--- name: OpenCortex homepage: https://github.com/JD2005L/opencortex description: > Self-improving memory architecture for OpenClaw agents. Structured memory files, nightly distillation, weekly synthesis, enforced principles (P0 for custom, P1-P8 managed), write-ahead durability, and model-agnostic delegation — so your agent compounds knowledge instead of forgetting it. Includes opt-in metrics tracking with growth charts and compound scoring to measure effectiveness over time. All sensitive features (voice profiling, infrastructure auto-collection, git push) are OFF by default and require explicit opt-in via environment variable or flag. Safe to install: no network calls during setup, fully auditable bash scripts, isolated cron sessions scoped to workspace only. Use when: (1) setting up a new OpenClaw instance, (2) user asks to improve/organize memory, (3) user wants the agent to stop forgetting things, (4) bootstrapping a fresh agent with best practices. NOT for: runtime memory_search queries (use built-in memory tools). Triggers: "set up memory", "organize yourself", "stop forgetting", "memory architecture", "self-improving", "cortex", "bootstrap memory", "memory optimization". metadata: {"openclaw":{"requires":{"bins":["grep","sed","find"],"optionalBins":["git","gpg","openssl","openclaw","secret-tool","keyctl","file"]},"env":{"CLAWD_WORKSPACE":{"description":"Workspace directory (defaults to cwd)","required":false},"CLAWD_TZ":{"description":"Timezone for cron scheduling (defaults to UTC)","required":false},"OPENCORTEX_VAULT_PASS":{"description":"Vault passphrase via env var. Prefer system keyring.","required":false,"sensitive":true},"OPENCORTEX_VOICE_PROFILE":{"description":"Set to 1 to enable voice profiling in the nightly distillation cron. Off by default.","required":false,"sensitive":false},"OPENCORTEX_INFRA_COLLECT":{"description":"Set to 1 to enable infrastructure auto-collection in the nightly distillation cron. Off by default.","required":false,"sensitive":false},"OPENCORTEX_SCRUB_ALL":{"description":"Set to 1 to scrub all tracked files (not just known text types) during git backup. Off by default.","required":false,"sensitive":false},"OPENCORTEX_ALLOW_FILE_PASSPHRASE":{"description":"Set to 1 to allow vault passphrase stored in a file (.vault/.passphrase). Off by default; prefer system keyring.","required":false,"sensitive":false}},"sensitiveFiles":[".secrets-map",".vault/.passphrase"],"networkAccess":"Optional git push only (off by default, requires --push flag)"}} ---

OpenCortex — Self-Improving Memory Architecture

Transform a default OpenClaw agent into one that compounds knowledge daily.

📦 Full source on GitHub — review the code, file issues, or contribute.

What This Does

1. Structures memory into purpose-specific files instead of one flat dump
2. Installs nightly maintenance that distills daily work into permanent knowledge
3. Installs weekly synthesis that catches patterns across days
4. Establishes principles that enforce good memory habits — and backs them up with nightly audits that verify tool documentation, decision capture, sub-agent debriefs, failure analysis, and unnecessary deferrals to the user. Nothing slips through the cracks.
5. Builds a voice profile of your human from daily conversations for authentic ghostwriting (opt-in, requires OPENCORTEX_VOICE_PROFILE=1)
6. Encrypts sensitive data in an AES-256 vault with key-only references in docs; supports passphrase rotation (vault.sh rotate) and validates key names on vault.sh set
7. Enables safe git backup with secret scrubbing (secrets never modified in your live workspace — scrubbed in an isolated copy only)
8. Tracks growth over time (opt-in) — daily metrics snapshots with compound scoring and ASCII growth charts

Installation

Prerequisites (install these separately if you don't have them):

• OpenClaw 2026.2.x+
• ClawHub CLI

# 1. Download the skill from your OpenClaw workspace directory
cd ~/clawd    # or wherever your workspace is
clawhub install opencortex

# 2. Run the installer FROM YOUR WORKSPACE DIRECTORY (not from inside the skill folder)
bash skills/opencortex/scripts/install.sh

# Optional: preview what would be created without changing anything
bash skills/opencortex/scripts/install.sh --dry-run

The installer will ask about optional features (encrypted vault, voice profiling, infrastructure collection, git backup) and your preferred AI model for cron jobs (e.g. sonnet, opus, haiku). Saved to .opencortex-model. It's safe to re-run — it skips anything that already exists. The installer itself makes no network calls — it only creates local files and registers cron jobs.

# 3. Verify everything is working (read-only — checks files and cron jobs, changes nothing)
bash skills/opencortex/scripts/verify.sh

You can also ask your OpenClaw agent "is OpenCortex working?" — it knows how to run the verification and share results.

The script will:

• Create the file hierarchy (non-destructively — won't overwrite existing files)
• Create directory structure
• Set up cron jobs (daily distillation, weekly synthesis)
• Optionally set up git backup with secret scrubbing

After install, review and customize:

• SOUL.md — personality and identity (make it yours)
• USER.md — info about your human
• MEMORY.md — principles (add/remove as needed)
• .secrets-map — add your actual secrets for git scrubbing

Updating

# 1. Download the latest version (run from workspace root)
clawhub install opencortex --force

# 2. Re-run the installer — it detects your existing install and offers to update
bash skills/opencortex/scripts/install.sh

The installer detects your existing version and offers three options: Update (recommended), Full reinstall, or Cancel. The update path is non-destructive — it adds missing content, refreshes cron messages, and offers any new optional features without overwriting your customized files.

Architecture

SOUL.md          ← Identity, personality, boundaries
AGENTS.md        ← Operating protocol, delegation rules
MEMORY.md        ← Principles + memory index (< 3KB, loaded every session)
TOOLS.md         ← Tool shed: APIs, scripts, and access methods with abilities descriptions
INFRA.md         ← Infrastructure atlas: hosts, IPs, services, network
USER.md          ← Human's preferences, projects, communication style
BOOTSTRAP.md     ← First-run checklist for new sessions

memory/
  projects/      ← One file per project (distilled, not raw)
  contacts/      ← One file per person/org (role, context, preferences)
  workflows/     ← One file per workflow/pipeline (services, steps, issues)
  runbooks/      ← Step-by-step procedures (delegatable to sub-agents)
  preferences.md ← Cross-cutting user preferences by category
  archive/       ← Archived daily logs + weekly summaries
  YYYY-MM-DD.md  ← Today's working log (distilled nightly)

Principles (installed by default)

| # | Name | Purpose | |---|------|---------| | P1 | Delegate First | Assess tasks for sub-agent delegation; stay available | | P2 | Write It Down | Commit to files, not mental notes | | P3 | Ask Before External | Confirm before emails, public posts, destructive ops | | P4 | Tool Shed & Workflows | Document tools and workflows; enforced by nightly audit | | P5 | Capture Decisions & Preferences | Record decisions and preferences; enforced by nightly + weekly audit | | P6 | Sub-agent Debrief | Delegated work feeds back to daily log; orphans recovered by distillation | | P7 | Log Failures | Tag failures/corrections; root cause analysis enforced by nightly audit | | P8 | Check the Shed First | Consult TOOLS.md/INFRA.md/memory before deferring work to user; enforced by nightly audit |

Cron Jobs (installed)

...