Short-term memory tracks active details such as the current goal, recent tool results, intermediate calculations, open questions, and progress through a plan. It helps the agent connect one step to the next without treating each action as a fresh task.
This memory is usually scoped and temporary. Systems should define when it expires, what can be promoted to longer-lived storage, and how sensitive session data is isolated from unrelated users or tasks.
ELI5
Short-term memory is the agent's scratchpad for the job it is doing now. It holds details that matter for the next few steps but may not need to be kept forever.
For example, while fixing a test, an agent might keep the error message, the file it changed, and the next command it plans to run. Those notes can be discarded after the task is complete.
