Why chats miss so much context
Messages are written between people who already share a lot of background. Nobody texts their sister to explain who their grandmother was or why everyone calls the dog “Captain”. An AI reading those chats sees the references but not the meaning.
- Stories told in person. The most important life stories are usually spoken, not typed.
- Family facts. Birthplaces, maiden names, who is married to whom, which cousin lives abroad.
- Places. “The cottage” or “the usual café” means nothing without a note.
- Inside jokes. Chats contain the punchline; the origin happened years ago, offline.
- Early life. Most chat archives start in the smartphone era, so childhood and young adulthood are missing.
Notes give an AI clone that background. For how a clone actually finds and uses memories, see how AI clone memory works.
What to write: a checklist
| Note topic | What to include | Example (fictional) |
|---|---|---|
| People list | Full name, relationship, nicknames both ways, one or two key facts | Tom Hale, younger brother, I call him “Tommo”, lives in Leeds |
| Life timeline | Year, place and event, one line each | 2004: moved to Bristol for university |
| Key stories | What happened, who was there, why it mattered | The night the car broke down on the way to Tom’s wedding |
| Places | What a nickname for a place refers to | “The cottage” is Gran’s house in Cornwall |
| Values and opinions | What they believed, cared about or argued about | Thinks being on time is a form of respect |
| Phrases and habits | Sayings, greetings, typical reactions | Says “right then” before every decision |
| Inside jokes | The origin story behind the joke | Why everyone says “not the soup again” |
| Likes and dislikes | Food, music, teams, pet peeves | Hates coriander, loves 80s synth-pop |
Start with the people list and the timeline. They give the most value for the least effort, and they help an AI connect names in your chats to real relationships.
Format tips for TXT notes
- Use plain text. Save as
.txt, ideally in UTF-8, which keeps accents and emoji intact. Notepad on Windows can do this. - One memory per paragraph. Leave a blank line between memories. Short, self-contained paragraphs are easier to search than a long flowing essay.
- Several small files beat one huge file. For example
people.txt,timeline.txtandstories-childhood.txt. Each file is easier for search to match to a question. - Include dates. Write years or full dates such as “14 June 2019”, and the place. Vague phrases like “a few years ago” age badly.
- Spell names consistently. Use the same spelling as in your chats. When you introduce a nickname, say who it means: “Tommo (my brother Tom)”.
- Say who is speaking. Write in the first person if the notes are about yourself. If they are about someone else, say so: “Dad used to say…”.
- Be specific. “We ate chips on the harbour wall at Whitby in the rain” is more useful than “we had a nice day out”.
Optional: Memory Clone uses the file’s saved date for a note. To give a note its own date, make the first line Date: 2019-06-14 (year-month-day) and start the text on the next line with Note:.
A short example note
Here is a fictional example of a people.txt file. The names and details are invented.
| Paragraph in the file | Why it helps |
|---|---|
Tom Hale is my younger brother, born 1990. I call him Tommo and he calls me Sis. He lives in Leeds with his wife Priya. | Links the nicknames in your chats to a real person and relationship |
Priya Hale (née Shah) is Tom’s wife. They married in August 2018 in Harrogate. We are close and message most weeks. | Gives a date and a place for a key family event |
Maggie Brown is my oldest friend from school in Bath. We say “not the soup again” because of a disastrous dinner party in 2009. | Explains the origin of an inside joke |
“The cottage” means Gran’s house in St Ives, Cornwall. We spent every August there as children. | Decodes a place name that appears in chats |
Privacy: what not to include
Notes become part of a personal AI’s memory. Treat them as background the clone may draw on in any conversation, and only write what you would be comfortable seeing in a reply.
- No passwords, PINs or recovery codes.
- No ID, passport, bank or card numbers.
- No other people’s secrets. A friend’s health, relationship troubles or confidences are theirs to share, not yours.
- Be careful with sensitive details about yourself, such as health or finances, unless you are sure you want the clone to know them.
- Avoid writing unkind judgements about real people that you would not want repeated.
If you are writing notes about another living person, you need their permission to create a clone of them. See our Acceptable Use Policy and consent guide. For someone who has died, write your memories honestly and mark them as your recollection.
How Memory Clone uses your notes
In Memory Clone, notes are imported as TXT files on the same screen as your chat exports. Choose Add notes to pick files on your PC, or Add notes from phone to send them from your phone by scanning a QR code. Both devices need to be on the same Wi-Fi, and the link expires after 15 minutes.
- Notes are indexed locally on your PC together with your chats, so replies and Memory Search can use them.
- Your original files stay on your PC. Cloud processing is off until you switch it on for a clone; then only a bounded selection of excerpts is sent to write replies.
- Memory Clone does not add its own encryption to the local workspace, so we recommend Windows device encryption such as BitLocker.
- You can add more notes later as you remember things.
Memory Clone is a Windows app in alpha. You can get it from the download page. If you are just starting, read how to create an AI clone of yourself first.
Preguntas frecuentes
Do I need notes to create an AI clone?
No. A clone can be built from chats alone. Notes are optional, but they help with people, places and stories that never appear in messages.
How long should my notes be?
Quality matters more than length. A people list and a short timeline are a strong start. Add stories over time.
What file format should notes use?
Plain TXT files, ideally saved in UTF-8. Use one memory per paragraph and several small files rather than one very long file.
Can I write notes about a parent who died?
Yes. Write your own memories honestly, mark them as your recollection, and think about how close family would feel.
Are my notes uploaded?
Original files stay on your PC. If you switch on cloud processing for a clone, only a bounded selection of excerpts is sent to write replies.
App menus change over time, so labels on your device may differ slightly. Memory Clone creates an AI simulation from the material you provide; it is not the person.