path (CLI class).
+- **Memory** (`~/.config/linkshell/memory.md`) — durable notes injected
+  into the orchestrator's prompt verbatim every turn. The agent appends
+  dated bullets with its `remember` tool; you curate the file by hand.
+  Keeping it concise is on you: past 8 KiB it is truncated in the prompt
+  and the agent is told to ask you to prune. `remember` is in the default
+  `auto_approve` set (it writes only to this file).
+
 ## `[orchestrator]` approval (propose mode)
 
 - `approval` (default `"auto"`) — `"auto"` runs the orchestrator's tool calls
diff --git a/docs/recipes.md b/docs/recipes.md
index 92362d0..e7f7e81 100644
--- a/docs/recipes.md
+++ b/docs/recipes.md
@@ -70,3 +70,13 @@ reasons go back to the model as the tool result, so "wrong session, use 3"
 steers it mid-turn. Your approval history is the eval: once the proposals are
 consistently sensible, flip `approval = "auto"` — or keep the gate and grow
 `auto_approve` tool by tool.
+
+## Agent memory
+
+The orchestrator remembers across restarts through
+`~/.config/linkshell/memory.md` (created automatically). Tell it things worth
+keeping — "remember that the UCC build needs `--with-ucx=$HOME/ucx`" — and it
+files a dated bullet via its `remember` tool; every future turn starts with
+the file's contents in its prompt. It works best kept short: prune stale
+bullets by hand, or `/deny` nothing — just edit the file, it is plain
+markdown.
diff --git a/src/config.rs b/src/config.rs
index 7be583e..cd083bc 100644
--- a/src/config.rs
+++ b/src/config.rs
@@ -63,6 +63,12 @@ pub struct OrchestratorConfig {
     /// the file paths in their briefing. Empty = ~/.config/linkshell/skills
     /// when that directory exists.
     pub skills_dir: String,
+    /// Persistent agent memory: one markdown file injected into the
+    /// orchestrator's prompt every turn and appended to by its `remember`
+    /// tool. The whole file goes in verbatim — keep it concise; entries the
+    /// agent adds are dated bullets you can prune by hand. Empty =
+    /// ~/.config/linkshell/memory.md (created on first orchestrator start).
+    pub memory_file: String,
     /// CLI class: working directory for the orchestrator session.
     pub cwd: String,
     /// CLI class: keep the orchestrator session out of the session bar and
@@ -109,6 +115,7 @@ impl Default for OrchestratorConfig {
             auth_token: String::new(),
             system: String::new(),
             skills_dir: String::new(),
+            memory_file: String::new(),
             cwd: String::new(),
             hidden: true,
             permission_mode: "accept-edits".to_string(),
@@ -124,6 +131,8 @@ impl Default for OrchestratorConfig {
                 "list_sessions".into(),
                 "read_output".into(),
                 "use_skill".into(),
+                // Writes only to the agent's own memory file.
+                "remember".into(),
             ],
             approval_timeout_secs: 600,
             max_history_turns: 40,
@@ -212,23 +221,53 @@ impl OrchestratorConfig {
     }
 
     /// Effective skills directory: the configured path (with `~` expansion),
-    /// or the default ~/.config/linkshell/skills when it exists.
+    /// or the default ~/.config/linkshell/skills when it exists
+    /// (ensure_agent_files creates it when the orchestrator starts).
     pub fn skills_path(&self) -> Option<std::path::PathBuf> {
         if !self.skills_dir.is_empty() {
-            let dir = if self.skills_dir == "~" || self.skills_dir.starts_with("~/") {
-                match std::env::var("HOME") {
-                    Ok(home) => format!("{}{}", home, &self.skills_dir[1..]),
-                    Err(_) => self.skills_dir.clone(),
-                }
-            } else {
-                self.skills_dir.clone()
-            };
-            return Some(std::path::PathBuf::from(dir));
+            return Some(std::path::PathBuf::from(expand_tilde(&self.skills_dir)));
         }
         let default = config_path()?.parent()?.join("skills");
         default.is_dir().then_some(default)
     }
 
