OpenClaw Best Practices - Memory Management

Overview

Memory System Architecture

Three-Layer Memory Model

Short-term Memory (Session-level)
  ↓ Automatic sedimentation of important information
Working Memory (Task-level)
  ↓ Archiving after task completion
Long-term Memory (Permanent-level)
  → Semantic retrieval via vector database

Characteristics of Each Layer

Memory Management Strategies

1. Memory Writing Strategy

Automatic Writing Rules:

• Do not store all conversation content (creates noise)
• Extract key information points for structured storage
• Add metadata to memory entries (time, source, category)
• Mark sensitive information for encryption

2. Memory Retrieval Strategy

Retrieval Optimization:

3. Memory Maintenance Strategy

Regular Maintenance Tasks:

4. Memory Partitioning Strategy

Manage memories by topic partitions:

Privacy Protection

Privacy Management of Memory Data

1. Local Storage: All memory data is stored in a local vector database
2. Local Embedding: Uses HuggingFace Transformers for local embedding computation
3. Encrypt Sensitive Data: Encrypts sensitive information like passwords and keys
4. Right to Forget: Users can delete any memory entry at any time
5. Export Function: Supports exporting all memory data

Data Lifecycle

Creation → Usage → Decay → Archiving/Deletion
  ↓         ↓         ↓           ↓
Source Tagging | Access Count | Weight Reduction | Backup and Delete

Common Issues and Solutions

Conclusion

Memory management is key to OpenClaw's continuous improvement of personalized experiences. The core principles are: Selective Writing, Efficient Retrieval, Regular Maintenance, Privacy First. Through the three-layer memory model and partitioning strategy, an accurate, efficient, and secure memory system is achieved.

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*Analysis Date: March 28, 2026*