Local-first Store / Pack / Observe memory sidecar for cited, rollbackable OpenClaw context
Project description
openclaw-mem
Memory your agent can’t lie about — Store / Pack / Observe for local, cited, rollbackable context.
openclaw-mem turns agent work into a durable local memory trail, then builds bounded ContextPack bundles with citations, trust-policy receipts, and traceable include/exclude reasons. Start with a plain SQLite sidecar beside OpenClaw. Promote to the optional mem engine only after the local proof earns the extra surface.
Start here
- Run the synthetic proof: Trust-policy synthetic proof
- Pick an evaluation path: 5 minutes / 30 minutes / one afternoon
- Check Core vs Advanced Labs: Core vs Advanced Labs
- Choose sidecar vs engine: Install modes
- Check shipped vs partial status: Reality check & status
- Read in Traditional Chinese: Traditional Chinese edition
What is automatic today?
| Surface | Status | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Sidecar observation capture | Automatic when the plugin is enabled | Captures denoised JSONL observations and backend/action annotations. |
| Harvest, triage, and graph capture | Scheduled on configured hosts | Converts captured records into searchable stores and receipts. |
pack |
CLI core | Produces bounded ContextPack output with citations and trace receipts. |
| Graph routing, optimize assist, continuity, GBrain | Advanced Labs / opt-in lanes | Available for mature operators, but not part of the first evaluation path. |
| Mem-engine Proactive Pack | Optional promotion | Bounded pre-reply recall orchestration after explicit engine adoption. |
What you get
- Local-first by default — JSONL + SQLite, no external database required.
- Cheap recall loop —
search → timeline → getkeeps routine lookups fast and inspectable. - Bounded packing —
packemits a stableContextPackcontract for injection, citations, trust-policy receipts, and trace-backed debugging. - Fits real OpenClaw ops — capture tool outcomes, retain receipts, sanitize runtime artifacts, and keep rollback simple.
- Upgradeable path — sidecar first, engine later; no forced migration on day one.
- Advanced labs are opt-in — graph routing, GBrain, continuity, Dream Lite, and deeper optimization lanes stay out of the first evaluation path.
Why this exists
Long-running agents do not just forget. They also accumulate memory that quietly degrades:
- old notes still match the query even when they are no longer useful
- untrusted or hostile content can retrieve well and slip into context
- prompts bloat into giant memory dumps instead of a small, inspectable bundle
- when something goes wrong, it is hard to explain why a memory was included
openclaw-mem tackles that by building compact memory packs with citations, trace receipts, and trust-policy controls.
Try it in 5 minutes
You can prove the core behavior locally without touching OpenClaw config.
git clone https://github.com/phenomenoner/openclaw-mem.git
cd openclaw-mem
uv sync --locked
uv run --python 3.13 --frozen -- \
python benchmarks/trust_policy_synthetic_proof.py --json
What this proof shows
- vanilla packing selects a quarantined row from synthetic memory
- trust-aware packing excludes that row with an explicit reason
- selected rows keep citation coverage and traceable receipts
Full proof path:
- Evaluator path
- Trust-policy synthetic proof
- Trust-aware pack proof
- Command-aware compaction proof
- Metrics JSON
- Synthetic fixture + receipts
- Inside-out demo
Store + Pack + Observe
The product loop is simple and stable:
- Store: capture, ingest, and query observations with
store/ingest/search. - Pack: run
packto get a boundedbundle_textandcontext_pack(schema: openclaw-mem.context-pack.v1), with citations, trust policy, and trace receipts. - Observe: use
timeline,get, andartifactoutputs for explainability and rollback.
When mem-engine is active, Proactive Pack extends the same Pack contract into live turns as a small, receipt-backed pre-reply bundle.
Advanced labs
The first-time evaluator path is Store / Pack / Observe. Everything below is opt-in after the core proof is clear.
Advanced lanes currently include:
- Graph routing for topology-aware recall experiments.
- GBrain sidecar for bounded read-only lookup and restricted helper-job experiments.
