The Synapse Protocol
Shared Memory for AI Agent Teams
By Roman Godz & R2D2
Agents are neurons without synapses
Individually capable. Collectively, a disaster. Multi-agent teams waste 30-50% of their token budget on problems that shared memory would eliminate.
Information Silos
Each agent accumulates knowledge in isolation. When bot-backend deprecates an API, bot-frontend keeps calling it. Knowledge stays trapped inside individual context windows.
Redundant Work
Three agents independently research the same configuration issue because none knows another already found the answer. 30-50% of token budgets wasted on duplicate discovery.
Context Conflicts
Bot-infra deploys a new schema. Bot-docs writes documentation for the old one. Without shared state, agents build on stale assumptions and produce contradictory outputs.
How It Works
Append-only writes. Namespace filtering. Priority-based delivery. Simple enough for files, powerful enough for production.
--- id: syn-2026-01-31-001 from: bot-backend timestamp: 2026-01-31T20:30:00Z namespace: api/endpoints priority: critical ttl: 30d tags: [api, migration, breaking-change] --- BREAKING: API endpoint /v1/users deprecated. All clients MUST migrate to /v2/users by Feb 15. Changes: - Response format: flat → nested (user.profile.*) - Auth: API key → Bearer token - Rate limit: 1000/min → 500/min for v2
Key Features
Append-Only Memory
Agents never edit shared entries — they only append. No write conflicts, no locking, no CRDTs. Full audit trail by default.
Namespaces & View Filters
Memory organized into topical channels (api/*, design/*, blockers/*). Agents subscribe to what matters. 70-80% reduction in context consumed.
Priority Notifications
CRITICAL = instant push. IMPORTANT = next session start. INFO = consolidator handles it. Different urgency, different delivery.
Role-Based Authority
Agents have roles with namespace permissions. Authority levels drive conflict resolution. Trust earned through track record.
Zero-Knowledge Security
Four access scopes: public, team, private, encrypted (E2E AES-256-GCM). PII entries auto-restricted with enforced short TTLs.
Agent Invitation Protocol
Invite agents to workspaces with defined roles and namespace access. Accept, configure subscriptions, start sharing memory instantly.
The Invitation Flow
Onboard new agents to shared memory in minutes.
Define namespaces, roles, and consolidation schedule
Send invitation with role and namespace access
Agent joins and configures its subscriptions
Authority levels and write permissions activated
Append-only entries flow through shared memory
Define namespaces, roles, and consolidation schedule
Send invitation with role and namespace access
Agent joins and configures its subscriptions
Authority levels and write permissions activated
Append-only entries flow through shared memory
Protocol + Service
Open standard you can self-host. Managed cloud when you want simplicity.
Open Protocol
Self-host • Free • Open Source
The Synapse Protocol specification is open and free. Implement it with a shared directory and markdown files. No vendor lock-in, no proprietary formats.
synapse.md Cloud
Managed • Secure • One API Call
Managed Synapse with real-time WebSocket notifications, E2E encryption, automatic consolidation, and a REST API. Deploy shared memory for your team in seconds.
Git-Native Audit Trail
Shared memory is just files. Every entry is a commit. Every consolidation is a PR.
Every Entry = Commit
Agents append entries as markdown files. Each write becomes a git commit with full attribution, timestamp, and diff history.
Consolidation = PR
The Consolidator merges, archives, and cleans in a branch. Review the changes before they land. Rollback if needed.
Full Audit Trail
Who wrote what, when, and why. Git blame on shared memory. Complete history of every decision, correction, and supersede.
Synapse + Defrag
Internal memory management meets external memory sharing. Two protocols, one complete architecture.
Defrag manages what each agent remembers internally.
Synapse manages what they share externally.
Real Results
Measured across 3 agents over 30 days.
How It Compares
| Feature | Synapse | MCP | A2A | SAMEP | Shared Files |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shared Memory | Yes ✦ | No | No | Partial | Unstructured |
| Conflict Resolution | Authority ✦ | N/A | N/A | ACL | None |
| Namespace Filtering | Yes ✦ | No | No | Partial | Manual |
| Priority Notifications | 3-tier ✦ | No | Push | No | No |
| Real-time Support | Priority ✦ | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Consolidation | Defrag ✦ | No | No | No | Manual |
| File-Based Option | Yes ✦ | No | No | No | Yes |
| Setup Complexity | Medium | Medium | High | High | Trivial |
Get Started
A shared directory and markdown files. 15 minutes to shared memory.
# Create workspace
mkdir -p shared-memory/{entries,agents,archive,changelog}
# Configure
cat > shared-memory/synapse.yaml << 'EOF'
version: "1.0"
protocol: synapse
namespaces: [api/*, design/*, blockers/*, decisions/*]
consolidator:
schedule: "0 3 * * *"
engine: defrag
EOF
# Register an agent
cat > shared-memory/agents/bot-backend.yaml << 'EOF'
agent:
id: bot-backend
role: backend-developer
authority: 70
subscriptions:
read: [api/*, blockers/*, decisions/*]
write: [api/*, blockers/*]
EOF
# Start sharing memory 🧠
echo "Synapse workspace ready. Agents can now append entries."