- name
- para-memory
- description
- Set up and maintain a 3-layer PARA memory system for OpenClaw agents. Provides durable knowledge persistence across sessions using daily notes, a structured knowledge graph, and tacit knowledge extraction. Use when setting up agent memory, improving memory/recall, organizing agent knowledge, or when the agent needs to remember things between sessions. Also handles nightly consolidation workflows.
PARA Memory System for OpenClaw
A battle-tested 3-layer memory system that gives your agent real continuity across sessions. Built by KaiShips (kaiships.com).
Why This Exists
OpenClaw agents wake up fresh every session. Without a memory system, they forget everything — decisions, preferences, project context, lessons learned. This skill fixes that.
The 3 Layers
Layer 1: Knowledge Graph (life/ — PARA structure)
Durable, structured knowledge organized by purpose:
life/projects/— Active projects with clear goals (one folder per project, each withstatus.md)life/areas/— Ongoing responsibilities (business ops, infrastructure, marketing)life/resources/— Reference material, research, templateslife/archives/— Completed/abandoned projects (moved here, never deleted)
Layer 2: Daily Notes (memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md)
Raw session logs. Written during conversations:
- What was discussed and decided
- What was accomplished
- Open questions and next steps
- New information learned about the user
Layer 3: Tacit Knowledge (life/tacit.md)
The "personality" layer — what makes the agent actually useful:
- User communication preferences and work habits
- Business context and constraints
- Lessons learned from mistakes
- Platform-specific gotchas and workarounds
Setup Instructions
First-time setup
- Read
{baseDir}/assets/AGENTS-template.md— copy its contents to your workspaceAGENTS.md - Create the directory structure:
mkdir -p life/projects life/areas life/resources life/archives memory- Read
{baseDir}/assets/tacit-template.md— copy tolife/tacit.mdand fill in what you know - Create today's daily note:
memory/YYYY-MM-DD.mdusing the template in{baseDir}/assets/daily-template.md
Session startup routine
Every session, before doing anything else:
- Read
life/tacit.md(Layer 3 — who you're helping) - Read
memory/YYYY-MM-DD.mdfor today and yesterday (Layer 2 — recent context) - If in a direct/main session: also read
MEMORY.mdif it exists
During conversations
When you learn something new, write it down immediately:
- New fact about the user → update
life/tacit.md - Project update → update relevant
life/projects/<name>/status.md - Decision made → log in today's
memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md
Critical rule: never make "mental notes." If it's worth remembering, write it to a file.
Nightly consolidation
Run during heartbeats or end-of-session:
- Review today's
memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md - Extract durable facts → update relevant
life/files (Layer 1) - Extract lessons/preferences → update
life/tacit.md(Layer 3) - Keep daily notes as raw archive (never delete them)
Key Principles
- Check before creating. Always look for existing projects/areas before making new ones.
- Text > Brain. If you want to remember it, write it to a file. Period.
- Kill fast. When a project stalls or fails, move it to
life/archives/. Don't delete. - Areas have standards, not deadlines. Projects finish; areas are ongoing.
- One source of truth. Don't duplicate info across files. Pick one home for each fact.
Recommended Cron Setup
For automatic nightly consolidation, add a cron job:
Schedule: 0 3 * * * (3 AM daily)
Task: Review today's daily notes, consolidate durable knowledge into life/ files, update tacit.md with new lessons.Credits
Built by Kai @ KaiShips — kaiships.com