Migration

How to bring your existing knowledge into outheis.

Overview

outheis learns through: 1. Direct interaction — conversations with you 2. Pattern extraction — Pattern agent observes and promotes rules 3. Manual migration — import existing knowledge via vault

This guide covers option 3: migrating data from Claude.ai or other sources.

The Migration Directory

Place files to migrate in your vault:

vault/Migration/
├── claude-export.json    # Your data
├── preferences.md        # Your rules/preferences
└── data.md               # Rules for Data agent

This directory is temporary — create it when you have something to migrate, delete it when done.

Chat Commands

All migration happens through natural conversation:

No CLI commands needed. Just talk to outheis.

File Formats

JSON Files

{
  "entries": [
    {
      "content": "User arbeitet als Projektleiter",
      "type": "user"
    },
    {
      "content": "Antworte knapp und direkt",
      "type": "feedback"
    },
    {
      "content": "Arbeitet gerade an outheis",
      "type": "context"
    }
  ]
}

Types:

• user — Facts about you (permanent)
• feedback — How you want outheis to behave (permanent)
• context — Current focus (decays after 14 days)

If type is omitted, outheis infers from content.

Markdown Files

# Preferences

## user
- Lebt in München
- Arbeitet als Software-Entwickler

## feedback
- Antworte immer auf Deutsch
- Bevorzuge kurze Antworten

## rule:agenda

- MAX 10 Items in Daily.md
- Keine Meetings vor 10 Uhr

## rule:data

- Durchsuche auch PDF-Dateien

Sections map to memory types or rules:

• ## user, ## feedback, ## context → Memory
• ## rule:agenda, ## rule:data, ## rule:relay → Rules files

Any markdown or JSON structure is acceptable — outheis uses LLM parsing and does not require a specific schema.

Workflow

1. Create Migration Directory

mkdir ~/Documents/Vault/Migration

2. Add Your Files

Copy your data:

• Export from Claude.ai → claude-export.json
• Your preferences → preferences.md
• Agent-specific rules → agenda.md, data.md

3. Trigger migration

Via chat: say memory migrate

Via WebUI: open the Migration view and click Run now in the top-right corner. The button is available whether or not the drop zone is visible.

outheis parses all files in vault/Migration/, deduplicates candidates against existing memory via LLM, and writes consolidated items as a block into vault/Migration/Exchange.md. Proposals are grouped by source file and annotated with the tags found in that file:

<!-- outheis:migration:start -->
## Migration Proposals — 2026-04-05 14:30

*`[x]` accept · `[-]` reject · `[ ]` leave open · then run `memory migrate` again*

### prototype-user_markus.md  #unit-self #source-human

- [ ] Works as Director Innovation Lab [user]
- [ ] Prefers short, direct answers [feedback]

### prototype-vault_workflow.md  #unit-work #topic-vault

- [ ] Respond in German [rule:relay]

<!-- outheis:migration:end -->

Duplicates are always expected — the LLM deduplication step handles them. Only new or distinct items appear in the block.

4. Review Migration/Exchange.md

Open vault/Migration/Exchange.md — the dedicated file for migration approvals. Each Exchange.md is scoped to its directory: Migration/ for memory migration, Agenda/ for async communication with cato, Codebase/ for code proposals.

Mark each item:

- [x] Works as Director Innovation Lab [user]
- [x] Prefers short, direct answers [feedback]
- [-] Respond in German [rule:relay]

- [ ] Lebt in München [user]

• [x] — apply to memory/rules
• [-] — discard
• [ ] — leave open for next round

5. Say "memory migrate" Again

Du: memory migrate
Ou: Migration verarbeitet:
    - 2 übernommen
    - 1 abgelehnt
    - 1 noch offen

• [x] items are written to memory and rules
• [-] items are discarded
• [ ] items remain in the block for the next round
• The block is removed from Exchange.md once all items are resolved (or on your request)

6. Processed Source Files

After parsing, source files in vault/Migration/ get an x- prefix:

vault/Migration/
├── x-claude-export.json    # Processed
├── x-preferences.md        # Processed

This prevents re-processing. Delete the x- files yourself when ready, or use the WebUI Migration view.

WebUI Migration View

The Migration view in the Web UI provides:

• Full list of files in vault/Migration/
• View and edit each file directly
• Drop zone for uploading new migration files

Use it to add files without leaving the browser, or to inspect what has already been processed.

Direct Rule Writing

To add a rule immediately without the Migration workflow:

Du: schreibe regel: antworte immer auf Deutsch
Ou: ✓ Regel hinzugefügt zu relay: antworte immer auf Deutsch

Or specify the agent:

Du: schreibe regel für agenda: keine Meetings vor 10 Uhr
Ou: ✓ Regel hinzugefügt zu agenda: keine Meetings vor 10 Uhr

This bypasses Pattern agent and writes directly to ~/.outheis/human/rules/{agent}.md.

Viewing Current State

To see what outheis knows:

Du: memory traits

Ou: Erkannte Eigenschaften:

    ## Identität
      • User arbeitet als Projektleiter
      • User lebt in München

    ## Präferenzen
      • Antworte knapp und direkt
      • Bevorzuge deutsche Sprache

    ## Etablierte Regeln
      • agenda: 2 Regeln
      • relay: 1 Regel

Or more conversationally:

Du: was weißt du über mich?

Memory vs Rules

Memory = "what I know about you" Rules = "how I should behave"

Both are populated through Migration or through ongoing conversation.

Privacy

All data stays local:

• Migration files are in your vault
• Memory is in ~/.outheis/human/memory/
• Rules are in ~/.outheis/human/rules/
• Nothing is transmitted externally

Delete any file at any time — outheis adapts to what remains.

Open source under AGPL-3.0 · Code on GitHub