Memory is Infrastructure,
Not Just Files.
Persistent, shared, and governed memory for OpenClaw agent systems.
Shared Across Agents
Hybrid Retrieval
Multi-Tenant
mem9.ai · Built on TiDB
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Why Agent Memory Breaks
From single-agent prototype to production fleet — the architectural gap that file-based memory cannot cross.
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Every Agent System Hits a Structural Ceiling
File-based memory cannot cross the prototype-to-fleet boundary.
Prototype
One agent · local file · works
✓ Works
Growth
Multi-session · files diverge · context lost
Production Fleet
Multi-tenant · no sharing · architecture collapses
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Memory Silos Block Organizational Intelligence
Without shared infrastructure, context stays local — agents repeatedly rebuild what others already learned.
Personal
Local notes · no reliable transfer · isolated per agent
Team
No shared context across agents
Company
No queryable knowledge base
↑ Facts should flow upward — but never do
↓ Org knowledge should flow down — but is inaccessible
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The OpenClaw Native Baseline — and Its Limits
Fast to set up for a single agent. Not production memory.
Native Memory ✓
- Markdown files · SQLite index
- Verbatim snippet retrieval
- Zero dependencies · works offline
Native Memory ✗
- No cross-agent sharing
- No typed schema or provenance
- No multi-tenant isolation
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File-Centric Memory Is Structurally Fragile
Every failure mode is silent — no error, no alert, no recovery.
Forget
Agent omits write → fact lost permanently
Write Wrong
Vague fact persists · no validation
Duplicate
Index bloat · recall quality degrades
Conflict
Two agents contradict · no reconciliation
Failure mode comparison
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Compaction Is Context Management, Not Memory Modeling
Compaction manages the context window. mem9 manages what the agent knows — permanently.
Compaction
- Summarizes old turns · frees context window
- Session-scoped · agent-triggered
- Does not persist across restarts
mem9 Memory
- Extracts atomic facts · reconciles Insights
- Persistent across sessions and agents
- Queryable · typed · governed
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mem9 Runtime Pipeline
How mem9 captures, processes, types, and stores every agent interaction — server-side, asynchronously, without blocking the agent.
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Replacing the File with an API Plugin
One plugin change routes OpenClaw memory through mem9 — no agent retraining required.
OpenClaw Agent
Runs normally
mem9 Plugin Gateway
before_prompt_build · agent_end
mem9 Server Hub
Ingest · Extract · Reconcile · Store
Plugin Contract
before_prompt_build
Retrieve + inject relevant memory into prompt
agent_end
Flush completed turn batch · wait only for ACK
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Two Hooks, One Non-Blocking Memory Path
What happens at each hook — and what the agent never has to wait for.
① Retrieve
before_prompt_build fires. mem9 returns ranked memory for this agent and context.
② Inject
Relevant facts are prepended to the prompt. Raw session context is excluded.
③ Run
Agent executes with enriched context. No memory writes occur during the turn.
④ Flush
agent_end fires. Plugin POSTs the completed turn batch. Server ACKs; agent is unblocked.
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Server Pipeline: From Turn Batch to Trusted Memory
Five server-side stages — all off the agent's critical path.
① ACK
Agent released immediately
② Strip
Remove injected context
③ Extract
LLM identifies atomic facts
④ Reconcile
Match or archive existing Insights
⑤ Persist
Write with full provenance
Off Path · All stages run asynchronously — zero agent wait
Durable · Every turn becomes structured memory with lineage
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Smart Ingest: Extraction Policy and Fact Classification
Only atomic facts become durable memory — everything else is dropped or stored as fallback.
Injected Context Stripped First
Prevents re-extracting known facts.
Size-Aware Batching
Long sessions chunked by token budget.
Schema-Validated Output
Malformed extraction discarded · not stored.
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Reconciliation Flow: Resolve Facts Without Losing History
Candidate facts are compared against existing Insights. Superseded memories are archived, not erased.
Candidate Fact
Atomic fact + embedding enters reconciliation.
Retrieve Neighbors
BM25 + vector search finds related Insights.
Resolve Outcome
New → ADD · Contradiction → UPDATE · Equivalent → No-op
Versioned Write
ADD appends new Insight. UPDATE archives old + appends replacement. Provenance stays attached.
