Installation Guide

Local Plugin

Use @memtensor/memos-local-plugin to bring local-first long-term memory, three-tier retrieval, skill crystallization, and an observable management panel to OpenClaw and Hermes Agent.
Compatibility recommendation To avoid plugin loading or runtime errors, we recommend upgrading your Agent after MemOS has completed compatibility adaptation for that Agent version.

@memtensor/memos-local-plugin is the new MemOS local plugin: one local-first memory core for both OpenClaw and Hermes Agent. It does not host your memory data in the cloud. Instead, it maintains SQLite data, skill packages, and logs on your own machine so the agent can accumulate reusable experience locally.

If you want a cloud-hosted memory service for OpenClaw with the simplest API Key setup, see the OpenClaw Cloud Plugin. If you care more about privacy, local runtime, observability, or using the same local memory capability across OpenClaw / Hermes, use this local plugin.


Core Capabilities

CapabilityDescription
Local-firstOpenClaw and Hermes each get an isolated runtime home. SQLite, skills, logs, and config stay on your machine.
Dual-agent supportOpenClaw integrates through an in-process TypeScript plugin; Hermes integrates through a Python Provider that talks to the same Node.js memory core over JSON-RPC.
Four memory layersL1 Trace records each execution step, L2 Policy induces cross-task strategies, L3 World Model compresses environment knowledge, and Skill turns high-value experience into callable capabilities.
Three-tier retrievalRetrieval runs across Skill → Trace/Episode → World Model, combining vector, FTS5, keyword pattern, and error-signature channels with RRF + MMR.
Feedback-driven evolutionTool outcomes, environment feedback, and explicit user feedback update memory value and drive policy induction, skill crystallization, and decision repair.
Local ViewerIncludes Overview, Memories, Tasks, Policies, World Models, Skills, Analytics, Logs, Import, Settings, and Help pages.
Import and migrationSupports JSON import/export, legacy plugin migration, and agent-specific native imports for OpenClaw session JSONL or Hermes MEMORY.md.
Optional team sharingIsolated by default. Enable sharing from the Memory Viewer's Team Sharing panel to share crystallized Skills and optional trace excerpts over a LAN / VPN.

How It Works

Before each task, the plugin retrieves relevant context and injects it into the agent. After the task ends, it stores conversations, tool calls, observations, and feedback in the local pipeline. High-value patterns gradually become Policies, World Models, and callable Skills. The next time a similar task appears, the agent receives guidance about what to do and what to avoid.

StageWhat HappensOutput
1. Agent adapterOpenClaw / Hermes send conversations, tool calls, and feedback to the shared MemoryCore through their adapters.Standardized turns, tool outcomes, feedback
2. Local captureMemoryCore turns the execution process into grounded, traceable step records.L1 Trace
3. Experience inductionSimilar Traces are induced into cross-task strategies, then compressed into environment knowledge.L2 Policy, L3 World Model
4. Skill crystallizationHigh-value strategies become callable Skills and keep updating reliability from later feedback.Skill, η, lifecycle status
5. Retrieval injectionBefore the next task, Retriever recalls context from Skill, Trace/Episode, and World Model tiers.Local memory context injected into the agent

Quick Start

Step 1: Install or Upgrade with One Command

Installation and upgrades use the same command. The current installer targets macOS / Linux:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MemTensor/MemOS/main/apps/memos-local-plugin/install.sh | bash

The installer auto-detects whether OpenClaw and/or Hermes are installed. In an interactive terminal, it asks which agent to install for; in non-interactive environments, it installs for the detected agent(s). It deploys plugin code, installs production dependencies, and restarts the target runtime when needed.

Do not use direct npm install as the primary path. The installer handles agent detection, directory layout, config initialization, and runtime restart.


Step 2: Open the Memory Viewer

After installation, open the corresponding Memory Viewer:

AgentMemory Viewer
OpenClawhttp://127.0.0.1:18799
Hermeshttp://127.0.0.1:18800

If you install both OpenClaw and Hermes, they use separate Viewers and separate local data directories.


Step 3: Configure from the Panel

All user-facing configuration is done from the Memory Viewer:

  • Settings → AI Models: configure Embedding, LLM, Skill Evolver, and use Test to confirm connectivity.
  • Settings → Team Sharing: enable or disable team sharing, then configure team address and tokens.
  • Settings → General: configure language, detailed logs, anonymous telemetry, and related options.

After saving, the Viewer restarts the plugin and loads the new settings.


Step 4: Start the Target Agent

After installation, start the agent you selected as usual. The plugin retrieves local context before the agent builds its prompt, then writes conversations, tool calls, observations, and feedback into local memory after the turn finishes.

AgentHow to startPlugin integration
OpenClawStart or restart the OpenClaw gateway normallyTypeScript plugin calls MemoryCore in the OpenClaw process
HermesRun hermes chatPython Provider calls the Node.js memory core over JSON-RPC

If the Hermes machine cannot run Node.js, the Hermes Provider reports unavailable and falls back to Hermes' own in-memory mode.


Step 5: Verify Memory

Back in the Memory Viewer, check:

  1. Overview: confirm core status, version, and event stream.
  2. Memories: confirm conversations and tool steps are written as Traces.
  3. Tasks / Policies / World Models / Skills: inspect how experience is induced and crystallized.
  4. Import: migrate legacy data, import OpenClaw session JSONL, import Hermes MEMORY.md, or import/export JSON backups.
  5. Help: look up field meanings such as V, α, R_human, η, support, and gain.

Agent Differences

ItemOpenClawHermes
IntegrationTypeScript plugin, in-process calls to MemoryCorePython MemoryProvider, stdio JSON-RPC to Node bridge
Default Viewerhttp://127.0.0.1:18799http://127.0.0.1:18800
Model configurationConfigure in OpenClaw Viewer Settings → AI ModelsConfigure in Hermes Viewer Settings → AI Models
Data sharingIsolated from Hermes by defaultIsolated from OpenClaw by default

Even on the same machine, the two agents use separate databases and Viewers. They only share data after you explicitly enable hub:.


Available Tools

OpenClaw and Hermes expose memory tools through their own host interfaces. Common capabilities include:

ToolPurpose
memory_searchSearch across relevant Skills, Trace/Episodes, and World Models.
memory_getFetch a memory detail.
memory_timelineInspect an episode / task timeline.
skill_listList callable Skills.
skill_getFetch a Skill invocation guide.
memory_environmentQuery L3 World Models for project structure, environment behavior, and constraints.

The plugin also records tool successes and failures for later decision repair.


Data Management

  • Back up: export JSON from the Viewer's Import page, or back up the current agent's ~/.<agent>/memos-plugin/ directory.
  • Clear only memory: after confirming you have a backup, delete data/ and skills/ under the runtime home.
  • Clear logs: delete regular files under logs/. Audit logs are gzipped monthly and kept by default.
  • Full reset: delete the entire ~/.<agent>/memos-plugin/ directory. It will be recreated empty on the next start.

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