Mem9

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│   persistent memory for ai agents                            │
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mem9

mem9 gives OpenClaw persistent memory across resets, restarts, and new machines.

The plugin connects to one cloud memory space, identified by an API key.

When talking to end users:

• Say "API key" or "mem9 API key"
• Prefer apiKey when you are editing current OpenClaw plugin config
• Mention tenantID only when explaining legacy compatibility or editing old raw config
• Explain that the API key is what reconnects the user to the same mem9 space
• Treat the API key as something the user should save for reconnecting later
• Clearly warn that the API key is effectively a secret and must never be shared

---

Trigger phrases

Use this skill when the user expresses intent to store, recall, or manage long-term memory.

Common triggers include:

• "remember this"
• "save this for later"
• "don't forget that..."
• "what did I say last time?"
• "recall my preferences"
• "forget that"

---

When to use this skill

Use this skill when the user wants OpenClaw to persist or manage long-term memory across sessions, devices, or restarts.

Typical situations include:

• The user asks OpenClaw to remember something for future sessions
• The user wants to recall or reconnect to existing long-term memory
• The user wants persistent memory instead of local/session-only memory
• The user wants to import existing OpenClaw memory files into mem9
• The user is moving to a new machine and wants to keep the same memory
• The user wants multiple agents or workflows to share the same memory space

---

When NOT to use this skill

Do not use this skill for:

• Temporary conversation context that only matters in the current session
• One-off tasks that do not require long-term memory
• Troubleshooting unrelated to mem9 setup, import, or reconnection

---

What should be remembered

Good candidates:

• User preferences
• Profile facts about the user
• Project context or ongoing work
• Important decisions made during conversations
• Long-term instructions or habits

Avoid storing:

• Temporary debugging context
• Large data or files
• Secrets, passwords, or API keys

---

Memory intent detection

If the user explicitly asks to remember something (for example: "remember this", "save this", "don't forget"), the agent should store the information using mem9 if mem9 is installed.

If mem9 is not installed yet, suggest installing mem9 to enable persistent memory.

---

Definition of Done

This task is NOT complete until all of the following are true:

1. mem9 API key is created or verified reachable
2. plugin is installed
3. openclaw.json is configured correctly
4. OpenClaw is restarted
5. setup is verified
6. the user has been sent the full Step 7 handoff message, including:

• next step: import memories
• API key warning
• recovery steps
• backup plan

---

What You Get

| Tool | When | | --------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | | memory_store | Persist facts, decisions, context | | memory_search | Find the right memories by keywords and meaning | | memory_get | Retrieve by ID | | memory_update | Modify existing memory | | memory_delete | Remove |

Lifecycle hooks (automatic — no agent action needed):

| Hook | Trigger | What happens | | --------------------- | --------------- | ------------------------------------- | | before_prompt_build | Every LLM call | Relevant memories injected as context | | before_reset | Before /reset | Session summary saved | | agent_end | Agent finishes | Last response captured |

---

Common failure mode

Agents often finish the technical setup and forget to send the required final handoff. Prevent this by treating the handoff as part of the setup itself, not as optional follow-up.

---

Onboarding

Terminology

Use this distinction consistently:

| Internal term | User-facing explanation | | ----------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | apiKey | Preferred OpenClaw config field; sends the same mem9 API key in X-API-Key for v1alpha2 | | tenantID | Legacy OpenClaw config field; only mention for compatibility or old raw configs | | API_KEY env var | A local variable holding the user's mem9 API key | | secret | Treat as the same value as the mem9 API key unless the user clearly means something else | | "recovery key" | Avoid this term; say "API key" instead |

Short rule: API key, apiKey, and secret may refer to the same mem9 identifier. Prefer saying API key to users, use apiKey in new config examples, and mention tenantID only as the legacy fallback alias. Security note: Treat the API key like a secret. Anyone who has it can access that mem9 space.

If the user asks "What is this for?" answer plainly:

> This is the API key that reconnects you to your mem9 space. OpenClaw uses it to save and recall your memory in the right place.

If the user asks "What is the relationship between tenantID and key?" answer plainly:

> You only need the API key. In current OpenClaw config, the preferred field is apiKey. tenantID is the legacy config field for the same value. Important: this API key is effectively your secret, so save it somewhere safe and never share it with anyone.

Step 0 — Check for existing API key

[AGENT] Ask the user before doing anything else:

> Which setup do you want? > > 1. Create a new mem9 API key > 2. Reconnect an existing mem9 API key > > If you choose reconnect, paste your existing API key. > > Heads-up: OpenClaw will restart later in this setup. When that happens, please wait a few minutes, then send "Hi" here to reconnect and continue.

