Memory-powermem install-memory-powermem-full

OpenClaw full guide skill (id and folder name install-memory-powermem-full). Step-by-step install and configuration for the PowerMem long-term memory plugin—options, tools, troubleshooting—and bundled reference docs. Complements the quickstart skill install-memory-powermem; either can be used alone.

install

source · Clone the upstream repo

git clone https://github.com/ob-labs/memory-powermem

Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/

T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/ob-labs/memory-powermem "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/skills/install-memory-powermem-full" ~/.claude/skills/ob-labs-memory-powermem-install-memory-powermem-full && rm -rf "$T"

manifest: skills/install-memory-powermem-full/SKILL.md

source content

PowerMem Memory — Full Guide

Skill id / OpenClaw folder name:

install-memory-powermem-full

. For the shortest install-only path, use install-memory-powermem
(quickstart).

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.

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).

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

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
```
  .

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

Install the plugin
```
openclaw plugins install /path/to/memory-powermem
```
(or
```
openclaw plugins install memory-powermem
```
from npm), or run install.sh
from the memory-powermem repo — see One-click plugin deploy (
install.sh
) below for curl / flags /
```
--workdir
```
.

Configure OpenClaw

CLI — defaults (recommended, matches plugin defaults):
Do not set

envFile

unless you need a file. Example:

openclaw config set plugins.enabled true
openclaw config set plugins.slots.memory memory-powermem
openclaw config set plugins.entries.memory-powermem.config.mode cli
openclaw config set plugins.entries.memory-powermem.config.pmemPath pmem
openclaw config set plugins.entries.memory-powermem.config.useOpenClawModel true --json
openclaw config set plugins.entries.memory-powermem.config.autoCapture true --json
openclaw config set plugins.entries.memory-powermem.config.autoRecall true --json
openclaw config set plugins.entries.memory-powermem.config.inferOnAdd true --json

CLI — optional

.env

override file:

openclaw config set plugins.entries.memory-powermem.config.envFile "$HOME/.openclaw/powermem/powermem.env"

(Only matters if that path exists; OpenClaw can still override LLM keys when

useOpenClawModel

is true.)

HTTP:

openclaw config set plugins.entries.memory-powermem.config.mode http
openclaw config set plugins.entries.memory-powermem.config.baseUrl http://localhost:8000

Optional:

apiKey

if the server uses auth.

Verify
Restart gateway, then in another terminal:

openclaw plugins list

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.

openclaw ltm health
openclaw ltm add "I prefer coffee in the morning"
openclaw ltm search "coffee"

One-click plugin deploy (

install.sh

)

Requires: OpenClaw installed (

openclaw --version

). The script does not run

pip install powermem

; ensure pmem
is on PATH when the gateway runs or set pmemPath
.

Default: configures plugin CLI mode. With

-y

, it may still create ~/.openclaw/powermem/powermem.env
as an optional template — not required if you use OpenClaw-injected LLM + default SQLite.

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ob-labs/memory-powermem/main/install.sh | bash

From a local clone (no download):

cd /path/to/memory-powermem && bash install.sh

Non-interactive (defaults: CLI, may seed env file):

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ob-labs/memory-powermem/main/install.sh | bash -s -y

Target a different OpenClaw instance:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ob-labs/memory-powermem/main/install.sh | bash -s -- --workdir ~/.openclaw-second

What the script does: resolve OpenClaw workdir → choose or default cli / http and paths → for CLI, optionally seed

powermem.env

if missing → deploy plugin to

<workdir>/extensions/memory-powermem

→

npm install

there → set OpenClaw config (

plugins.enabled

slots.memory

entries.memory-powermem

After (CLI):

openclaw gateway

, then

openclaw ltm health

— you usually do not need to edit

powermem.env

when using plugin defaults.

After (HTTP): start PowerMem with a proper

.env

in the server cwd, then start the gateway.

Copy a skill into OpenClaw

Copy one skill you want into

~/.openclaw/skills/<skill-name>/

(folder name should match the skill id). The quickstart and full-guide skills are independent.

Quickstart (

install-memory-powermem

) — Linux / macOS:

mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/skills/install-memory-powermem
cp /path/to/memory-powermem/skills/install-memory-powermem/SKILL.md \
   ~/.openclaw/skills/install-memory-powermem/

Full guide (

install-memory-powermem-full

) — Linux / macOS: copy all

.md

files in that folder.

mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/skills/install-memory-powermem-full
cp /path/to/memory-powermem/skills/install-memory-powermem-full/*.md \
   ~/.openclaw/skills/install-memory-powermem-full/

Full guide — Windows (PowerShell):

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force "$env:USERPROFILE\.openclaw\skills\install-memory-powermem-full"
Copy-Item "path\to\memory-powermem\skills\install-memory-powermem-full\*.md" `
  "$env:USERPROFILE\.openclaw\skills\install-memory-powermem-full\"

Multi-instance OpenClaw (

--workdir

OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR

)

Install script:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ob-labs/memory-powermem/main/install.sh | bash -s -- --workdir ~/.openclaw-second

Manual config for that instance:

OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR=~/.openclaw-second openclaw config set plugins.slots.memory memory-powermem

Plugin data and default SQLite follow that instance’s

stateDir

Available Tools

Tool Description

memory_recall

Search long-term memories. Params:

query

, optional

limit

scoreThreshold

memory_store

Save text; optional infer. Params:

text

, optional

importance

memory_forget

Delete by

memoryId

or by

query

search.

Configuration (summary)

Field	Default	Description
`mode`	`cli`	`cli` or `http` .
`baseUrl`	—	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

openclaw gateway

openclaw ltm health
openclaw ltm add "Some fact to remember"
openclaw ltm search "query"

openclaw config set plugins.slots.memory none
openclaw config set plugins.slots.memory memory-powermem

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.
Add/search returns 500 or empty	Check PowerMem / gateway logs; often missing or mismatched `LLM_` / `EMBEDDING_` in `envFile` when `useOpenClawModel` is false or overrides are incomplete.

Memory-powermem install-memory-powermem-full

PowerMem Memory — Full Guide

How It Works

When User Asks to Install

One-click plugin deploy (
`install.sh`
)

Copy a skill into OpenClaw

Multi-instance OpenClaw (
`--workdir`
/
`OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR`
)

Available Tools

Configuration (summary)

Daily Operations

Troubleshooting

Memory-powermem install-memory-powermem-full

PowerMem Memory — Full Guide

How It Works

When User Asks to Install

One-click plugin deploy (install.sh)

Copy a skill into OpenClaw

Multi-instance OpenClaw (--workdir / OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR)

Available Tools

Configuration (summary)

Daily Operations

Troubleshooting

One-click plugin deploy (
`install.sh`
)

Multi-instance OpenClaw (
`--workdir`
/
`OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR`
)