Magnolia: A Persistent-Memory Agent Framework for Computational Chemistry

Overview & Synopsis

Chemistry has recently entered a high-data regime as molecular databases from high-throughput platforms or computational studies have become available. Increasing automation within the chemical sciences leads to a more digital and precision chemistry. Dedicated scientific agents are becoming central to guiding the chemist through an ever-increasing amount of data and findings, including negative ones. Here, we introduce Magnolia, a persistent-memory artificial intelligence agent framework that integrates computational protocols, from docking to quantum chemistry, lab notebooks and chat logs relying on large language models (LLMs). It relies on a three-tier memory system: session-level observations are automatically captured and distilled into structured learnings, confirmed and elevated to project-tier entries and, when human-validated, promoted to cross-project rules that actively guide subsequent work and provide direct chemical feedback. We illustrate Magnolia on four case studies: quantum-chemical evaluation of aromatic systems (COMPAS database), molecular dynamics of butane and of modified DNA, and a protein-peptide docking campaign. Across these projects, Magnolia tracked 317 runs and accumulated 116 project-tier entries, from which four cross-project rules were promoted; in controlled replays of four tasks, runs with memory passed the checks that runs without it failed (for example, ten of ten docking-configuration checks, against one to four of ten). By combining automation, reproducibility, and human-in-the-loop control, our Magnolia framework streamlines docking, molecular dynamics and quantum chemistry calculations with direct analysis and LLM-augmented feedback, offering accelerated access to computational (bio)chemistry.