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Conflict Handling: Three Guardrails
mem9 resolves stale facts, isolates project context, and prioritizes personal memory before inherited memory.
① Reconcile
- Superseded fact → new Insight + archive old
- Duplicate → no-op
② Isolate
- appId partitions reads/writes inside one Space
- Project memories don't leak across partitions
③ Prioritize
- chain_ key: personal node searched first
- High-confidence hit → early stop
Pinned facts are AI-immutable — agents cannot overwrite operator-approved ground truth.
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A First-Class Typed Memory Model
Three types. Explicit semantics, mutation rules, and lifecycle for each.
Pinned · Permanent ground truth · AI-immutable · Operator-only writes · Never auto-deleted
Insight · Reconciled atomic facts · ADD or UPDATE+archive · Archivable · Promotable to Pinned
Session · Raw interaction data · Append-only · Hash-deduplicated · Expires by retention policy
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Recall and Trust
How mem9 retrieves the right memory at the right time — and proves it can be trusted.
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Recall Engine: Search, Fuse, Rank
mem9 runs keyword and semantic search in parallel, fuses both rankings, then returns a candidate set for confidence evaluation.
CANDIDATE SET QUALITY
· Coverage
BM25 catches exact IDs, names, and recent strings. Vector catches intent and paraphrases.
· Fusion
RRF dedupes overlaps and reduces single-signal bias before ranking.
· Handoff
Candidates carry type, provenance, metadata, and chain_source into Confidence Policy.
Next: Confidence Policy →
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Confidence Policy: Decide What Is Safe to Inject
After hybrid retrieval returns candidates, mem9 turns evidence into an action: inject, fallback to Session, or suppress.
Match Strength
Keyword + vector agreement across both search signals.
Evidence Shape
Literal answer, source type, and provenance metadata.
Freshness & Scope
Recency, appId, Space, and chain_source alignment.
Score
Combined signal weight
Score + Threshold + Source Prior
The policy layer evaluates all signals and emits a single decision.
Source Prior
Pinned > Insight > Session
Inject
High-confidence Insight enters the prompt context.
Fallback
Raw Session used when exact evidence is required.
Suppress
Low-confidence or stale match is withheld entirely.
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Dual-Layer Memory: Facts First, Session as Fallback
Insights surface first. Raw Session provides full-fidelity fallback when precision matters.
Layer 1 — Insights (Primary)
Reconciled atomic facts · Deduplicated · Searched first · Best for: preferences · background · current state
Layer 2 — Raw Session (Fallback)
Verbatim records · Append-only · Searched when Insights don't satisfy · Best for: exact recall · time-based · verbatim evidence
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Provenance: Per-Object Metadata on Every Memory Write
Set by the server at write time — not by the agent. Travels with the object through its lifecycle.
Written at Ingest · server stamps agent_id, session_id, appId, metadata, and timestamps
Travels with the Object · visible in Explorer and preserved on archive/supersede history
chain_source on Chain Recalls · adds chain_id, node_position, tenant_id, external_space_id
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Spaces, appId, and Space Chain
The isolation, inheritance, and routing model that makes mem9 safe for multi-tenant, multi-app, and multi-team deployments.
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Space: Bounded, Governed Memory Context for a Tenant
A Space is the fundamental memory unit — one tenant, one API key, one governed context.
Tenant Boundary
One Space = one tenant · appId provides finer partitioning within
API Key Access
Each Space accessed via API key · Keys rotatable and revocable
Unified Recall API
BM25 + vector hybrid · filterable by type · state · appId · agent · tags
Governed Lifecycle
Explicit creation/deletion · active/archived states · retention policies per Space
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appId: Optional Application Isolation Within a Space
appId scopes memory/session writes and read filters within one Space; it is not a separate tenant.
— Write Rules
appId: "support"
Writes belong to the support sub-space
omitted / null / empty / whitespace appId
Writes belong to the default/global appId
API key ownership
Permissions, quota, and billing do not change regardless of appId
— Query Rules
omitted appId
Searches across all appIds under the API key
non-empty appId
Searches only that exact sub-space
appId=null or appId=""
Searches only the default/global appId
Use non-empty appId for app isolation; omit appId only when broad cross-app recall is intended.
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Space Chain: Ordered Linear Chain of Spaces
An ordered linear sequence of Spaces accessed via a single chain_ key — not a graph.
