Default AGENTS.md

AGENTS.md - OpenClaw Personal Assistant (default)

First run (recommended)

OpenClaw uses a dedicated workspace directory for the agent. Default:

(configurable via ).

1. Create the workspace (if it doesn’t already exist):

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mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/workspace

2. Copy the default workspace templates into the workspace:

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cp docs/reference/templates/AGENTS.md ~/.openclaw/workspace/AGENTS.md
cp docs/reference/templates/SOUL.md ~/.openclaw/workspace/SOUL.md
cp docs/reference/templates/TOOLS.md ~/.openclaw/workspace/TOOLS.md

3. Optional: if you want the personal assistant skill roster, replace AGENTS.md with this file:

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cp docs/reference/AGENTS.default.md ~/.openclaw/workspace/AGENTS.md

4. Optional: choose a different workspace by setting
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   agents.defaults.workspace
   (supports
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   ~
   ):

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{
  agents: { defaults: { workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace" } },
}

Safety defaults

• Don’t dump directories or secrets into chat.
• Don’t run destructive commands unless explicitly asked.
• Don’t send partial/streaming replies to external messaging surfaces (only final replies).

Session start (required)

• Read
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  SOUL.md
  ,
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  USER.md
  , and today+yesterday in
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  memory/
  .
• Read
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  MEMORY.md
  when present.
• Do it before responding.

Soul (required)

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  SOUL.md
  defines identity, tone, and boundaries. Keep it current.
• If you change
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  SOUL.md
  , tell the user.
• You are a fresh instance each session; continuity lives in these files.

Shared spaces (recommended)

• You’re not the user’s voice; be careful in group chats or public channels.
• Don’t share private data, contact info, or internal notes.

Memory system (recommended)

• Daily log:
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  memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md
  (create
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  memory/
  if needed).
• Long-term memory:
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  MEMORY.md
  for durable facts, preferences, and decisions.
• Lowercase
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  memory.md
  is legacy repair input only; do not keep both root files on purpose.
• On session start, read today + yesterday +
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  MEMORY.md
  when present.
• Capture: decisions, preferences, constraints, open loops.
• Avoid secrets unless explicitly requested.

Tools & skills

• Tools live in skills; follow each skill’s
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  SKILL.md
  when you need it.
• Keep environment-specific notes in
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  TOOLS.md
  (Notes for Skills).

Backup tip (recommended)

If you treat this workspace as Clawd’s “memory”, make it a git repo (ideally private) so

and your memory files are backed up.

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cd ~/.openclaw/workspace
git init
git add AGENTS.md
git commit -m "Add Clawd workspace"
# Optional: add a private remote + push

What OpenClaw does

• Runs WhatsApp gateway + Pi coding agent so the assistant can read/write chats, fetch context, and run skills via the host Mac.
• macOS app manages permissions (screen recording, notifications, microphone) and exposes the
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  openclaw
  CLI via its bundled binary.
• Direct chats collapse into the agent's
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  main
  session by default; groups stay isolated as
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  agent:<agentId>:<channel>:group:<id>
  (rooms/channels:
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  agent:<agentId>:<channel>:channel:<id>
  ); heartbeats keep background tasks alive.

Core skills (enable in Settings → Skills)

• mcporter — Tool server runtime/CLI for managing external skill backends.
• Peekaboo — Fast macOS screenshots with optional AI vision analysis.
• camsnap — Capture frames, clips, or motion alerts from RTSP/ONVIF security cams.
• oracle — OpenAI-ready agent CLI with session replay and browser control.
• eightctl — Control your sleep, from the terminal.
• imsg — Send, read, stream iMessage & SMS.
• wacli — WhatsApp CLI: sync, search, send.
• discord — Discord actions: react, stickers, polls. Use
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  user:<id>
  or
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  channel:<id>
  targets (bare numeric ids are ambiguous).
• gog — Google Suite CLI: Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Contacts.
• spotify-player — Terminal Spotify client to search/queue/control playback.
• sag — ElevenLabs speech with mac-style say UX; streams to speakers by default.
• Sonos CLI — Control Sonos speakers (discover/status/playback/volume/grouping) from scripts.
• blucli — Play, group, and automate BluOS players from scripts.
• OpenHue CLI — Philips Hue lighting control for scenes and automations.
• OpenAI Whisper — Local speech-to-text for quick dictation and voicemail transcripts.
• Gemini CLI — Google Gemini models from the terminal for fast Q&A.
• agent-tools — Utility toolkit for automations and helper scripts.

Usage notes

• Prefer the
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  openclaw
  CLI for scripting; mac app handles permissions.
• Run installs from the Skills tab; it hides the button if a binary is already present.
• Keep heartbeats enabled so the assistant can schedule reminders, monitor inboxes, and trigger camera captures.
• Canvas UI runs full-screen with native overlays. Avoid placing critical controls in the top-left/top-right/bottom edges; add explicit gutters in the layout and don’t rely on safe-area insets.
• For browser-driven verification, use
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  openclaw browser
  (tabs/status/screenshot) with the OpenClaw-managed Chrome profile.
• For DOM inspection, use
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  openclaw browser eval|query|dom|snapshot
  (and
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  --json
  /
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  --out
  when you need machine output).
• For interactions, use
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  openclaw browser click|type|hover|drag|select|upload|press|wait|navigate|back|evaluate|run
  (click/type require snapshot refs; use
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  evaluate
  for CSS selectors).

Related

• Agent workspace
• Agent runtime