- Governed continuity side-car for derived continuity inspection and public-safe summaries.
- Dream Lite / deeper optimize loops for research-grade memory maintenance workflows.
These lanes are not required for the 5-minute proof, the sidecar install path, or the basic ContextPack contract. Treat them as labs until your use case needs them.
Read more:
- Product positioning
- Core vs Advanced Labs
- Evaluator path
- Architecture
- Context pack
- Experimental GBrain sidecar
- Optional Mem Engine
OpenClaw 2026.4.15 and openclaw-mem
By OpenClaw 2026.4.15, the native memory and prompt-time integration experience had become noticeably stronger. We are genuinely happy to see that direction mature.
That is good for the ecosystem, good for operators, and good for openclaw-mem too.
A stronger foundation makes it easier to keep our own work focused on what matters most: better packs, clearer evidence, and safer memory maintenance.
Our direction is not to shrink back into native features. It is to build a clearer, more opinionated product layer on top of a stronger foundation.
Read more:
Deeper operations live below the fold
openclaw-mem also has governed memory-hygiene and artifact-observation tools for mature operator stacks. They are useful after the core product is proven, but they are not required for the first evaluation path.
Start with:
More links
Core and adoption
- Why openclaw-mem still exists:
docs/why-openclaw-mem-still-exists.md - OpenClaw 2026.4.15 comparison:
docs/openclaw-2026-4-15-comparison.md - About the product:
docs/about.md - Proactive Pack:
docs/proactive-pack.md - Choose an install path:
docs/install-modes.md - Detailed quickstart:
QUICKSTART.md - Docs site: https://phenomenoner.github.io/openclaw-mem/
- Traditional Chinese edition:
docs/zh/index.md - Reality check / status:
docs/reality-check.md - Deployment patterns:
docs/deployment.md - Auto-capture plugin:
docs/auto-capture.md - Agent memory skill (SOP):
docs/agent-memory-skill.md - Optional Mem Engine:
docs/mem-engine.md - Release notes: https://github.com/phenomenoner/openclaw-mem/releases
License
Dual-licensed: MIT OR Apache-2.0. See LICENSE, LICENSE-MIT, and LICENSE-APACHE.
Project details
Download files
Download the file for your platform. If you're not sure which to choose, learn more about installing packages.
Source Distribution
Built Distribution
Filter files by name, interpreter, ABI, and platform.
If you're not sure about the file name format, learn more about wheel file names.
Copy a direct link to the current filters
File details
Details for the file openclaw_context_pack-1.9.5.tar.gz.
File metadata
- Download URL: openclaw_context_pack-1.9.5.tar.gz
- Upload date:
- Size: 985.0 kB
- Tags: Source
- Uploaded using Trusted Publishing? No
- Uploaded via: twine/6.2.0 CPython/3.13.13
File hashes
| Algorithm | Hash digest | |
|---|---|---|
| SHA256 |
45ee26acd4c78fed88855cca9bc84e70dad146c05c4ea818a84868889e616307
|
|
| MD5 |
2a5ad253dd93bd16316db69c958a278b
|
|
| BLAKE2b-256 |
8da4824a4446520f3a36304680c107632355a09e1e16747bdd870997a8a1ad86
|
File details
Details for the file openclaw_context_pack-1.9.5-py3-none-any.whl.
File metadata
- Download URL: openclaw_context_pack-1.9.5-py3-none-any.whl
- Upload date:
- Size: 271.5 kB
- Tags: Python 3
- Uploaded using Trusted Publishing? No
- Uploaded via: twine/6.2.0 CPython/3.13.13
File hashes
| Algorithm | Hash digest | |
|---|---|---|
| SHA256 |
83c5c06957bf05c4c7cb1b0953af20a929111f752c60eab9601a5ae4d02a4876
|
|
| MD5 |
54be93071bece500db3240f08d3e7337
|
|
| BLAKE2b-256 |
790ea6ec23cc4e8c369e09b0e351fdbaab9ec47d60d1a5393c57338edaf788ea
|