Knowledge/chat-topics/openclaw-system-overview.md

OpenClaw System Overview (Context Meta)

Core Concepts

• Sessions: Temporary windows for active dialogue. Closing a session wipes the "short-term memory" (LLM context window) but leaves persistent files untouched.
• Persistent Memory: Stored in files within the workspace. Changes made here persist across sessions.
• Knowledge Corpus: Using local directories (~/knowledge/) as a searchable base for projects and topics.

Knowledge Strategy

• Hybrid Approach: Start with directory-based file searches. If volume/complexity warrants, layer in RAG (vector indexing) via clawhub or custom indexer scripts.
• Context Meta Files: Every project or major topic should maintain a context-meta.md summary to allow for "hot-swapping" between chat sessions without losing progress.

File Organization

• /knowledge/chat-topics/: For daily/intermittent topics.
• /knowledge/projects/[project_name]/: For larger, long-term work.

Protocol for Switching Context

1. Summarize key decisions/tasks into the relevant context-meta.md file.
2. Close/Switch session.
3. On return, start by having Soren read the context-meta.md file to resume the thread.

Recent Updates (2026-03-24)

• Session Persistence: Confirmed that ~/knowledge/ provides a reliable "namespace" for topic-based knowledge management.
• Architecture: Established ~/knowledge/chat-topics/ for daily management and ~/knowledge/projects/ for long-term work.
• Checkpoint Pattern: Moving to an "Intentional Save" pattern. Soren can infer the topic by analyzing the active context or checking the most recently accessed/modified meta-file in the knowledge directory, allowing for simple "checkpoint this now" commands.
• Next Steps: When starting a new session, verify the active topic by reading the relevant context-meta.md.