I recently ran into an issue: I wanted both group chats and private chats with the bot to remember certain rules. When I went to implement it, I found my understanding of how “the lobster” handles memory was a bit off. Here’s a summary of how memory actually works.
Group Chat vs. Private Chat
First, whether it’s a group or a private chat, each is an independent Agent instance. This means their memory is not directly shared — each consumes its own context. Start with this mental model.
Memory Management
The official docs describe two memory file types. Pay attention to the time limits and the group/private distinction:
- memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md
- Daily log (append-only)
- Today’s and yesterday’s logs are read at session start
- MEMORY.md (optional)
- Curated long-term memory
- Only loaded in the main, private session (never in group contexts)
Truly Global Files (Global Memory)
SOUL.md — Who you are (personality / tone / values)
- Defines the assistant’s “character and style”
- Examples: speaking style, level of conciseness, attitude toward tasks
AGENTS.md — How you work (operations manual / behavioral rules)
- Defines workflows, boundaries, memory strategy, and safety habits
- Examples: which files to read first, when to ask vs. when not to share externally
TOOLS.md — Local notes for this specific environment (tool details)
- Environment-specific information, not general rules
- Examples: device names, account aliases, common commands, preferred settings
Note: all three files live in ~/.openclaw/workspace
Closing Thoughts
Part of what makes the lobster effective is prompt design — and prompts can themselves be understood as a form of AI memory. I’ll keep learning as I go.
