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openclaw-mem v0.5.9 Adapter Spec (minimal-risk, 1-page)

Goal

Keep openclaw-mem valuable in both memory backends: - memory-core (native memory_search / memory_get) - memory-lancedb (official memory_store / memory_recall / memory_forget)

without re-owning canonical memory tools or introducing slot conflicts.

Non-goals (explicit)

  • Do not register memory_store / memory_recall / memory_forget inside openclaw-mem.
  • Do not replace plugins.slots.memory behavior.
  • Do not require config migrations for existing users.

Design

1) Capture plugin stays sidecar-only

extensions/openclaw-mem continues to only listen on tool_result_persist and append JSONL.

2) Backend-aware adapter annotations

Add optional metadata into captured rows (detail_json) so downstream SQLite recall/triage can understand backend context: - memory_backend (resolved from plugins.slots.memory when backendMode=auto) - memory_backend_ready (entry enabled check) - memory_backend_mode (auto / pinned) - memory_tool (whether current tool is in memory tool set) - memory_operation (store|recall|forget|search|get when matched)

3) Ingest preserves extra JSONL fields

openclaw-mem ingest merges unknown top-level fields into detail_json (backward compatible), so adapter metadata is queryable.

4) CLI backend monitor

New command: - openclaw-mem backend --json

Output includes active slot, enabled flags, lancedb key readiness, and fallback posture guidance.

Config additions (plugin)

  • backendMode: auto|memory-core|memory-lancedb (default auto)
  • annotateMemoryTools: boolean (default true)
  • memoryToolNames: string[] (default canonical memory tool names)

All are optional; existing config keeps working.

Rollout plan

  1. Release 0.5.9 with adapter annotations + backend CLI.
  2. Enable memory-lancedb as active slot in OpenClaw config.
  3. Keep openclaw-mem enabled to capture + annotate memory tool outcomes.
  4. Observe logs + JSONL + openclaw-mem backend for readiness.
  5. If regressions appear: switch slot back to memory-core (no uninstall required).

Rollback / fallback

Single-switch fallback: - plugins.slots.memory: "memory-core"

openclaw-mem remains unchanged and continues capture in both modes.

Success criteria

  • memory-lancedb tools are callable when slot is active.
  • Captured rows include backend/action metadata in detail_json.
  • openclaw-mem backend --json reports expected slot/readiness.
  • Reverting slot to memory-core restores previous baseline without code changes.