Memory That Actually Works: Setup Guide (Not Just Chat History)

You've got your agent running. It replies to messages. But after 24 hours, it forgets everything. That's not a bug. That's the default.

OpenClaw doesn't magically remember things. You have to teach it how.

#The Confusion

Chat history = what you said in the last 50 messages. Persistent memory = facts, decisions, context that survive session resets.

OpenClaw's default gives you chat history. Persistent memory requires work. Most people don't do the work. Then they blame OpenClaw for "not remembering."

#How OpenClaw Memory Actually Works

Layer 1: Session History (Automatic)

Every conversation is a session. The agent sees the last N messages in that session.

Session 1 (Today, 9 AM):
You: "I'm starting a new project called Azin"
Agent: "Got it. Tell me more."
---
[Session ends]
---
Session 2 (Tomorrow, 2 PM):
You: "What was that project I mentioned?"
Agent: "I have no idea. You haven't told me."

Each session is isolated by default. No persistent state.

Layer 2: MEMORY.md (You Control This)

This file is your agent's long-term memory. Think of it as a curated journal.

## Projects
- **Azin**: European cloud provider, launched Q1 2026
  - Vision: democratize AI infrastructure
  - Current focus: OpenClaw product
  - Team: 3 people (Hidde, Sarah, Marcus)
 
## Preferences
- Timezone: Amsterdam (CET)
- Communication style: Direct, no buzzwords
- Decision rule: Ship > perfect
 
## Important Contacts
- CEO: Hidde (slack: @hidde)
- Product: Sarah (github: sarahcodes)

How it works: You create MEMORY.md. Agent reads it on startup. Agent includes it in system prompt. Agent references it in conversations. You update it periodically.

Chat history is temporary. MEMORY.md is durable. You choose what's worth keeping.

Layer 3: memory/ Directory (Daily Logs)

Create a memory/ folder. Add daily files. These are raw notes — session logs, what happened today.

memory/
  2026-02-11.md
  2026-02-10.md
  2026-02-09.md

## Morning
- Deployed OpenClaw for first customer
- Customer asked about multi-agent setup
- Sarah discovered mem0 integration working
  better than expected
 
## Decision
- Switching blog from Medium to custom site
  (launching this week)
 
## Todo Tomorrow
- Write setup guides (4 articles)
- Review mem0 cost analysis

Why separate from MEMORY.md? Daily files are raw. MEMORY.md is curated. You review daily files periodically and promote important stuff to MEMORY.md.

#Option 1: Default Memory (Costs Nothing)

What you get:

• Chat history in active session (50+ messages)
• MEMORY.md at startup (you maintain it)
• No external services

What you don't get:

• Automatic fact capture
• Cross-session context

When to use: personal assistant, low-complexity automation, solo operator. Setup time: 10 minutes.

## About Me
- Name: Alex
- Timezone: UTC
- What I build: Cloud infrastructure
 
## Current Projects
- Project X: Status quo
- Project Y: Shipped last week
 
## Preferences
- Communication: Direct, no fluff

That's it. You're done.

#Option 2: Persistent Memory with mem0 (Smart)

mem0 is a memory layer that captures facts automatically. You don't edit MEMORY.md manually — the agent and mem0 do it for you.

What you get:

• Automatic fact extraction from conversations
• Persistent across sessions
• Searchable memory (agent can query it)
• Structured (entities, relationships, facts)

What you pay:

• $15–100/month (depending on usage)
• One API key in config
• 2 minutes to set up

mem0 Setup

• Sign up at app.mem0.ai and create an API key
• Install the plugin: openclaw plugins install @mem0/openclaw-mem0
• Add your key in OpenClaw dashboard

{
  "plugins": {
    "entries": {
      "mem0": {
        "enabled": true,
        "apiKey": "YOUR_MEM0_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Test It

DM your agent:

I'm building a European cloud provider
called Azin. We're targeting small teams.

Wait 30 seconds. DM again:

What's the name of the company I'm building?

Agent responds: "You're building Azin, a European cloud provider for small teams." mem0 captured it automatically.

What mem0 Remembers

• Facts: "My startup is called Azin"
• Preferences: "I prefer direct communication"
• Decisions: "We're launching in Q1"
• Relationships: "Sarah is my CTO"
• Context: "We use OpenClaw for our product"

You don't have to tell it to remember. It just does.

When to Use mem0

• Multi-agent setups (agents need shared context)
• Long-running automations (days/weeks of conversations)
• Complex relationships (team members, projects, decisions)
• When you want "true" long-term memory

#Option 3: Hybrid (Best of Both)

Use both default memory + mem0.

• MEMORY.md: Strategic knowledge (vision, preferences, important contacts)
• mem0: Tactical facts (daily decisions, progress updates, learnings)

Fill out MEMORY.md (10 minutes). Install mem0 (5 minutes). Done. Your agent now has durable strategy, auto-captured facts, and chat history.

#Common Memory Mistakes

Mistake: Waiting for the Agent to Remember

The agent won't remember one-off mentions across sessions. That's chat history, not memory.

❌ Don't do this:
You: "My timezone is America/Chicago"
[Next day]
You: "What's my timezone?"
Agent: "I don't know."

✅ Do this instead:
Add to USER.md or MEMORY.md:
- Timezone: America/Chicago

Mistake: MEMORY.md Bloat

Don't dump every conversation into MEMORY.md. That's chat history, not memory. It bloats your system prompt.

# MEMORY.md (❌ 10,000 lines)
 
## Every conversation I've ever had
- 2026-02-10: Alex mentioned he likes coffee
- 2026-02-09: Alex asked about Python
- 2026-02-08: ...

# MEMORY.md (✅ concise)
 
## About Alex
- Timezone: Chicago
- Prefers: Direct, no buzzwords
- Uses: Python, OpenClaw
 
## Current Projects
- [one line per project]

Keep it under 2,000 characters. Anything larger, move to daily logs.

Mistake: Not Updating Memory

Don't set it and forget it. Update weekly: review daily logs, promote important facts to MEMORY.md, delete stale info.

#Quick Setup

Option A: Default (Free)

# Create MEMORY.md
cat > MEMORY.md << 'EOF'
# MEMORY.md
 
## About You
[Add 5-10 key facts]
 
## Current Projects
[List active projects, one line each]
 
## Preferences
[Timezone, communication style, etc.]
EOF
 
# Create memory/ directory for daily logs
mkdir -p memory

Option B: mem0 (Smart)

# Do everything from Option A, then:
openclaw plugins install @mem0/openclaw-mem0
# Add API key in dashboard

Test Memory Works

DM your agent a fact. Wait an hour. Ask if it remembers. If it does, you're good.

#One More Thing

Memory isn't magic. It's intentionality.

The agent remembers what you tell it to remember. MEMORY.md is that instruction. mem0 just automates the capture.

Most setups fail because people expect the agent to be telepathic. It's not. It's smart, but you have to teach it what matters.

Next: Article 3 covers multi-agent teams. Memory scales differently there.