Persistent knowledge that survives across OpenClaw sessions
MEMORY.md is a file OpenClaw reads and writes to store information that should persist between conversations. Unlike the context window which resets, MEMORY.md survives session restarts — letting your agent remember user preferences, past decisions, ongoing tasks, and accumulated knowledge.
OpenClaw appends and rewrites sections of MEMORY.md during conversations when it determines something is worth remembering. On startup, the contents of MEMORY.md are loaded into the agent's context so it has immediate access to everything stored. The agent decides what to remember based on instructions in SOUL.md or AGENTS.md.
Memory is what separates a useful long-term assistant from a forgetful chatbot. An agent without persistent memory asks the same onboarding questions every session. One with MEMORY.md remembers your preferences, your project context, your past decisions — and builds on them over time.
After you tell your agent you prefer short bullet-point summaries over paragraphs, it writes that to MEMORY.md. Next session, it immediately formats responses the way you like without being asked.
Clawfleet manages your OpenClaw instance — MEMORY.md, backups, restarts, and cost tracking — all included. Start for $1.
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