Dual-Layer Agentic Memory with Fast Write Routing and Slow Consolidation

Abstract

Large language model (LLM) agents operate in dynamic environments where knowledge continuously evolves. Existing memory systems typically treat external memory as a monotonically growing repository, inevitably leading to retrieval degradation and increasing computational costs over time. We argue that the core challenge is not retrieval alone, but managing the knowledge lifecycle: deciding what to externalize, update, or ultimately internalize. Inspired by Complementary Learning Systems (CLS) theory in neuroscience, we propose Dual-Layer Agentic Memory, a framework that shifts memory management to the write phase through cost-aware epistemic routing and periodic parametric consolidation. Incoming information is categorized as non-write, write-new, or write-update, and routed through a small-to-large model cascade that minimizes routing overhead while filtering redundant memories. A subsequent write-back phase selectively consolidates high-value external memories into model parameters via supervised fine-tuning. Experiments demonstrate the dual efficiency of our approach: a 1.7B/8B cascade prunes up to 68% of redundant external memory while escalating fewer than 50% of inputs, yet retains over 98% of the downstream QA Exact Match (EM) achieved by an exhaustive retention baseline. We further show that periodic consolidation successfully internalizes external knowledge, allowing the router to adaptively suppress redundant writes as the model's epistemic boundaries evolve. Overall, our framework presents a unified paradigm for agent memory: selective externalization followed by selective internalization. Code and dataset will be released upon acceptance.