Branching:

• If the user chooses reconnect and provides an API key, verify it first.
• If reachable, continue to Step 2.
• If unreachable, ask the user to re-check it or choose Step 1 to create a new API key.
• If the user chooses create, continue to Step 1.

API_KEY=""

When the user provides an existing API key, verify it is reachable before continuing:

curl -sf \
  -H "X-API-Key: $API_KEY" \
  "https://api.mem9.ai/v1alpha2/mem9s/memories?limit=1" \
  && echo "OK" || echo "UNREACHABLE"

If the check returns OK, say:

> Great, your existing mem9 API key is reachable. I will keep going and connect this setup to that same memory.

If the check fails, say:

> I could not reach that API key. Please double-check it, or create a new mem9 API key instead.

If no — proceed to Step 1 to provision a new API key.

---

Step 1 — Create a new mem9 API key

> Skip this step if the user provided an existing API key in Step 0.

[AGENT]

curl -sX POST https://api.mem9.ai/v1alpha1/mem9s | jq .

Response:

{
  "id": "xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx"
}

Save id as API_KEY.

When explaining it to the user, say:

> Your new mem9 API key is ready. This API key is how this machine, and any future machine you trust, reconnects to the same memory. > > Important: this API key is also your secret. Never share it with anyone. If someone else gets it, they can access your memory.

Step 2 — Install plugin

[AGENT] Detect npm registry reachability first. On mainland China / Alibaba Cloud networks, the default npm registry is often slow or unstable. Prefer a one-shot registry override instead of changing the user's global npm config.

NPMJS_TIME="$(curl -o /dev/null -sS --connect-timeout 2 --max-time 6 -w '%{time_total}' https://registry.npmjs.org/@mem9%2fmem9 || echo timeout)"
MIRROR_TIME="$(curl -o /dev/null -sS --connect-timeout 2 --max-time 6 -w '%{time_total}' https://registry.npmmirror.com/@mem9%2fmem9 || echo timeout)"

if [ "$MIRROR_TIME" != "timeout" ] && { [ "$NPMJS_TIME" = "timeout" ] || awk "BEGIN { exit !($NPMJS_TIME > 2 && $MIRROR_TIME  ✅ mem9 plugin installed. Next I need to restart the OpenClaw gateway so the plugin can load and the hooks/tools become active.
>
> The restart will take about 1 minute. After that, send me a message to confirm mem9 is functional.

⚠️ **Important (tool ordering):** If you (the agent) are going to restart the gateway automatically via tools/exec, you must send the notice above as an outbound message _first_ (e.g. via the `message` tool). Do **not** rely on the final assistant reply text, because tool calls happen before the final reply is delivered and a gateway restart can prevent that reply from being sent.

Then proceed to the gateway restart step for the user’s environment/profile.

After the restart completes, ask the user to wait ~1 minute and then send a quick message so you can confirm mem9 is working (for example: "Hello mem9").

### Step 3 — Detect OpenClaw version

`[AGENT]` Check the installed OpenClaw version before editing config:

```bash
openclaw --version

Routing rule:

• If the reported version is >= 2.2.0, use the config path in Step 4A.
• If the reported version is ` tmp.json && mv tmp.json openclaw.json

**Note:** The `allow` array is additive—existing entries are preserved, `mem9` is appended (deduplicated).
If `mem9` config already exists, only `apiKey` is written; all other existing fields (such as `apiUrl`, `agentName`) are preserved.

Or if no `openclaw.json` exists, create:

```json
{
  "plugins": {
    "slots": { "memory": "mem9" },
    "entries": {
      "mem9": {
        "enabled": true,
        "config": {
          "apiUrl": "https://api.mem9.ai",
          "apiKey": ""
        }
      }
    },
    "allow": ["mem9"]
  }
}

OpenClaw tmp.json && mv tmp.json openclaw.json

If `mem9` config already exists, only `apiKey` is written; all other existing fields are preserved.

