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The Anatomy of a Genesis App: Memory, Agents, Automation

Understand the internal structure of every Genesis app — how Projects, Agents, and Automations work together to create living software.

January 1, 2026·6 min read·Taskade Team·Productivity
#Architecture#Genesis#Technical

What's inside a Genesis app?

When you describe something and Genesis builds it, what actually gets created? Understanding the anatomy helps you build better systems — and debug them when things go wrong.

Let's dissect a real app.

🔬 Why This Matters:
Understanding anatomy = building better apps + debugging faster + customizing effectively.

🎯 The Three-Layer Architecture

Every Genesis app has the same structure:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    GENESIS APP                          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                         │
│  LAYER 1: 🧠 MEMORY (Projects & Databases)             │
│  ─────────────────────────────────────────────         │
│  Schema, tables, fields, relationships, views          │
│                                                         │
│  LAYER 2: 🤖 INTELLIGENCE (AI Agents)                  │
│  ─────────────────────────────────────────────         │
│  Personality, knowledge, capabilities, reasoning       │
│                                                         │
│  LAYER 3: ⚡ MOTION (Automations)                      │
│  ─────────────────────────────────────────────         │
│  Triggers, actions, integrations, sequences            │
│                                                         │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

The Subject: Neon CRM Dashboard

We'll examine Neon CRM Dashboard — a sales pipeline management system.

From the outside, it's a CRM. Leads, deals, contacts, pipeline stages. But inside, it's three systems working as one.

Layer 1: Memory (Projects & Databases)

The data foundation. Everything the app knows.

Schema

PROJECTS (Tables)
├── Contacts
│   ├── name (text)
│   ├── email (text)
│   ├── company (relation → Companies)
│   ├── stage (select: lead, qualified, opportunity, customer)
│   └── created_at (date)
│
├── Companies
│   ├── name (text)
│   ├── size (select: startup, smb, enterprise)
│   ├── industry (text)
│   └── annual_value (number)
│
├── Deals
│   ├── name (text)
│   ├── contact (relation → Contacts)
│   ├── value (number)
│   ├── stage (select: discovery, proposal, negotiation, closed)
│   ├── probability (number)
│   └── close_date (date)
│
└── Interactions
    ├── contact (relation → Contacts)
    ├── type (select: email, call, meeting)
    ├── notes (text)
    └── date (date)

Views

Same data, different perspectives:

  • Pipeline view — Deals as kanban by stage
  • Table view — All records as spreadsheet
  • Calendar view — Interactions and close dates
  • Board view — Contacts by stage

Relationships

Connections that create context:

  • Contact → Company (who works where)
  • Deal → Contact (who owns the opportunity)
  • Interaction → Contact (history of engagement)

This is the Memory Pillar.

Layer 2: Intelligence (AI Agents)

The thinking layer. Agents that reason about your data.

CRM Agent

The primary agent, configured with:

Personality:

You are a helpful sales assistant. You help track deals, 
suggest next actions, and provide pipeline insights. Be 
concise and action-oriented.

Knowledge:

  • Access to all CRM tables
  • Understanding of sales stages
  • Company and industry context

Capabilities:

  • Answer questions about pipeline
  • Suggest follow-up actions
  • Draft outreach emails
  • Summarize account status

Agent Interactions

The agent can:

  • Query data: "What deals are closing this month?"
  • Analyze patterns: "Which stage has the most stalled deals?"
  • Suggest actions: "You haven't contacted Acme Corp in 2 weeks"
  • Execute tasks: Create interaction record, update deal stage

This is the Intelligence Pillar.

Layer 3: Motion (Automations)

The action layer. Workflows that run automatically.

Trigger → Action Flows

AUTOMATION 1: New Lead Alert
├── Trigger: New contact created (stage = lead)
├── Action: Send Slack notification to #sales
└── Action: Create welcome task for sales rep

AUTOMATION 2: Deal Stale Alert
├── Trigger: Deal stage unchanged for 14 days
├── Action: Send email reminder to deal owner
└── Action: Update deal flag to "at risk"

AUTOMATION 3: Won Deal Sequence
├── Trigger: Deal stage changed to "closed won"
├── Action: Update contact stage to "customer"
├── Action: Send celebration to #wins channel
├── Action: Create onboarding project
└── Action: Update revenue forecast

AUTOMATION 4: Weekly Pipeline Report
├── Trigger: Every Monday 9am
├── Action: Query all open deals
├── Action: Calculate weighted pipeline
└── Action: Send summary to #sales

Integration Points

Automations connect to external services:

  • Slack — Notifications and alerts
  • Email — Outreach and follow-ups
  • Calendar — Meeting scheduling
  • Webhooks — External systems

This is the Execution Pillar.

How the Layers Interact

The power is in the connections:

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                                  │
│  User asks: "Show me stalled deals"              │
│                       │                          │
│                       ▼                          │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐    │
│  │  🤖 AGENT (Intelligence)                │    │
│  │  - Interprets question                   │    │
│  │  - Queries memory for deals              │    │
│  │  - Analyzes stage durations              │    │
│  └─────────────────────────────────────────┘    │
│                       │                          │
│                       ▼                          │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐    │
│  │  🧠 MEMORY (Projects)                   │    │
│  │  - Returns deals with stage > 14 days   │    │
│  │  - Includes contact and value info      │    │
│  └─────────────────────────────────────────┘    │
│                       │                          │
│                       ▼                          │
│  Agent presents: "3 deals stalled:              │
│   - Acme ($50k, 21 days in proposal)            │
│   - BigCo ($100k, 18 days in negotiation)       │
│   - StartupX ($25k, 30 days in discovery)       │
│   Suggest follow-up actions?"                    │
│                       │                          │
│                       ▼                          │
│  User: "Yes, create follow-up tasks"            │
│                       │                          │
│                       ▼                          │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐    │
│  │  ⚡ MOTION (Automations)                │    │
│  │  - Creates tasks for each stalled deal  │    │
│  │  - Sends reminders to deal owners       │    │
│  │  - Updates CRM flags                    │    │
│  └─────────────────────────────────────────┘    │
│                       │                          │
│                       ▼                          │
│  Memory updated, user notified                   │
│                                                  │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

This is Workspace DNA in action.

Building Better Apps

Understanding anatomy helps you build:

For Better Memory

  • Define clear relationships between entities
  • Use appropriate field types
  • Create views for different perspectives

For Better Intelligence

  • Write detailed agent instructions
  • Give agents relevant context
  • Define capabilities clearly

For Better Motion

  • Map out trigger conditions
  • Chain actions logically
  • Connect to relevant services

Inspect Your Apps

Every Genesis app has this structure. To improve any app:

  1. Examine Memory — Is the schema right? Missing fields?
  2. Review Intelligence — Is the agent helpful? Accurate?
  3. Check Motion — Are automations firing? Missing triggers?

The anatomy is your debugging guide.

Resources

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