Node 0 — First Active Node
Default ADD target · Recall starts here · No routing policy
Node 1 — Middle Node
Searched after Node 0 · Natural-language routing policy · Write or webhook-only
Node 2 — Last Node
Broadest scope · Routing policy · chain_source identifies this node
Ordered Traversal
Recall searches nodes in sequence · high-confidence early stop ends search
scanAll Mode
Searches all nodes · reranks aggregate · chain_source on every result
chain_ Key
Distinct from Space API keys · encodes ordered node list + traversal config
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Space Chain Recall: Early Stop and scanAll
Two modes control the precision-vs-coverage tradeoff. Both return chain_source provenance on every result.
Early Stop
Stops at first node with high-confidence result · fastest path · chain_source included
scanAll
Searches all nodes regardless of confidence · aggregate reranked · chain_source on every result
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Space Chain Writes: First Active Node, Locate-by-ID
ADD goes to the first active node. UPDATE and DELETE locate the owning node by ID — no broadcast.
ADD → First Active Node
All new writes via chain_ key go to Node 0 · most specific Space in the chain
UPDATE / DELETE → Locate-by-ID
Server finds the object across chain nodes · writes only to owning node
No Automatic Propagation
Routing policies on non-first nodes control ingest-time routing · not direct writes
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Routing Policies: Natural-Language Prompts on Non-First Nodes
After extraction, each fact is evaluated against non-first node policies — write, webhook-only, or no match.
Extraction Complete
Classified facts with confidence scores.
Each is a routing candidate.
First Node Reconcile (always)
Candidate evaluated against Node 0 memory.
ADD / UPDATE+archive / No-op · Node 0 is the default target and has no routing policy.
memory.added fires only when a new object is written.
Non-First Node Policy Eval
Natural-language prompt per node.
Write · Webhook-only · No match
Routing Outcome
Write: fact stored in target Space; memory.added fires when ADD creates a memory.
Webhook-only: space_chain.fact_routed emitted.
No match: not routed.
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Console and Automation
The operator interface for governing, inspecting, analyzing, and automating mem9 — without writing a single API call.
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Console Hierarchy: Organization → Project → Space → Key
Four levels. Each with a distinct scope and responsibility.
Organization · Top-level account boundary · all Projects and Spaces belong here
Project · Logical grouping of Spaces · organize by product · team · or deployment
Space · Fundamental memory unit · API key · appId partitions · retention · recall config
Key · API key for Space or chain_ access · create · rotate · revoke from Space detail
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Space Detail: Key Metrics, Imports, and Memory Workbench
The operator's primary workspace — live metrics, import tooling, and direct memory management.
Key Metrics
- Total objects by type: Pinned / Insight / Session
- Active vs archived counts
- Recall request count · sessions ingested
- Average confidence score across Insights
Space Configuration
- API key assignment and rotation
- appId partition list with per-appId counts
- Retention policy: Session expiry · Insight archival
- Recall default: early stop vs scanAll
Import Tooling
bulk import via CSV · JSON · or API · typed + provenance-stamped
Memory Workbench
browse · search · filter · bulk archive · pin · export
Mutation Metadata
operator identity · timestamp · operation type per object
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Memories Explorer: Browse, Filter, and Manage Memory Objects
Full-text search and multi-dimension filtering — all within the Console, no API calls.
Text Search
Full-text across content + metadata · ranked by relevance
Filter by Type
Pinned · Insight · Session · combinable
Filter by State
Active or archived · archived objects remain queryable
Filter by Agent
Tags · appId · multi-select · scope to specific partition
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Memory Analysis and Deep Analysis
Both run off the hot path. All recommendations require explicit operator action.
Taxonomy
categorizes objects by topic + entity type · filterable in Memories Explorer
Duplicate Cleanup
identifies near-duplicate Insights · operator reviews + archives · no auto-delete
Deep Analysis
operator-initiated · generates insight reports: knowledge gaps · stale facts · summary Insights
Insight Reports
advisory only · operator decides which recommendations to act on
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Webhooks: React to Memory Events Without Polling
Signed JSON over HTTPS. Push, not pull. Three event types. No polling required.
