Where should AGENTSmd SOULmd USERmd MEMORYmd live

These files live in the agent workspace, not ~/.openclaw.
Workspace (per agent): AGENTS.md, SOUL.md, IDENTITY.md, USER.md, MEMORY.md (or memory.md), memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md, optional HEARTBEAT.md.
State dir (~/.openclaw): config, credentials, auth profiles, sessions, logs, and shared skills (~/.openclaw/skills).
Default workspace is ~/.openclaw/workspace, configurable via:
{
agents: { defaults: { workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace" } },
}
If the bot “forgets” after a restart, confirm the Gateway is using the same workspace on every launch (and remember: remote mode uses the gateway host’s workspace, not your local laptop).
Tip: if you want a durable behavior or preference, ask the bot to write it into AGENTS.md or MEMORY.md rather than relying on chat history.
See Agent workspace and Memory.