diff --git a/crates/zclaw-growth/src/lib.rs b/crates/zclaw-growth/src/lib.rs
index 873292a..e3a5a95 100644
--- a/crates/zclaw-growth/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/zclaw-growth/src/lib.rs
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ pub mod summarizer;
 
 // Re-export main types for convenience
 pub use types::{
+    DecayResult,
     ExtractedMemory,
     ExtractionConfig,
     GrowthStats,
@@ -75,6 +76,7 @@ pub use types::{
     RetrievalConfig,
     RetrievalResult,
     UriBuilder,
+    effective_importance,
 };
 
 pub use extractor::{LlmDriverForExtraction, MemoryExtractor};
diff --git a/crates/zclaw-growth/src/storage/sqlite.rs b/crates/zclaw-growth/src/storage/sqlite.rs
index e1e1b75..de92514 100644
--- a/crates/zclaw-growth/src/storage/sqlite.rs
+++ b/crates/zclaw-growth/src/storage/sqlite.rs
@@ -270,6 +270,74 @@ impl SqliteStorage {
 
         Ok(())
     }
+
+    /// Decay stale memories: reduce importance for long-unaccessed entries
+    /// and archive those below the minimum threshold.
+    ///
+    /// - For every `decay_interval_days` since last access, importance drops by 1.
+    /// - Memories with importance ≤ `archive_threshold` are deleted.
+    pub async fn decay_memories(
+        &self,
+        decay_interval_days: u32,
+        archive_threshold: u8,
+    ) -> crate::types::DecayResult {
+        // Step 1: Reduce importance of stale memories
+        let decay_result = sqlx::query(
+            r#"
+            UPDATE memories
+            SET importance = MAX(1, importance - CAST(
+                (julianday('now') - julianday(last_accessed)) / ? AS INTEGER
+            ))
+            WHERE last_accessed < datetime('now', '-' || ? || ' days')
+              AND importance > 1
+            "#,
+        )
+        .bind(decay_interval_days)
+        .bind(decay_interval_days)
+        .execute(&self.pool)
+        .await;
+
+        let decayed = decay_result
+            .map(|r| r.rows_affected())
+            .unwrap_or(0);
+
+        // Step 2: Remove memories that fell below archive threshold
+        // and haven't been accessed in 90+ days
+        let archive_result = sqlx::query(
+            r#"
+            DELETE FROM memories
+            WHERE importance <= ?
+              AND last_accessed < datetime('now', '-90 days')
+            "#,
+        )
+        .bind(archive_threshold as i32)
+        .execute(&self.pool)
+        .await;
+
+        // Also clean up FTS entries for archived memories
+        let _ = sqlx::query(
+            r#"
+            DELETE FROM memories_fts
+            WHERE uri NOT IN (SELECT uri FROM memories)
+            "#,
+        )
+        .execute(&self.pool)
+        .await;
+
+        let archived = archive_result
+            .map(|r| r.rows_affected())
+            .unwrap_or(0);
+
+        if decayed > 0 || archived > 0 {
+            tracing::info!(
+                "[SqliteStorage] Memory decay: {} decayed, {} archived",
+                decayed,
+                archived
+            );
+        }
+
+        crate::types::DecayResult { decayed, archived }
+    }
 }
 
 impl sqlx::FromRow<'_, SqliteRow> for MemoryRow {
@@ -567,7 +635,7 @@ impl VikingStorage for SqliteStorage {
             scorer.is_embedding_available()
         };
 
-        let mut scored_entries: Vec<(f32, MemoryEntry)> = Vec::new();
+        let mut scored_entries: Vec<(f32, f32, MemoryEntry)> = Vec::new();
 
         for row in rows {
             let entry = self.row_to_entry(&row);
@@ -613,15 +681,18 @@ impl VikingStorage for SqliteStorage {
                 }
             }
 
-            scored_entries.push((semantic_score, entry));
+            // Apply time decay to importance before final scoring
+            let time_decayed_importance = crate::types::effective_importance(&entry);
+
+            scored_entries.push((semantic_score, time_decayed_importance, entry));
         }
 
-        // Sort by score (descending), then by importance and access count
+        // Sort by: semantic score → time-decayed importance → access count (all descending)
         scored_entries.sort_by(|a, b| {
             b.0.partial_cmp(&a.0)
                 .unwrap_or(std::cmp::Ordering::Equal)
-                .then_with(|| b.1.importance.cmp(&a.1.importance))
-                .then_with(|| b.1.access_count.cmp(&a.1.access_count))
+                .then_with(|| b.1.partial_cmp(&a.1).unwrap_or(std::cmp::Ordering::Equal))
+                .then_with(|| b.2.access_count.cmp(&a.2.access_count))
         });
 
         // Apply limit
@@ -629,7 +700,7 @@ impl VikingStorage for SqliteStorage {
             scored_entries.truncate(limit);
         }
 
-        Ok(scored_entries.into_iter().map(|(_, entry)| entry).collect())
+        Ok(scored_entries.into_iter().map(|(_, _, entry)| entry).collect())
     }
 
     async fn find_by_prefix(&self, prefix: &str) -> Result<Vec<MemoryEntry>> {
diff --git a/crates/zclaw-growth/src/types.rs b/crates/zclaw-growth/src/types.rs
index e37427f..6c540c9 100644
--- a/crates/zclaw-growth/src/types.rs
+++ b/crates/zclaw-growth/src/types.rs
@@ -385,6 +385,29 @@ impl UriBuilder {
     }
 }
 
+/// Result of a memory decay operation
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct DecayResult {
+    /// Number of memories whose importance was reduced
+    pub decayed: u64,
+    /// Number of memories archived (importance fell below threshold)
+    pub archived: u64,
+}
+
+/// Compute effective importance with time decay.
+///
+/// Uses exponential decay: each 30-day period of non-access reduces
+/// effective importance by ~50%. Frequently accessed memories decay slower
+/// thanks to the access_count boost.
+pub fn effective_importance(entry: &MemoryEntry) -> f32 {
+    let days_since = (Utc::now() - entry.last_accessed).num_days().max(0) as f32;
+    // Half-life: 30 days → decay factor per day ≈ 0.977
+    let time_decay = 0.977_f32.powf(days_since);
+    // Access boost: every 10 accesses add 1 to base importance (capped at 10)
+    let boosted = (entry.importance as f32 + entry.access_count as f32 / 10.0).min(10.0);
+    boosted * time_decay
+}
+
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::*;