AutoGen memory: a protocol, and the store you bring
AutoGen’s approach is refreshingly explicit: memory is an interface with add and query, and it participates in the model context through update_context.
Microsoft. Sources checked 2026-09-25.
How AutoGen handles memory today
The docs define a Memory protocol with add, query, update_context, clear, and close, plus a simple ListMemory implementation, and the core library exposes update_context as the hook that injects recalled content into the model context.
Interfaces are the right design for a framework and the wrong place to stop for a product. Real deployments need ranking, isolation per user, retention policy, and a store that survives a redeploy.
What AutoGen forgets
The protocol is stable. Everything behind it is your responsibility.
- Recall quality, because ListMemory returns what you put in rather than what matters now.
- Multi-user isolation, unless you build a store per user and defend it.
- Persistence beyond the process for the default implementation.
- Cross-session recall, so a support agent starts each conversation with nothing from the last one.
The fix with MemoryRouter
Implement the Memory protocol against MemoryRouter and the team keeps its interface while getting a store with search, per-user vaults, and time-aware queries.
- 1
Create a vault per end user
Vaults are provisioned in the dashboard or through the API, each with its own key. That is the isolation boundary, enforced by the platform rather than by your code.
- 2
Implement query and add against the API
query calls semantic search and returns memories; add stores new ones with metadata. update_context then injects what came back, exactly as the protocol expects.
Endpoints to implement against
# MemoryRouter exposes search and store endpoints behind your vault key # docs.memoryrouter.ai/api-reference - 3
Keep the default for tests
ListMemory stays useful for unit tests, and production runs against the vault. Same interface, different backing store.
Implement the protocol once, keep the interface, and get durable memory. 14-day free trial.
Related
AutoGen memory FAQ
Sources
Sources checked 2026-09-25. Tool behavior changes; check the vendor docs before relying on a detail.