Supermemory isn’t just another document storage system. It’s designed to mirror how human memory actually works - forming connections, evolving over time, and generating insights from accumulated knowledge.
The Mental Model
Traditional systems store files. Supermemory creates a living knowledge graph.
Traditional Systems
- Static files in folders
- No connections between content
- Search matches keywords
- Information stays frozen
Supermemory
- Dynamic knowledge graph
- Rich relationships between memories
- Semantic understanding
- Information evolves and connects
Documents vs Memories
Understanding this distinction is crucial to using Supermemory effectively.
Documents: Your Raw Input
Documents are what you provide - the raw materials:
- PDF files you upload
- Web pages you save
- Text you paste
- Images with text
- Videos to transcribe
Think of documents as books you hand to Supermemory. See Content Types for the full list of supported formats.
Memories: Intelligent Knowledge Units
Memories are what Supermemory creates - the understanding:
- Semantic chunks with meaning
- Embedded for similarity search
- Connected through relationships
- Dynamically updated over time
Think of memories as the insights and connections your brain makes after reading those books.
Key Insight: When you upload a 50-page PDF, Supermemory doesn’t just store it. It breaks it into hundreds of interconnected memories, each understanding its context and relationships to your other knowledge.
Memory Relationships
The graph connects memories through three types of relationships. For a deeper dive into how these relationships work, see Graph Memory.
Updates: Information Changes
When new information contradicts or updates existing knowledge, Supermemory creates an “update” relationship.
Original Memory
"You work at Supermemory as a content engineer"
The system tracks which memory is latest with an isLatest field, ensuring searches return current information.
Extends: Information Enriches
When new information adds to existing knowledge without replacing it, Supermemory creates an “extends” relationship. Continuing our “working at supermemory” analogy, a memory about what you work on would extend the memory about your role given above.
Original Memory
New Memory (Extension) - Separate From Previous
"You work at Supermemory as the CMO"
Both memories remain valid and searchable, providing richer context.
Derives: Information Infers
The most sophisticated relationship - when Supermemory infers new connections from patterns in your knowledge.
Memory 1
Memory 2
Derived Memory
"Dhravya is the founder of Supermemory"
These inferences help surface insights you might not have explicitly stated.
Processing Pipeline
Understanding the pipeline helps you optimize your usage:
| Stage | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Queued | Document waiting to process |
| Extracting | Content being extracted |
| Chunking | Creating memory chunks |
| Embedding | Generating vectors |
| Indexing | Building relationships |
| Done | Fully searchable |
Tip: Larger documents and videos take longer. A 100-page PDF might take 1-2 minutes, while a 1-hour video could take 5-10 minutes.
Next Steps
Now that you understand how Supermemory works:
[**Add Memories**
Start adding content to your knowledge graph](/content/docs/add-memories/index.html)
[**Search Memories**
Learn to query your knowledge effectively](/content/docs/search/index.html)