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OpenClaw Plugin

Semantic memory for OpenClaw agents. A TypeScript plugin with kind: memory that replaces OpenClaw's built-in memory-core with hybrid semantic search.

Browse on ClawHub Install

Why memsearch over memory-core?

OpenClaw ships with memory-core, a built-in memory plugin backed by SQLite + sqlite-vec. It works out of the box, but has limitations that become apparent at scale:

Aspect memory-core (built-in) memsearch
Vector backend SQLite + sqlite-vec (single-file, embedded) Milvus -- scales from embedded to distributed cluster
Search Dense vector only Hybrid: dense + BM25 sparse + RRF fusion (better keyword recall)
Storage format SQLite database (opaque) Plain .md files (human-readable, git-friendly, editable)
Multi-agent isolation Shared database Per-agent directory + per-agent Milvus collection
Progressive disclosure Single-layer (search only) Three-layer: search → expand → transcript drill-down
Embedding model Depends on configuration Pluggable: ONNX bge-m3 (default), OpenAI, Google, Voyage, Jina, Mistral, Ollama
Data portability Locked in SQLite Copy .md files, rebuild index anywhere
Cross-platform OpenClaw only Same memories accessible from Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode

When to stay with memory-core

memory-core is the right choice if you want zero-dependency built-in memory with no extra installation. It works well for single-agent setups with moderate history depth.

When to switch to memsearch

Switch when you need: hybrid search (keyword + semantic), cross-platform memory sharing, human-readable storage, per-agent isolation, or when memory-core's dense-only search misses results that contain specific terms or identifiers.

Per-Agent Isolation

OpenClaw supports multiple agents (e.g., main, work, custom agents). memsearch provides automatic per-agent memory isolation based on workspace directories:

  • Separate memory directories: each agent's workspace has its own .memsearch/memory/
  • Directory-based collections: collection names are derived from the workspace path using the same algorithm as Claude Code, Codex, and OpenCode (ms_<basename>_<hash>)
  • Cross-platform sharing: when an agent's workspace points to the same project directory used by other platforms, memories are automatically shared

This means agents with different workspaces have isolated memories, while agents pointing to the same project directory share memories -- even across platforms.

Cross-platform sharing with Claude Code / Codex / OpenCode

To share memories with other platforms on the same project, set your agent's workspace to the project directory:

openclaw agents add coder --workspace /path/to/your/project

The collection name will automatically match other platforms working on the same directory.

When Is This Useful?

  • Multi-agent workflows. You use OpenClaw's main agent for general coding and a work agent for devops. Each needs its own context -- memsearch isolates them automatically.
  • Long-running agent sessions. OpenClaw agents can run for extended periods in TUI mode. memsearch captures every turn via the agent_end hook, so nothing is lost even in marathon sessions.
  • Cross-platform memory. You use OpenClaw for some projects and Claude Code for others. memsearch's markdown-based storage means memories are portable -- the same .md files work with any plugin.
  • Auditing agent behavior. memsearch's three-layer drill-down lets you trace from a summary back to the original JSONL transcript, useful for understanding what the agent actually did.

Key Features

  • Automatic capture -- conversations summarized and saved after each turn via agent_end hook
  • Three-layer progressive recall -- search, expand, and drill into original transcripts (details)
  • Multi-agent isolation -- each agent gets its own memory directory and Milvus collection
  • Cold-start context -- recent memories injected on agent start via before_agent_start hook
  • ONNX embedding by default -- no API key required, runs locally on CPU
  • Cross-platform sharing -- same collection names as Claude Code, Codex, and OpenCode for seamless memory portability

Pages

  • Installation -- prerequisites, install, uninstall
  • How It Works -- capture architecture, cold-start, memory files, multi-agent isolation
  • Memory Tools -- three registered tools, progressive recall, comparisons