sillytavern-character-memory/docs/plans/2026-02-18-merge-toggle-datetime-design.md

Design: Optional Merge Behavior & Date/Time in Extraction

Date: 2026-02-18 Status: Approved

Problem

1. mergeMemoryBlocks creates huge blocks: For long chats (800+ messages), every extraction chunk's output shares the same chat ID and gets merged into a single block with 200+ bullets. This block is too large for the consolidation LLM to process, making consolidation unusable for the chats that need it most.

2. Memories lack temporal context: The extraction prompt doesn't encourage capturing dates and times. Memories like "She visited Paris" lose valuable temporal information that was present in the conversation.

Change 1: Optional Merge Behavior

Setting: "Merge extraction chunks" checkbox in Settings tab under Extraction Settings.

• Stored as extension_settings.charMemory.mergeChunks
• Default: off

Behavior when off: After multi-chunk extraction, each chunk's <memory> block stays separate. Long chats produce multiple smaller blocks.

Behavior when on: Current behavior — mergeMemoryBlocks runs after multi-chunk extraction, combining blocks with the same chat ID.

Helper text: "When enabled, extraction results from the same chat are merged into a single block. Disable for long chats to keep blocks smaller for consolidation."

Location in UI: Settings tab, under "Extraction Settings" section, after the "Max response length" slider.

Change 2: Date/Time Gentle Nudge

Add one line to the WHAT TO EXTRACT bullet list in defaultExtractionPrompt:

- Dates and times when mentioned or clearly implied in the conversation

This is a gentle nudge — the LLM includes temporal context when it naturally appears but doesn't force-prefix every bullet.

Only affects the default prompt. Users with customized prompts are not affected (their override is preserved).

Files to Modify

• index.js: Add mergeChunks: false to defaultSettings, wrap mergeMemoryBlocks call in conditional, add date/time line to defaultExtractionPrompt
• settings.html: Add merge checkbox in Settings tab