basic-memory

Gives your OpenClaw agent persistent memory across conversations by organizing entries in the native MEMORY.md and daily memory files. Automatically loads sa...

Security Scan

The skill's requirements and instructions are coherent with a conversational memory manager: it reads/writes workspace memory files, has no installs or secret requests, and its behavior matches its description, though its automatic save heuristics deserve user attention.

Purpose & Capability

Name/description match the instructions: the skill reads/writes files under ~/.openclaw/workspace/, uses built-in memory helper calls (memory_search, memory_get), and documents file layout and limits. It does not request unrelated binaries, env vars, or config paths.

Instruction Scope

Instructions stay within the stated purpose (load memory at session start, search, append, deduplicate, archive). They explicitly avoid touching the system search index and forbid saving secrets. One area to watch: the skill auto-saves when it "detect[s] they've shared something worth keeping," which leaves discretionary judgment to the agent (though concrete signals are listed). This could lead to unexpected writes if the agent misclassifies sensitive or ephemeral content.

Install Mechanism

No install spec and no code files — instruction-only skill. Nothing is downloaded or written to disk by the skill itself beyond the documented workspace files, so install risk is minimal.

Credentials

The skill declares no environment variables, credentials, or config paths. All requested accesses are local workspace files that align with the described functionality.

Persistence & Privilege

always:false and no special privileges requested. The skill can be invoked autonomously (platform default) which is expected for a memory skill; this is not excessive given the absence of broad credential access.

Assessment

This skill appears to do what it says: manage MEMORY.md and daily logs. Before installing, consider whether you want the agent to auto-save information without an explicit user confirmation — the skill lists signals but still allows discretionary saves, which could accidentally capture sensitive or ephemeral information. If you prefer tighter control: require confirmation before saving, disable automatic saves, or review memory entries periodically. Also note the skill explicitly forbids storing secrets (passwords, API keys, SSNs, health data); make sure the agent's classifiers are reliable in your deployment to avoid accidental storage.

Purpose

OpenClaw already stores memory in ~/.openclaw/workspace/MEMORY.md and loads it automatically at session start. The problem is that without clear structure and save habits, important facts get buried or never written down at all. This skill teaches the agent exactly what to save, where to put it, and how to retrieve it — so memory actually works in practice.

Storage Layout

All readable memory lives under the workspace:

~/.openclaw/workspace/
├── MEMORY.md                  ← long-term facts, loaded every session
└── memory/
    └── YYYY-MM-DD.md          ← daily log, today + yesterday auto-loaded

Do not write to ~/.openclaw/memory/ — that directory contains the SQLite search index managed by the system. Only the workspace files are yours to read and write.

MEMORY.md Structure

Organize MEMORY.md into four sections. Create any missing section on first write.

## Facts
- [2026-04-09] User's name is Billy. Works as an AI engineer at a startup.

## Preferences
- [2026-04-09] Prefers concise replies. Dislikes unnecessary preamble.

## Action Items
- [ ] [2026-04-09] Follow up on API integration by Friday.
- [x] [2026-04-08] Send draft proposal to team. (done)

## Learned
- [2026-04-09] User tends to work late evenings, often picks up mid-task next day.

Always distill to a single clear sentence per entry — never paste raw conversation.

On Session Start

OpenClaw auto-loads MEMORY.md plus today's and yesterday's daily files. Use this loaded context immediately — no tool call needed. Scan for open Action Items and surface any that are overdue or relevant to the user's first message.

Auto-Save During Conversation

Detect and save without being asked when the user shares:

Signal	Section	File
Name, job, company, location, family	## Facts	MEMORY.md
"I prefer…", "I hate…", "always use…"	## Preferences	MEMORY.md
"I decided to…", "let's go with…", deadlines	## Action Items	MEMORY.md
Project names, key people, recurring context	daily log	memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md
Patterns you've noticed about the user	## Learned	MEMORY.md

After auto-saving, confirm briefly in one line: "Noted: [distilled fact]."

Retrieving Memory

Use the built-in tools when searching:

• memory_search("query") — semantic search across all workspace memory files. Use this for open-ended questions like "what do you remember about my project?"
• memory_get("MEMORY.md") — read the full long-term memory file directly
• memory_get("memory/2026-04-09.md") — read a specific daily log

Prefer memory_search for retrieval; use memory_get when you need a full file read or a specific line range.

Explicit Commands

"Remember this" / "Save this"

1. Confirm: "Got it, I'll remember: [one-line summary]"
2. Write to the appropriate section

"What do you remember about [topic]?"

1. Call memory_search("[topic]")
2. Return matching entries with dates
3. If nothing found: "I don't have anything saved about [topic] yet."

"Forget [topic]"

1. Show the entries that would be removed
2. Ask for confirmation before deleting

"Show all memories" Read MEMORY.md with memory_get and report entry counts per section plus approximate size.

Session Reset — The One Thing to Know

OpenClaw's daily reset (default 4 AM) archives the session transcript without triggering a memory save. This means anything discussed but not yet written to MEMORY.md or the daily file is silently lost.

To prevent this: if a session has been long or contained important decisions, remind the user before wrapping up — "Want me to save today's key points before you go?" — then write them to the daily log and update MEMORY.md accordingly. The user can also run /compact manually to force a flush.

Privacy

Don't save passwords, API keys, SSNs, credit card numbers, or health data — not even if the user asks. Acknowledge verbally but skip the write.

Integration with personal-context

If personal-context is also installed, the two skills complement each other:

• me.json (personal-context) = stable identity set during onboarding, changes rarely
• MEMORY.md (this skill) = evolving knowledge that grows with every conversation

Don't duplicate identity-level facts (name, role, timezone) in MEMORY.md if they're already in me.json. Use MEMORY.md for the things that change — decisions, preferences discovered over time, open tasks.

See references/memory-hygiene.md for size limits, archiving rules, and deduplication guidance.