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Memory

Clawdbot memory is plain Markdown in the agent workspace. The files are the source of truth; the model only “remembers” what gets written to disk.

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Memory files (Markdown)

The default workspace layout uses two memory layers:
  • memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md
    • Daily log (append-only).
    • Read today + yesterday at session start.
  • MEMORY.md (optional)
    • Curated long-term memory.
    • Only load in the main, private session (never in group contexts).
These files live under the workspace (agents.defaults.workspace, default ~/clawd). See Agent workspace for the full layout.

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When to write memory

  • Decisions, preferences, and durable facts go to MEMORY.md.
  • Day-to-day notes and running context go to memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md.
  • If someone says “remember this,” write it down (do not keep it in RAM).

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Automatic memory flush (pre-compaction ping)

When a session is close to auto-compaction, Clawdbot triggers a silent, agentic turn that reminds the model to write durable memory before the context is compacted. The default prompts explicitly say the model may reply, but usually NO_REPLY is the correct response so the user never sees this turn. This is controlled by agents.defaults.compaction.memoryFlush: 
{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      compaction: {
        reserveTokensFloor: 20000,
        memoryFlush: {
          enabled: true,
          softThresholdTokens: 4000,
          systemPrompt: "Session nearing compaction. Store durable memories now.",
          prompt: "Write any lasting notes to memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md; reply with NO_REPLY if nothing to store."
        }
      }
    }
  }
}
Details:
  • Soft threshold: flush triggers when the session token estimate crosses contextWindow - reserveTokensFloor - softThresholdTokens.
  • Silent by default: prompts include NO_REPLY so nothing is delivered.
  • Two prompts: a user prompt plus a system prompt append the reminder.
  • One flush per compaction cycle (tracked in sessions.json).
  • Workspace must be writable: if the session runs sandboxed with workspaceAccess: "ro" or "none", the flush is skipped.
For the full compaction lifecycle, see Session management + compaction.