Honcho adds AI-native memory to OpenClaw through an
external plugin. It persists conversations to a dedicated service and builds
user and agent models over time, giving your agent cross-session context that
goes beyond workspace Markdown files.
What it provides
- Cross-session memory - conversations persist after every turn, so
context carries across session resets, compaction, and channel switches.
- User modeling - Honcho maintains a profile for each user (preferences,
facts, communication style) and for the agent (personality, learned
behaviors).
- Semantic search - search over observations from past conversations, not
just the current session.
- Multi-agent awareness - parent agents automatically track spawned
sub-agents, with parents added as observers in child sessions.
Honcho registers tools the agent can use during conversation:
Data retrieval (fast, no LLM call):
| Tool | What it does |
|---|
honcho_context | Full user representation across sessions |
honcho_search_conclusions | Semantic search over stored conclusions |
honcho_search_messages | Find messages across sessions (filter by sender, date) |
honcho_session | Current session history and summary |
| Tool | What it does |
|---|
honcho_ask | Ask about the user. depth='quick' for facts, 'thorough' for synthesis |
Getting started
Install the plugin and run setup:
openclaw plugins install @honcho-ai/openclaw-honcho
openclaw honcho setup
openclaw gateway --force
Honcho can run entirely locally (self-hosted) or via the managed API at
api.honcho.dev. No external dependencies are required for the self-hosted
option.
Configuration
Settings live under plugins.entries["openclaw-honcho"].config:
{
plugins: {
entries: {
"openclaw-honcho": {
config: {
apiKey: "your-api-key", // omit for self-hosted
workspaceId: "openclaw", // memory isolation
baseUrl: "https://api.honcho.dev",
},
},
},
},
}
baseUrl to your local server (for example
http://localhost:8000) and omit the API key.
Migrating existing memory
If you have existing workspace memory files (USER.md, MEMORY.md,
IDENTITY.md, memory/, canvas/), openclaw honcho setup detects and
offers to migrate them.
Migration is non-destructive - files are uploaded to Honcho. Originals are
never deleted or moved.
How it works
After every AI turn, the conversation is persisted to Honcho. Both user and
agent messages are observed, letting Honcho build and refine its models over
time.
During conversation, Honcho tools query the service during OpenClaw’s
before_prompt_build plugin hook, injecting relevant context before the model
sees the prompt.
Honcho vs builtin memory
| Builtin / QMD | Honcho |
|---|
| Storage | Workspace Markdown files | Dedicated service (local or hosted) |
| Cross-session | Via memory files | Automatic, built-in |
| User modeling | Manual (write to MEMORY.md) | Automatic profiles |
| Search | Vector + keyword (hybrid) | Semantic over observations |
| Multi-agent | Not tracked | Parent/child awareness |
| Dependencies | None (builtin) or QMD binary | Plugin install |
CLI commands
openclaw honcho setup # Configure API key and migrate files
openclaw honcho status # Check connection status
openclaw honcho ask <question> # Query Honcho about the user
openclaw honcho search <query> [-k N] [-d D] # Semantic search over memory
Further reading
