Profile agent memory by phase (construct/retrieve/generate) before choosing an architecture — design choices just shift cost across read vs write paths

arXiv:2606.06448·medium signal

This first systems characterization of agent memory (arXiv:2606.06448, submitted June 4, 2026) profiles ten representative memory systems with phase-aware measurement and finds that picking a memory design mostly relocates cost between the write path (construction) and read path (retrieval) rather than eliminating it. It distills ten concrete recommendations including construction scheduling, capability floors, amortizing cost via query volume, and freshness-vs-latency tradeoffs. Actionable: before adopting a memory stack, measure construction/retrieval/generation cost separately and match the design to your read/write ratio and fleet scale.