para-memory
v1.0.0Set 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...
Installation
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 with status.md)
- life/areas/ — Ongoing responsibilities (business ops, infrastructure, marketing)
- life/resources/ — Reference material, research, templates
- life/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:
1. Read life/tacit.md (Layer 3 — who you're helping)
2. Read memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md for today and yesterday (Layer 2 — recent context)
3. If in a direct/main session: also read MEMORY.md if 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:
1. Review today's memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md
2. Extract durable facts → update relevant life/ files (Layer 1)
3. Extract lessons/preferences → update life/tacit.md (Layer 3)
4. 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