+    /// Effective memory file: the configured path (with `~` expansion), or
+    /// the default ~/.config/linkshell/memory.md. Unlike skills_path this
+    /// returns the default even before the file exists, so the `remember`
+    /// tool and the scaffolding know where to write.
+    pub fn memory_path(&self) -> Option<std::path::PathBuf> {
+        if !self.memory_file.is_empty() {
+            return Some(std::path::PathBuf::from(expand_tilde(&self.memory_file)));
+        }
+        Some(config_path()?.parent()?.join("memory.md"))
+    }
+
+    /// Create the default agent locations so they work out of the box:
+    /// the skills directory, and a memory.md seeded with a short template
+    /// explaining the contract. Idempotent and best-effort; called when an
+    /// orchestrator starts.
+    pub fn ensure_agent_files(&self) {
+        if self.skills_dir.is_empty() {
+            if let Some(dir) = config_path().and_then(|p| p.parent().map(|d| d.join("skills"))) {
+                let _ = std::fs::create_dir_all(dir);
+            }
+        }
+        if let Some(path) = self.memory_path() {
+            if !path.exists() {
+                if let Some(dir) = path.parent() {
+                    let _ = std::fs::create_dir_all(dir);
+                }
+                let _ = std::fs::write(
+                    &path,
+                    "# Agent memory\n\n\
+                     Durable notes the orchestrator carries between sessions. The whole file\n\
+                     is injected into its prompt every turn, so keep it concise — prune freely.\n\
+                     The agent appends dated bullets below via its `remember` tool.\n",
+                );
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     /// Effective model id (API class).
     pub fn model_id(&self) -> String {
         if !self.model.is_empty() {
@@ -746,6 +785,16 @@ pub struct KeybindingsConfig {
 // ── Load ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 /// Location of the user config file: ~/.config/linkshell/config.toml
+/// Expand a leading `~`/`~/` to $HOME; other paths pass through unchanged.
+fn expand_tilde(path: &str) -> String {
+    if path == "~" || path.starts_with("~/") {
+        if let Ok(home) = std::env::var("HOME") {
+            return format!("{}{}", home, &path[1..]);
+        }
+    }
+    path.to_string()
+}
+
 pub fn config_path() -> Option<std::path::PathBuf> {
     std::env::var("HOME").ok().map(|h| {
         std::path::PathBuf::from(h)
diff --git a/src/orchestrator/mod.rs b/src/orchestrator/mod.rs
index 000ebe2..b838c17 100644
--- a/src/orchestrator/mod.rs
+++ b/src/orchestrator/mod.rs
@@ -153,6 +153,7 @@ fn coalesce_batch(
 