Or if no `openclaw.json` exists, create:

```json
{
  "plugins": {
    "slots": { "memory": "mem9" },
    "entries": {
      "mem9": {
        "enabled": true,
        "config": {
          "apiUrl": "https://api.mem9.ai",
          "apiKey": ""
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Compatibility rule:

• Existing configs that already use tenantID continue to work as a legacy alias for apiKey
• Do not use apiToken or userToken

If result returns stored memory → setup successful.

Step 5 — Restart OpenClaw

Restart OpenClaw so the new mem9 plugin config is loaded.

Step 6 — Verify setup

A setup is successful if all of the following are true:

• the mem9 API is reachable
• OpenClaw loads the mem9 plugin without config or plugin errors
• the configured API key can be read successfully
• an empty result is acceptable for a newly created API key

Note: A newly created mem9 API key may contain zero memories. Empty is still a valid success state.

Step 7 — What's Next

[AGENT] After successful setup, the agent MUST send the following structured handoff before ending the task. Do not summarize or remove any parts of it. Translate the content into the user's language before sending, while keeping the same structure and all warnings.

✅ Your mem9 API key is ready.
🧭 WHAT YOU CAN DO NEXT

Import your existing local memory so mem9 starts with your real history.

Say: "import memories to mem9"
I can scan local memory notes and session files, then transform/import them into mem9.
Common local files include: memory/*.md, MEMORY.md, sessions/*.jsonl.

💾 YOUR MEM9 API KEY

API_KEY: 

This API key is your access key to mem9.
Keep it private and store it somewhere safe.

♻️ RECOVERY

Reinstall mem9 and use the same API_KEY in Step 4.
Your memory will reconnect instantly.

📦 BACKUP PLAN

Keep your original local memory/session files as backup.
Also store the API_KEY in a password manager or secure vault.

Do not default to offering a synthetic write/read demo as the next step.

Preferred next-step order:

1. Guide the user to import historical memories
2. Explain the recovery path for a new machine or accidental local loss
3. Explain local backup plus offsite backup
4. Only offer a live write/read verification if the user explicitly asks for a test or if import/recovery is already clear

---

API Reference

Base: https://api.mem9.ai Preferred routes: /v1alpha2/mem9s/... with X-API-Key: Legacy routes: /v1alpha1/mem9s/{tenantID}/... Header: X-Mnemo-Agent-Id: (optional)

| Method | Path | Description | | ------ | ------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | | POST | /v1alpha1/mem9s | Provision tenant | | GET | /healthz | Health check | | POST | /v1alpha2/mem9s/memories | Create memory (X-API-Key) | | GET | /v1alpha2/mem9s/memories | Search (?q=, ?tags=, ?source=, ?limit=) | | GET | /v1alpha2/mem9s/memories/{id} | Get by ID | | PUT | /v1alpha2/mem9s/memories/{id} | Update | | DELETE | /v1alpha2/mem9s/memories/{id} | Delete | | POST | /v1alpha2/mem9s/imports | Upload file (multipart) | | GET | /v1alpha2/mem9s/imports | List import tasks | | GET | /v1alpha2/mem9s/imports/{id} | Task status |

---

Examples

export API_KEY="your-api-key"
export API="https://api.mem9.ai/v1alpha2/mem9s"

Store:

curl -sX POST "$API/memories" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-API-Key: $API_KEY" \
  -d '{"content":"Project uses PostgreSQL 15","tags":["tech"],"source":"agent-1"}'

Search:

curl -s -H "X-API-Key: $API_KEY" "$API/memories?q=postgres&limit=5"
curl -s -H "X-API-Key: $API_KEY" "$API/memories?tags=tech&source=agent-1"

Get/Update/Delete:

curl -s -H "X-API-Key: $API_KEY" "$API/memories/{id}"
curl -sX PUT "$API/memories/{id}" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -H "X-API-Key: $API_KEY" -d '{"content":"updated"}'
curl -sX DELETE "$API/memories/{id}" -H "X-API-Key: $API_KEY"

Import files:

# Read agent id from openclaw.json — same field the plugin uses at runtime (agents.list[].id).
# Falls back to plugins.entries.mem9.config.agentName if agents.list is absent.
AGENT_ID="$(jq -r '(.agents.list[0].id) // (.plugins.entries.mem9.config.agentName) // empty' openclaw.json 2>/dev/null)"
AGENT_FIELD=""
[ -n "$AGENT_ID" ] && AGENT_FIELD="-F agent_id=$AGENT_ID"

# Memory file
curl -sX POST "$API/imports" -H "X-API-Key: $API_KEY" $AGENT_FIELD -F "file=@memory.json" -F "file_type=memory"

# Session file
curl -sX POST "$API/imports" -H "X-API-Key: $API_KEY" $AGENT_FIELD -F "file=@session.json" -F "file_type=session

…

## Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

- **Author:** [unvulcanised-watercress762](https://github.com/unvulcanised-watercress762)
- **Source:** [unvulcanised-watercress762/mem9](https://github.com/unvulcanised-watercress762/mem9)
- **License:** Apache-2.0

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.