diff --git a/hooks/memory-loop-activator.sh b/hooks/memory-loop-activator.sh
index a079746..888d862 100644
--- a/hooks/memory-loop-activator.sh
+++ b/hooks/memory-loop-activator.sh
@@ -1,18 +1,10 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
 cat << 'EOF'
-MANDATORY MEMORY PROTOCOL
-
-If this starts a new sub-task or phase (tests, refactor, deploy, etc.)
-→ search the KB via mcp__memory-loop__query for relevant patterns first.
-
-If you hit an unexpected error or are about to debug/diagnose
-→ search the KB FIRST, before reasoning from scratch.
-
-If this session produced reusable knowledge, or showed a memory is wrong
-or outdated, invoke Skill(continuous-learning) — it routes the change to
-the correct destination. Do not ask permission.
-
-NEVER write to .claude/memories/ directly. Only the continuous-learning
-and memory-audit skills write there, so the routing and quality gates run.
+Memory: search the KB before a new phase, and on an unexpected error
+before diagnosing it from scratch. Run Skill(continuous-learning) when
+a cause is found or a decision made, and before your final reply for a
+task (fix, refactor, investigation, commit, PR), if it produced reusable
+knowledge. Run it as soon as a memory proves wrong, outdated or
+incomplete. Never write .claude/memories/ directly.
 EOF
diff --git a/tests/fixtures/hook-messages.json b/tests/fixtures/hook-messages.json
index cdd1b74..11402f5 100644
--- a/tests/fixtures/hook-messages.json
+++ b/tests/fixtures/hook-messages.json
@@ -18,5 +18,5 @@
       "additionalContext": "This project keeps a knowledge base of past learnings, decisions, and\ndebugging discoveries in .claude/memories/, searchable with\nmcp__memory-loop__query.\n\n- If your prompt contains a \"KB context:\" block, treat it as established\n  ground truth. Verify it against the code, but do NOT search the KB and\n  do NOT re-derive it.\n- Otherwise, if you are about to read or grep more than a couple of files,\n  issue ONE mcp__memory-loop__query for the topic of your task first — a\n  lex line of terms you expect verbatim plus a vec line phrased as a\n  question, and an intent saying what you want and what to avoid, with\n  rerank:false and limit:6. One search is far cheaper than a blind\n  file sweep. Unlike the main thread, do not try keyword variations: if\n  nothing relevant comes back, move on to the code.\n- Snippets are leads, not evidence — they are capped at 300 characters and\n  often show only a title. mcp__memory-loop__get a document before relying\n  on what it says.\n- Report back anything the KB got wrong or left out."
     }
   },
-  "activator": "MANDATORY MEMORY PROTOCOL\n\nIf this starts a new sub-task or phase (tests, refactor, deploy, etc.)\n→ search the KB via mcp__memory-loop__query for relevant patterns first.\n\nIf you hit an unexpected error or are about to debug/diagnose\n→ search the KB FIRST, before reasoning from scratch.\n\nIf this session produced reusable knowledge, or showed a memory is wrong\nor outdated, invoke Skill(continuous-learning) — it routes the change to\nthe correct destination. Do not ask permission.\n\nNEVER write to .claude/memories/ directly. Only the continuous-learning\nand memory-audit skills write there, so the routing and quality gates run.\n"
+  "activator": "Memory: search the KB before a new phase, and on an unexpected error\nbefore diagnosing it from scratch. Run Skill(continuous-learning) when\na cause is found or a decision made, and before your final reply for a\ntask (fix, refactor, investigation, commit, PR), if it produced reusable\nknowledge. Run it as soon as a memory proves wrong, outdated or\nincomplete. Never write .claude/memories/ directly.\n"
 }