 /// Spawn the orchestrator task. Only valid for API-class providers.
 pub fn spawn(cfg: OrchestratorConfig, event_tx: mpsc::Sender<AppEvent>) -> OrchestratorHandle {
+    cfg.ensure_agent_files();
     let (tx, mut rx) = mpsc::channel::<OrchestratorMsg>(64);
     let (interrupt_tx, interrupt_rx) = tokio::sync::watch::channel(0u64);
     let name = cfg.name.clone();
@@ -319,6 +320,17 @@ fn tool_specs() -> Vec<(&'static str, &'static str, serde_json::Value)> {
                 "required": ["name"]
             }),
         ),
+        (
+            "remember",
+            "Append one short durable note to your persistent memory file (shown in your instructions each turn). Use it for facts worth carrying across sessions: project layout, user preferences, recurring commands. One sentence per note; the user prunes the file by hand.",
+            serde_json::json!({
+                "type": "object",
+                "properties": {
+                    "text": {"type": "string"}
+                },
+                "required": ["text"]
+            }),
+        ),
         (
             "pause_session",
             "Pause a session's process (SIGSTOP). The session stays alive with its full context but uses no CPU until resumed — use this when sessions compete for limited system resources and one should yield.",
@@ -492,6 +504,36 @@ async fn exec_tool(
             Err(e) => serde_json::json!({"error": e.to_string()}).to_string(),
         };
     }
+    // remember appends to the memory file directly — no main-loop trip.
+    if name == "remember" {
+        let Some(text) = args["text"].as_str().filter(|t| !t.trim().is_empty()) else {
+            return "{\"error\": \"missing required arguments\"}".to_string();
+        };
+        let Some(path) = cfg.memory_path() else {
+            return "{\"error\": \"no memory file available\"}".to_string();
+        };
+        cfg.ensure_agent_files();
+        let entry = format!("- ({}) {}\n", today_utc(), text.trim().replace('\n', " "));
+        use std::io::Write;
+        let result = std::fs::OpenOptions::new()
+            .create(true)
+            .append(true)
+            .open(&path)
+            .and_then(|mut f| f.write_all(entry.as_bytes()));
+        return match result {
+            Ok(()) => {
+                let size = std::fs::metadata(&path).map(|m| m.len()).unwrap_or(0);
+                let mut reply = serde_json::json!({"remembered": text.trim(), "file_bytes": size});
+                if size > 8 * 1024 {
+                    reply["warning"] = serde_json::json!(
+                        "memory file exceeds 8 KiB and will be truncated in your prompt — suggest the user prune it"
+                    );
+                }
+                reply.to_string()
+            }
+            Err(e) => serde_json::json!({"error": e.to_string()}).to_string(),
+        };
+    }
 
     let sid = |key: &str| args[key].as_u64().map(|v| v as usize);
     let req = match name {
@@ -620,11 +662,19 @@ and continue; otherwise report what you wanted to do and why.\n",
         p.push_str("\n\n");
         p.push_str(&cfg.system);
     }
+    // Memory goes last: it is the only part of the system prompt that
+    // mutates mid-conversation (remember writes), so keeping everything
+    // above it byte-stable lets prompt prefix caches (Anthropic caching,
+    // llama.cpp prefix cache) re-serve the static bulk after each write.
+    if let Some(memory) = memory_section(cfg) {
+        p.push_str(&memory);
+    }
     p
 }
 
 /// Briefing typed into a CLI-class orchestrator session once it is READY.
 pub fn cli_briefing(cfg: &OrchestratorConfig) -> String {
+    cfg.ensure_agent_files();
     let mut p = String::from(
         "You are the resident orchestrator agent for this linkshell instance, a terminal \
 multiplexer running AI coding sessions. Your job: keep track of every session, act on \
@@ -652,6 +702,15 @@ description, read the file and follow it:\n",
         );
         p.push_str(&list);
     }
+    if let Some(path) = cfg.memory_path() {
+        p.push_str(&format!(
+            "\nPersistent memory: {} — read it now; it carries durable notes from \
+previous sessions. When you learn something durable (project layout, user \
+preferences, recurring commands), append a short dated bullet there. Keep it \
+concise; the user prunes it by hand.\n",
+            path.display()
+        ));
+    }
     if !cfg.system.is_empty() {
         p.push_str("\n\n");
         p.push_str(&cfg.system);
@@ -659,6 +718,61 @@ description, read the file and follow it:\n",
     p
 }
 