Push, Not Pull
events delivered to your endpoint when they occur · no polling · no Recall API quota
Signed JSON over HTTPS
signing_secret provided once at creation or rotation · HMAC verified per delivery
Retry with Backoff
failed deliveries retried with exponential backoff · full delivery history in Console
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Webhook Lifecycle: Configure → Sign → Deliver → Retry → Inspect
The signing_secret is provided once — store it securely. All steps visible in the Console.
Configure · Register HTTPS endpoint · select event types · set scope: Space or Space Chain
Sign · signing_secret generated once · store securely · HMAC verifies every delivery · rotate to invalidate
Deliver · Event fires → POST signed JSON to endpoint · payload: event type · object data · provenance · timestamp
Retry · Non-2xx or timeout → exponential backoff · failed deliveries logged with response code + latency
Inspect · Console shows full delivery history · event type · payload · response code · latency · retry count · manual re-trigger
HTTPS Required in Production · HTTP only in development environments
Scoped Subscriptions · one Space or one Space Chain per webhook
signing_secret Rotation · old secret immediately invalidated · no grace period overlap
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Webhook Events: memory.added, memory.deleted, space_chain.fact_routed
Three supported event types. Each payload carries the event type, timestamp, and the relevant memory or routing data.
memory.added
Trigger: Direct writes · pinned writes · smart ingest ADD · successful routed target writes
- memory.id · content · memory_type · agent_id · session_id · appId · tags · metadata · created_at · updated_at
Note: Smart ingest UPDATE-only reconciliation does not emit memory.added
memory.deleted
Trigger: Single-memory or batch delete succeeds
- memory.id · tenant_id · deleted_by_agent · deleted_at
Note: Hard delete only · archive does not fire
space_chain.fact_routed
Trigger: Non-first-node routing policy matches a fact
- route_id · chain_id · source_tenant_id · target_tenant_id · target_external_space_id · routing_policy_node_id · source_facts · target_memory · webhook_only · agent_id · appId · session_id
Note: Emitted for routed writes and webhook-only routing; failed/quota-denied target writes do not emit a routed-write event
Only these 3 event types are supported. There is no memory.updated event; UPDATE-only reconciliation archives/supersedes internally and does not emit memory.added or memory.deleted.
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Deployment and Differentiation
How mem9 deploys, what makes it different, and why the architecture matters for production agent fleets.
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Four Cooperating Planes: Runtime · Control · Visualization · Analysis
Four planes. One complete memory infrastructure. Agent touches only the Runtime.
Runtime Plane — Always On
Go server · TiDB (SQL + vector) · Ingest · Smart Pipeline · Hybrid Recall · Provenance on every write
Control Plane — Operator Interface
API key management · Space config · Space Chain · Webhook config · signing_secret rotation
Visualization Plane — Human Window
Memories Explorer · Space detail · Memory Analysis · Deep Analysis reports
Analysis Plane — Off-Path Intelligence
Taxonomy · Duplicate detection · Deep Analysis jobs · All outputs advisory · operator approval required
Agent touches only the Runtime Plane
Control · Visualization · Analysis are operator-facing only
Analysis Plane is always async
Never on the hot path · never blocks agent recall
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Ecosystem Flexibility: OpenClaw-First, API-First, Self-Hosted or Managed
Runs wherever your agents run — self-hosted, managed, or hybrid. No vendor lock-in.
Self-Hosted
- Full data sovereignty · your infrastructure
- Custom retention and lifecycle policies
- Bring your own embedding model
Managed (mem9.ai)
- mem9 operates the runtime on your behalf
- Managed embedding and indexing pipeline
- Console access without operating the runtime
Embedding Model Agnostic
pluggable models · no vendor lock-in on vector layer
OpenClaw Native
drop-in replacement · one config change · no agent retraining
API-First
every capability via REST API · integrate with any framework or stack
Framework Agnostic
REST API works with any agent framework · not OpenClaw-specific
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Enterprise Memory Scorecard
OpenClaw Native vs mem9 — production readiness across 12 dimensions.
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OpenClaw Native helps an agent keep notes.
mem9 helps a fleet of agents keep memory.
Governed
Typed writes · Pinned facts · Provenance on every object
Isolated
Space-level tenant isolation · appId-level app isolation
Persistent
Space Chains · Cross-session continuity · Cold-start solved
mem9.ai · Built on TiDB
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