---
name: Broken [[backlinks]] are write-me-later markers — flesh out from session history, don't delete
description: A [[name]] link in a memory body whose target file doesn't exist is NOT an error to clean up — it's an intentional marker that that memory is worth writing. When you hit one (or memory-dream lists them), flesh the missing memory out from the session logs / session history, don't strip the link.
type: feedback
---

A `[[some-name]]` reference in a memory body that has no matching `some-name.md` file is an
**intentional placeholder**, per the harness memory convention (CLAUDE.md: "a `[[name]]` that
doesn't match an existing memory yet is fine; it marks something worth writing later, not an
error"). Leave the link in place.

**Why:** Mike, 2026-06-11. `memory-dream` flags ~16 of these as "broken backlinks." They are not
breakage — each is a pointer to a memory worth creating. Stripping them loses the signal of what's
worth capturing.

**How to apply:**
- When you encounter a dangling `[[X]]` (or memory-dream lists one), treat it as a TODO: **the
  facts for that memory live in the session history / session logs** — grep `session-logs/` and
  `clients/*/session-logs/` for the topic, then write `X.md` and index it in `MEMORY.md`. That
  resolves the link by creating the target, not by deleting the reference.
- Do NOT delete the `[[X]]` reference just to silence the warning.
- `memory-dream` reports these informationally (candidates to write), not as errors to fix.
- Examples seen 2026-06-11: `[[universal-minerals]]`, `[[365-remediation-tool-reference]]`,
  `[[SPEC-017]]`, `[[power-failure-runbook]]`, `[[feedback_syncro_html]]` — each is a real memory
  someone should flesh out from the relevant session logs when next working that area.
