refactor(memory): streamline memory extraction by utilizing extract_text_content utility

surfsense_backend/app/agents/new_chat/memory_extraction.py

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ from sqlalchemy import select
 
 from app.agents.new_chat.tools.update_memory import _save_memory
 from app.db import SearchSpace, User, shielded_async_session
+from app.utils.content_utils import extract_text_content
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -144,11 +145,7 @@ async def extract_and_save_memory(
                 [HumanMessage(content=prompt)],
                 config={"tags": ["surfsense:internal", "memory-extraction"]},
             )
-            text = (
-                response.content
-                if isinstance(response.content, str)
-                else str(response.content)
-            ).strip()
+            text = extract_text_content(response.content).strip()
 
             if text == "NO_UPDATE" or not text:
                 logger.debug("Memory extraction: no update needed (user %s)", uid)
@@ -207,11 +204,7 @@ async def extract_and_save_team_memory(
                 [HumanMessage(content=prompt)],
                 config={"tags": ["surfsense:internal", "team-memory-extraction"]},
             )
-            text = (
-                response.content
-                if isinstance(response.content, str)
-                else str(response.content)
-            ).strip()
+            text = extract_text_content(response.content).strip()
 
             if text == "NO_UPDATE" or not text:
                 logger.debug(

surfsense_backend/app/agents/new_chat/tools/update_memory.py

@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ from sqlalchemy import select
 from sqlalchemy.ext.asyncio import AsyncSession
 
 from app.db import SearchSpace, User
+from app.utils.content_utils import extract_text_content
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -188,11 +189,7 @@ async def _forced_rewrite(content: str, llm: Any) -> str | None:
             [HumanMessage(content=prompt)],
             config={"tags": ["surfsense:internal"]},
         )
-        text = (
-            response.content
-            if isinstance(response.content, str)
-            else str(response.content)
-        )
+        text = extract_text_content(response.content)
         return text.strip()
     except Exception:
         logger.exception("Forced rewrite LLM call failed")
@@ -235,6 +232,16 @@ async def _save_memory(
     label : str
         Human label for log messages (e.g. "user memory", "team memory").
     """
+    if not isinstance(updated_memory, str):
+        logger.warning(
+            "Refusing non-string memory payload (type=%s)",
+            type(updated_memory).__name__,
+        )
+        return {
+            "status": "error",
+            "message": "Internal error: memory payload must be a string.",
+        }
+
     content = updated_memory
 
     # --- forced rewrite if over the hard limit ---

surfsense_backend/app/routes/memory_routes.py

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ from app.agents.new_chat.llm_config import (
 from app.agents.new_chat.tools.update_memory import MEMORY_HARD_LIMIT, _save_memory
 from app.db import User, get_async_session
 from app.users import current_active_user
+from app.utils.content_utils import extract_text_content
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -123,11 +124,7 @@ async def edit_user_memory(
             [HumanMessage(content=prompt)],
             config={"tags": ["surfsense:internal", "memory-edit"]},
         )
-        updated = (
-            response.content
-            if isinstance(response.content, str)
-            else str(response.content)
-        ).strip()
+        updated = extract_text_content(response.content).strip()
     except Exception as e:
         logger.exception("Memory edit LLM call failed: %s", e)
         raise HTTPException(status_code=500, detail="Memory edit failed.") from e

surfsense_backend/app/routes/search_spaces_routes.py

@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ from app.schemas import (
     SearchSpaceWithStats,
 )
 from app.users import current_active_user
+from app.utils.content_utils import extract_text_content
 from app.utils.rbac import check_permission, check_search_space_access
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -356,11 +357,7 @@ async def edit_team_memory(
             [HumanMessage(content=prompt)],
             config={"tags": ["surfsense:internal", "memory-edit"]},
         )
-        updated = (
-            response.content
-            if isinstance(response.content, str)
-            else str(response.content)
-        ).strip()
+        updated = extract_text_content(response.content).strip()
     except Exception as e:
         logger.exception("Team memory edit LLM call failed: %s", e)
         raise HTTPException(status_code=500, detail="Team memory edit failed.") from e

surfsense_backend/tests/unit/agents/new_chat/test_memory_response_content.py

@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+"""Unit tests for extracting text from LLM memory responses."""
+
+import pytest
+
+from app.agents.new_chat.tools.update_memory import _save_memory
+from app.utils.content_utils import extract_text_content
+
+pytestmark = pytest.mark.unit
+
+
+class _Recorder:
+    def __init__(self) -> None:
+        self.applied_content: str | None = None
+        self.commit_calls = 0
+        self.rollback_calls = 0
+
+    def apply(self, content: str) -> None:
+        self.applied_content = content
+
+    async def commit(self) -> None:
+        self.commit_calls += 1
+
+    async def rollback(self) -> None:
+        self.rollback_calls += 1
+
+
+def test_extract_text_content_keeps_no_update_bare_string_from_content_blocks() -> None:
+    content = [
+        {"type": "thinking", "thinking": "No"},
+        {"type": "thinking", "thinking": " memorizable info."},
+        "NO_UPDATE",
+    ]
+
+    assert extract_text_content(content).strip() == "NO_UPDATE"
+
+
+def test_extract_text_content_ignores_thinking_blocks_and_keeps_markdown_text() -> None:
+    markdown = (
+        "## Work Context\n"
+        "- (2026-05-02) [fact] Anish is hardening SurfSense memory extraction.\n"
+    )
+    content = [
+        {"type": "thinking", "thinking": "This is durable context."},
+        {"type": "text", "text": markdown},
+    ]
+
+    assert extract_text_content(content).strip() == markdown.strip()
+
+
+def test_extract_text_content_returns_empty_when_only_thinking_blocks_are_present() -> None:
+    content = [
+        {"type": "thinking", "thinking": "No durable fact."},
+        {"type": "thinking", "thinking": "Return no update."},
+    ]
+
+    assert extract_text_content(content) == ""
+
+
+def test_extract_text_content_preserves_plain_string_responses() -> None:
+    markdown = (
+        "## Preferences\n"
+        "- (2026-05-02) [pref] Anish prefers no regex for memory validation.\n"
+    )
+
+    assert extract_text_content(markdown) == markdown
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_save_memory_rejects_non_string_payload_before_commit() -> None:
+    recorder = _Recorder()
+
+    result = await _save_memory(
+        updated_memory=["NO_UPDATE"],  # type: ignore[arg-type]
+        old_memory=None,
+        llm=None,
+        apply_fn=recorder.apply,
+        commit_fn=recorder.commit,
+        rollback_fn=recorder.rollback,
+        label="memory",
+        scope="user",
+    )
+
+    assert result["status"] == "error"
+    assert "must be a string" in result["message"]
+    assert recorder.applied_content is None
+    assert recorder.commit_calls == 0
+    assert recorder.rollback_calls == 0