Agent Forgets Everything / Memory Not Persisting
Agent doesn't remember previous conversations / memory lost after restart / MEMORY.md empty
OpenClaw troubleshooting · Updated 2026
Error Message
Agent doesn't remember previous conversations / memory lost after restart / MEMORY.md empty
What Causes This
OpenClaw's built-in memory relies on the model choosing to save information and choosing to search before responding. Both are optional behaviors. Context compaction can also remove information that was never saved to persistent files.
How to Fix It
Verify memory is working and force important saves:
# Check memory index status
openclaw memory search --query "test"
# Rebuild the vector index
openclaw memory index --all
# Check if daily logs exist
ls -la ~/.openclaw/workspace/memory/
# In chat, explicitly save important info:
# "Save this to memory: I prefer TypeScript over JavaScript"
# For reliable persistence, install the Mem0 plugin:
# clawhub install @mem0/openclaw-mem0
Keep MEMORY.md compact — bloated files slow retrieval. Set session.reset.mode: "daily" so context compaction doesn't silently drop important info. The Mem0 plugin adds automatic capture and recall that doesn't depend on the model deciding to use memory tools.