diff --git a/content/docs/data-modeling/drivers.mdx b/content/docs/data-modeling/drivers.mdx
index 2955712ff6..ffb5eb50ec 100644
--- a/content/docs/data-modeling/drivers.mdx
+++ b/content/docs/data-modeling/drivers.mdx
@@ -353,20 +353,34 @@ equivalent age-based reap.
 ## Memory Driver
 
 The in-memory driver keeps records in plain in-process objects (queried via
-[`mingo`](https://github.com/kofrasa/mingo)). Data is lost when the process exits.
+[`mingo`](https://github.com/kofrasa/mingo)).
 It is the **last-resort fallback** in dev mode: `objectstack dev` prefers native
 SQLite (`better-sqlite3`), falls back to the pure-JS WASM SQLite driver if the
 native binary is unavailable, and only drops to the in-memory driver if WASM also
 fails to load. Set `OS_DATABASE_DRIVER=memory` to select it explicitly.
 
+**Whether data survives the process depends on how the driver is built** (#4083):
+
+| How it is built | Persistence |
+| :--- | :--- |
+| A **declared datasource** — `{ driver: 'memory' }` in a stack/app config | **Ephemeral.** Nothing is written to disk unless the declaration sets `config.persistence` — and when it does, the destination is scoped per datasource, so two memory datasources never share one file. |
+| `new InMemoryDriver()` **constructed directly** | `persistence: 'auto'` — under Node that means a JSON file at `.objectstack/data/memory-driver.json`, relative to the process's working directory, reloaded on the next boot. |
+
+Pass `persistence: false` for a driver you construct yourself and want purely in
+memory — a test, for instance, which should neither depend on nor leave behind
+state in the working directory. Two directly-constructed `'auto'` drivers in one
+process still share that single default path.
+
 ```typescript
 import { InMemoryDriver } from '@objectstack/driver-memory';
 
-new InMemoryDriver();
+new InMemoryDriver({ persistence: false });   // pure memory
+new InMemoryDriver();                         // 'auto' — file-backed under Node
 ```
 
 <Callout type="tip">
-Use the memory driver for unit tests. It requires no setup and runs instantly.
+Use the memory driver for unit tests. It requires no setup and runs instantly —
+with `persistence: false`, so one run cannot see what an earlier run left behind.
 </Callout>
 
 ## Local Environment Runtime
diff --git a/packages/spec/src/data/driver/memory.zod.ts b/packages/spec/src/data/driver/memory.zod.ts
index cd70ec19e3..232c486b5a 100644
--- a/packages/spec/src/data/driver/memory.zod.ts
+++ b/packages/spec/src/data/driver/memory.zod.ts
@@ -216,8 +216,19 @@ export const MemoryConfigSchema = lazySchema(() => z.object({
    * new InMemoryDriver({ persistence: false })
    * // Custom adapter for serverless
    * new InMemoryDriver({ persistence: { adapter: upstashAdapter } })
+   *
+   * **A datasource declared with `driver: 'memory'` is ephemeral unless this
+   * key is set (#4083).** `'auto'` is the default only for a driver you
+   * construct yourself. The shared datasource factory
+   * (`createDefaultDatasourceDriverFactory`) passes `false` when the
+   * declaration says nothing, so a declared memory datasource cannot silently
+   * become a file-backed store in the process's working directory — matching
+   * `objectstack dev`, which already reads an explicit memory driver as the
+   * user opting out of persistence. Set this key to opt back in; when you do
+   * without naming a `path`/`key`, the factory scopes the destination per
+   * datasource, so two memory datasources never share one file.
    */
-  persistence: MemoryPersistenceConfigSchema.or(z.literal(false)).default('auto').describe('Persistence configuration (defaults to auto-detect)'),
+  persistence: MemoryPersistenceConfigSchema.or(z.literal(false)).default('auto').describe('Persistence configuration (auto-detect by default; a declared memory datasource is ephemeral unless set)'),
 
   /**
    * Fields to index for faster lookups.