PowerMem Memory Guide

This skill folder includes supplementary docs:

• - powermem-intro.md — What PowerMem is, features, vs file-based memory.
• config-reference.md — Config keys, state dir, commands.

How It Works

• - Auto-Capture: After a conversation, the plugin sends valuable user/assistant text to PowerMem (optional infer / intelligent extraction).
• Auto-Recall: Before each turn, it searches memories and can inject a <relevant-memories> block into context.

When User Asks to Install

Recommended order (TO C): (1) OpenClaw installed and default model + provider auth configured. (2) Python 3.10+ verified (python3 --version) before venv / pip install. (3) pip install powermem and pmem available to the gateway (PATH or pmemPath). (4) Install the memory-powermem plugin. No powermem.env is required for the default path.

The curl install.sh deploys the plugin and OpenClaw entries; with -y it may still create ~/.openclaw/powermem/powermem.env as an optional template—it does not run pip install powermem. That file is not required if the user relies on OpenClaw-injected LLM + default SQLite.

1. 1. Check OpenClaw

openclaw --version. If missing: npm install -g openclaw, openclaw onboard. Ensure agents.defaults.model is set (e.g. openai/gpt-4o-mini) and the corresponding provider / API key works for normal chat—the plugin reuses that for PowerMem when useOpenClawModel is true (default).

1. 2. Check Python (required before venv / pip)

PowerMem needs Python 3.10 or newer. Run python3 --version first; the minor version must be ≥ 10 (e.g. 3.10.x, 3.12.x). Optional strict check:

   python3 -c "import sys; assert sys.version_info >= (3, 10), 'Need Python 3.10+'; print(sys.version.split()[0], 'OK')"
   

If it fails: upgrade Python or use a specific binary (e.g. python3.12) for all commands below instead of python3.

1. 3. Install PowerMem (CLI — default)

- Venv recommended: e.g. python3 -m venv ~/.openclaw/powermem/.venv && source ~/.openclaw/powermem/.venv/bin/activate. - pip install powermem. - Defaults: Plugin injects SQLite at <OpenClaw stateDir>/powermem/data/powermem.db and LLM + embedding env vars derived from OpenClaw. Typical stateDir is ~/.openclaw unless the user uses another instance (OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR, --workdir). - Optional envFile: Path to a PowerMem .env for extra tuning. If the file exists, pmem loads it; OpenClaw-derived vars still override the same keys when useOpenClawModel is true. - useOpenClawModel: false: Disables injection; user must supply a complete PowerMem config via .env and/or environment variables. - Verify: pmem --version. If the gateway does not inherit the venv, set pmemPath to the absolute path of pmem.

1. 4. HTTP path (enterprise / shared server)

- Same Python 3.10+ requirement as CLI; then pip install powermem, .env in server working directory, powermem-server --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000. - Check: curl -s http://localhost:8000/api/v1/system/health.

1. 5. Install the plugin

openclaw plugins install /path/to/memory-powermem, or install.sh from INSTALL.md.

1. 6. Configure OpenClaw

CLI — minimal (recommended, matches plugin defaults):
Do not set envFile unless you need a file. Example:

CODEBLOCK1

CLI — optional .env override file:

CODEBLOCK2

(Only matters if that path exists; OpenClaw can still override LLM keys when useOpenClawModel is true.)

HTTP:

CODEBLOCK3

Optional: apiKey if the server uses auth.

1. 7. Verify

Restart gateway, then in another terminal:

CODEBLOCK4

Confirm memory-powermem is listed and its status is loaded. If it is missing or not loaded, fix install/slot config and restart the gateway before running LTM checks.

CODEBLOCK5

Available Tools

Tool	Description
memoryrecall	Search long-term memories. Params: query, optional limit, scoreThreshold.
memorystore

Save text; optional infer. Params: text, optional importance. | | memory_forget | Delete by memoryId or by query search. |

Configuration (summary)

Field	Default	Description
INLINECODE53	INLINECODE54	INLINECODE55 or http.
INLINECODE57

— | Required for HTTP; if mode omitted and baseUrl set → HTTP. | | apiKey | — | HTTP server auth. | | envFile | — | Optional CLI .env (used only if file exists). | | pmemPath | pmem | CLI binary path. | | useOpenClawModel | true | Inject LLM/embedding from OpenClaw + default SQLite under state dir. | | recallLimit | 5 | Max memories per recall. | | recallScoreThreshold | 0 | Min score 0–1. | | autoCapture / autoRecall / inferOnAdd | true | Auto memory pipeline and infer on add. |

Daily Operations

CODEBLOCK6

Restart the gateway after slot or plugin config changes.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Fix
Python < 3.10	Run step 2 first; upgrade Python or use python3.11 / python3.12 for venv and pip install. Do not skip the version check.
pip install powermem fails

Confirm Python 3.10+, clean venv. See PowerMem issues. | | pmem not found | Activate venv or set pmemPath to the full binary. | | openclaw ltm health unhealthy (CLI) | Confirm agents.defaults.model and provider keys in OpenClaw; gateway version should expose plugin config + runtime.modelAuth. Or set useOpenClawModel: false and a full envFile. | | Health OK but add/search errors | Embedding/LLM mismatch for your provider—see gateway logs; try optional PowerMem .env from .env.example. | | Wrong SQLite file / instance | Data is under that OpenClaw instance’s stateDir (OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR / --workdir). | | HTTP mode | Server running, baseUrl correct, apiKey if enabled. | | openclaw plugins list: no memory-powermem, or status is not loaded | Re-run plugin install; set plugins.enabled true and plugins.slots.memory = memory-powermem; restart gateway; run openclaw plugins list again until memory-powermem shows loaded. |