+/// Memory block for the API-class system prompt: the memory file verbatim,
+/// or None when it is missing/empty. Injected every turn — the size guard
+/// keeps a bloated file from eating the context and makes the bloat visible
+/// so the user knows to prune.
+fn memory_section(cfg: &OrchestratorConfig) -> Option<String> {
+    const MAX_BYTES: usize = 8 * 1024;
+    let path = cfg.memory_path()?;
+    let content = std::fs::read_to_string(&path).ok()?;
+    if content.trim().is_empty() {
+        return None;
+    }
+    let (body, truncated) = if content.len() > MAX_BYTES {
+        let mut end = MAX_BYTES;
+        while !content.is_char_boundary(end) {
+            end -= 1;
+        }
+        (&content[..end], true)
+    } else {
+        (content.as_str(), false)
+    };
+    let mut section = format!(
+        "\n\nMemory — durable notes from previous sessions, kept in {} (the user \
+curates this file; treat entries as possibly stale). Use the `remember` tool \
+to add short dated notes when you learn something durable:\n{}",
+        path.display(),
+        body
+    );
+    if truncated {
+        section.push_str(
+            "\n[memory truncated at 8 KiB — tell the user their memory.md needs pruning]\n",
+        );
+    }
+    Some(section)
+}
+
+/// UTC date as YYYY-MM-DD without a date dependency (civil-from-days,
+/// Howard Hinnant's algorithm).
+fn today_utc() -> String {
+    let secs = std::time::SystemTime::now()
+        .duration_since(std::time::UNIX_EPOCH)
+        .map(|d| d.as_secs())
+        .unwrap_or(0);
+    let z = (secs / 86_400) as i64 + 719_468;
+    let era = z.div_euclid(146_097);
+    let doe = z.rem_euclid(146_097);
+    let yoe = (doe - doe / 1460 + doe / 36_524 - doe / 146_096) / 365;
+    let y = yoe + era * 400;
+    let doy = doe - (365 * yoe + yoe / 4 - yoe / 100);
+    let mp = (5 * doy + 2) / 153;
+    let d = doy - (153 * mp + 2) / 5 + 1;
+    let m = if mp < 10 { mp + 3 } else { mp - 9 };
+    let y = if m <= 2 { y + 1 } else { y };
+    format!("{:04}-{:02}-{:02}", y, m, d)
+}
+
 /// Skills list for a prompt, or None when no skills are configured/present.
 fn skills_section(cfg: &OrchestratorConfig, with_paths: bool) -> Option<String> {
     let dir = cfg.skills_path()?;
@@ -720,6 +834,61 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(o[0]["function"]["parameters"].is_object());
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn today_utc_is_a_plausible_iso_date() {
+        let d = today_utc();
+        assert_eq!(d.len(), 10, "{}", d);
+        assert_eq!(&d[4..5], "-");
+        assert_eq!(&d[7..8], "-");
+        let year: i32 = d[..4].parse().unwrap();
+        assert!((2024..2100).contains(&year), "{}", d);
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn remember_appends_dated_note_and_memory_section_injects_it() {
+        let dir = std::env::temp_dir().join(format!("ls-mem-test-{}", std::process::id()));
+        let _ = std::fs::create_dir_all(&dir);
+        let file = dir.join("memory.md");
+        let _ = std::fs::remove_file(&file);
+
+        let cfg = OrchestratorConfig {
+            memory_file: file.to_string_lossy().to_string(),
+            approval: "propose".to_string(),
+            ..Default::default()
+        };
+        let (tx, _rx) = mpsc::channel::<AppEvent>(8);
+
+        // remember is auto-approved even in propose mode.
+        assert!(!cfg.approval_required("remember"));
+
+        let out = exec_tool(
+            &cfg,
+            &tx,
+            "remember",
+            &serde_json::json!({"text": "user prefers rebase\nover merge"}),
+        )
+        .await;
+        assert!(out.contains("remembered"), "{}", out);
+
+        let content = std::fs::read_to_string(&file).unwrap();
+        assert!(
+            content.contains("user prefers rebase over merge"),
+            "newlines collapse to one line: {}",
+            content
+        );
+        assert!(content.contains(&format!("({})", today_utc())));
+
+        let section = memory_section(&cfg).expect("non-empty memory injects");
+        assert!(section.contains("user prefers rebase over merge"));
+        assert!(section.contains("remember"));
+
+        // Empty file: no section.
+        std::fs::write(&file, "   \n").unwrap();
+        assert!(memory_section(&cfg).is_none());
+
+        let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&dir);
+    }
+
     #[tokio::test]
     async fn propose_mode_gates_tools_and_returns_deny_reason() {
         let cfg = OrchestratorConfig {