Agent Framework memory: what it remembers, who owns it, and what it costs
thecontinuitylayer.com/memory-systems/microsoft-agent-frameworkThe open-source successor to Semantic Kernel's memory: context providers that run before and after each turn, in-memory history providers, and a managed Foundry memory provider.
- 1Yes
Is Agent Framework memory open source?
Yes, by Microsoft's own page.
The repository is MIT.
Yes means: The core is under an open-source license.
- 2Yes
Can you run Agent Framework memory yourself?
Yes, by Microsoft's own page.
A library you run; chat history is kept in an in-memory provider or in the underlying AI service, and a custom context provider can use your own storage.
Yes means: It runs on your own machine or server.
- 3Partly
Can you take your memory out of Agent Framework memory?
Partly, by Microsoft's own page.
Storage depends on the provider you plug in; no export feature is described.
Yes means: An export, or the data sits in a standard store you own.
- 4Partly
Does Agent Framework memory work with more than one model provider?
Partly, by Microsoft's own page.
The README names Microsoft Foundry, Azure OpenAI and OpenAI and says more providers are being added; Anthropic is not named.
Yes means: It is not tied to one provider's models.
- 5Partly
Is there a hosted Agent Framework memory?
Partly, by Microsoft's own page.
A Foundry memory provider offers managed semantic memory; the framework itself has no hosted memory service.
Yes means: A cloud or managed option exists.
- 6Not stated
Does Agent Framework memory have a free tier, and what is the entry price?
Microsoft's pages do not say.
The framework is free and open source; Foundry memory pricing is not on the pages checked.
Yes means: A free tier exists and the entry paid price is published.
- 7Partly
Does Agent Framework memory scope memory per user and per session?
Partly, by Microsoft's own page.
Sessions share context across runs and the Foundry provider accepts a user scope; thread-level scoping is not detailed.
Yes means: Both per-user and per-session or per-agent memory are supported.
- 8Not stated
Can you delete a user's memories from Agent Framework memory?
Microsoft's pages do not say.
The memory tutorial does not cover deleting memory; the migration guide says hosted history must be deleted through the provider's own SDK.
Yes means: A documented way to delete everything for one user.
What these grades say about continuity, and what they do not.
Every grade on this site is read from the maker's own pages. The Continuity Framework asks five things of any system that carries state: that it carry, govern, evolve, prove and forget. These tests reach carry, govern and forget; they do not reach evolve or prove, which no maker's page documents in a gradeable way. A high letter is a good memory system, not a continuity layer.
- M1 Open sourceCarry
- Open source means the memory engine can outlive the vendor; the state is not hostage to a contract.
- M2 Self-hostCarry
- Self-hosting puts the store under the owner's control, which is the precondition for every other obligation.
- M3 ExportCarry
- An export is question C3: can the state leave in a form another system reads? A standard store you own answers it; a proprietary dump only partly.
- M4 Any modelCarry
- Working with more than one model provider is question C2: the memory, not the model, holds the state.
- M7 ScopingGovern
- Scoping per user, agent and session is question G2: who may read and write each item. It is the floor of governance, not the ceiling.
- M8 DeleteForget
- A documented delete for one user is rung 5 of the erasure ladder: the record leaves the store. Derived memories, the index and backups are not covered unless the maker says so. Rung 5 of the erasure ladder: delete the record.
License as stated: MIT. Every grade above is read from Microsoft's own page on the day shown. If a page has changed, tell us.