forget

Overview

The forget operation removes memories from HEBBS. It supports deletion by entity (all memories for a user), by specific memory IDs, or by criteria (e.g., time range, context filters). For GDPR and compliance, forgetting cascades to related data: edges, insights derived from forgotten episodes, and tombstones for audit.

API Access

Protocol	Service/Method	Endpoint
gRPC	MemoryService.Forget	—
REST	POST	/v1/forget

Request Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
entity_id	string	No*	Forget all memories for this entity. *At least one filter required.
memory_ids	array	No*	Forget specific memories by ID.
staleness_threshold_us	int	No	Forget memories older than this (microseconds since epoch).
memory_kind	string	No	Filter by kind: "episode", "insight", "revision".
tenant_id	string	No	Tenant scope for data isolation. Normally derived from the API key by the server. Override only when running without authentication or for cross-tenant administrative operations. Default: derived from API key or "default".

Note: For REST, tenant_id is derived from the Authorization header — not passed in the request body. For gRPC, it can be set explicitly in the request message but is overridden by the API key’s tenant when auth is enabled.

Response

Field	Type	Description
forgotten_count	int	Number of memories directly forgotten.

Examples

Forget by entity (REST)

curl -s -X POST http://localhost:6381/v1/forget \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HEBBS_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "user_42"}' | jq .

Forget by memory IDs (REST)

curl -s -X POST http://localhost:6381/v1/forget \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HEBBS_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"memory_ids": ["01KK3S0KXYE22EFF489YRTH559"]}' | jq .

grpcurl (gRPC)

grpcurl -plaintext \
  -H "authorization: Bearer $HEBBS_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "user_42"}' \
  localhost:6380 hebbs.MemoryService/Forget

GDPR Considerations

• Right to erasure: Use entity_id to forget all data for a user.
• Partial deletion: Use memory_ids for targeted removal (e.g., a single incorrect memory).
• Audit trail: Tombstones record that a forget occurred; they do not retain content. Retention of tombstones is configurable.
• Cascade: Insights derived from forgotten episodes are either forgotten or marked as orphaned, depending on policy.