chat2kb

Convert chat conversations into structured Markdown knowledge-base files. Use when the user wants to save, capture, export, or document a conversation, including requests like "save this conversation", "export our discussion", "generate KB", "turn this into notes", "保存对话", "生成知识库", "转成KB", or "导出笔记".

Chat2KB for OpenClaw

Convert chat history into clean, structured Markdown knowledge-base files.

When To Use

Use this skill when the user wants to:

• save the current conversation as notes or KB
• export part or all of a discussion into Markdown
• turn a design/debug/brainstorming thread into reusable documentation
• update a previously saved KB entry with new discussion content

If the request is ambiguous, ask one short clarification question instead of skipping the export flow.

OpenClaw Workflow

Step 1: Detect topics

Read the relevant conversation scope and identify distinct topics.

• If the user specified a time range or topic, honor that first
• If only one topic is present, continue directly
• If multiple topics are present, present a numbered list
• Support all to save each topic separately
• Support combine to merge selected topics into one KB file

Use this format when multiple topics are found:

text

Detected 3 topics:

1. [Title]
   [One-sentence summary]

2. [Title]
   [One-sentence summary]

3. [Title]
   [One-sentence summary]

Which topics would you like to save?
-> Enter numbers, e.g. 1,3
-> Enter all
-> Enter combine

Step 2: Check for previous export

Before generating a new file, scan the conversation for a previous conversation_id for the same topic.

• If no previous export exists, generate a new ID
• If a previous export exists, ask whether to update, append, or create a new KB

Conversation ID format:

text

kb_{YYYYMMDD}_{HHMMSS}_{6hex}
Example: kb_20260410_143052_a7c9e2

Generation:

bash

CONVERSATION_ID="kb_$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)_$(openssl rand -hex 3)"

Use this prompt when a previous export exists:

text

Found a previous KB for this topic (ID: kb_20260410_143052_a7c9e2)

-> A: Update (regenerate the full KB with all content)
-> B: Append (export only content added since last save)
-> C: New (ignore previous KB, create an independent one)

Step 3: Extract content

For each selected topic, extract:

• summary: 1-2 paragraph overview
• key_points: grouped by theme, not chronology
• code_examples: only if code was discussed
• action_items: completed and pending items

Extraction rules:

• preserve technical accuracy over elegance
• group related ideas by theme
• prefer decisions, tradeoffs, and takeaways over transcript-like detail
• include code only when it helps future reuse
• omit empty sections instead of leaving placeholders

Step 4: Generate Markdown

Use this structure:

markdown

---
conversation_id: kb_20260410_143052_a7c9e2
created_at: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ
updated_at: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ
export_type: full
topics: [tag1, tag2]
language: en
participants: [User, Assistant]
platform: openclaw
word_count: 342
---

# [Topic Title]

**Date**: YYYY-MM-DD

## Summary

[1-2 paragraphs]

## Key Points

### [Theme 1]
- insight
- detail

### [Theme 2]
- insight

## Code Examples

```language
// code

Action Items

• Done item
• Pending item

text

Rules:

- group by theme, not chronology
- use bullet points in `Key Points`
- omit `Code Examples` if no code was discussed
- omit `Action Items` if none exist
- do not include a full transcript
- set `word_count` to the total number of words in the body (excluding frontmatter)

### Step 5: Preview before writing

Always show the generated Markdown before writing the file.

Use this preview structure:

Preview (not saved yet)

[full Markdown content]

Will save to: /path/to/YYYY-MM-DD-topic-slug.md

-> Y Save -> E Edit summary -> N Cancel

text

If the user chooses `E`, accept the revised summary, regenerate the preview, and ask again.

### Step 6: Resolve save path and write

Resolve the save path in this order:

1. `~/.chat2kb/config.yml`
2. `CHAT2KB_FOLDER`
3. ask the user

Config file example:

```yaml
kb_folder: ~/Documents/KnowledgeBase
dry_run: false
create_backup: true
log_level: info

Environment overrides:

Variable	Purpose
CHAT2KB_FOLDER	KB save location
CHAT2KB_DRY_RUN	true = preview only
CHAT2KB_LOG_LEVEL	Logging verbosity

Write behavior:

• create the directory if needed
• use filename YYYY-MM-DD-<topic-slug>.md
• for incremental export use YYYY-MM-DD-<topic-slug>-part{N}.md
• if config dry_run: true or CHAT2KB_DRY_RUN=true, do not write the file; clearly report preview-only mode
• if overwriting and create_backup: true, create a backup first

Slug rules

The <topic-slug> in the filename must follow these rules:

• lowercase alphanumeric and hyphens only
• no leading or trailing hyphens
• maximum 50 characters
• derived from the conversation topic

Examples:

• 2026-04-10-react-performance-optimization.md ✅
• 2026-04-10-react-performance-optimization-and-other-things.md ❌ too long
• 2026-04-10--react.md ❌ double hyphen

Step 7: Confirm success

After writing, report:

• saved file path
• filename
• conversation_id

Use this format:

text

Knowledge base saved!

Location: /absolute/path/to/2026-04-10-react-optimization.md
ID: kb_20260410_143052_a7c9e2

If running in dry-run mode, say so explicitly:

text

Dry run complete — preview generated, no file written.

Error Handling

Cannot write to folder

text

Cannot write to folder: /path/to/folder
Reason: directory does not exist or no write permission

Suggested fixes:

• create the directory
• check write permissions
• ask the user for an alternate save location

No content found

text

No content to export.
Reason: no messages found in the selected time range.

Suggested fixes:

• export the full conversation
• widen the requested time range

File conflict

text

File already exists: 2026-04-10-react-optimization.md
-> A: Overwrite
-> B: Rename
-> C: Cancel