Archiving

Archiving is Symbol's soft-delete. When you're not sure about permanently deleting a capsule, archive it instead. Archived capsules are kept for 90 days, then permanently deleted by the system.

Think of it as a trash can — you can always retrieve something before it's emptied.

How Archiving Works

When you archive a capsule:

1. It's removed from your active capsule lists and search results
2. It becomes read-only — you can view the content but not edit it
3. A clear indicator shows the capsule is archived
4. After 90 days, the system permanently deletes it

You can unarchive a capsule at any time within the 90-day window to restore it to its original state.

Where Archived Capsules Are Visible

Archiving deliberately limits where capsules appear. The goal is to keep your active workspace clean while still letting you review and recover content when needed.

MCP Visibility

Archived capsules are completely invisible to MCP. They don't appear in search results, listings, or any tool response. This is intentional — MCP consumers like AI assistants and integrations should only work with active, current knowledge. Archived content is stale by definition and shouldn't pollute the context your tools rely on.

Browser and Mobile App

You can view archived capsules in the browser and mobile app so you can review the content and decide whether to unarchive. The capsule detail page shows the full content in a read-only state with a clear archived indicator.

Lifecycle Summary

Active → Archive → (90 days) → Permanent deletion
  ↑         |
  └─────────┘
   Unarchive

• Archive: Sets archived_at timestamp, hides from active views
• Unarchive: Clears archived_at, restores to active state
• Auto-delete: System cron removes capsules archived for 90+ days