Dory-Proof Memory System

Dory-Proof Memory System

AI agents forget everything between sessions. This skill implements a file-based memory system that survives context resets.

Core Principle

Text > Brain. Write everything down. Files are memory. The agent only "remembers" what's on disk.

The Dory-Proof Pattern (Critical)

When the user gives a task: IMMEDIATELY write their EXACT WORDS to state/ACTIVE.md Then interpret what it means Then do the work Mark complete when done Why: Paraphrasing introduces drift. Exact words preserve intent across context flushes.

Workspace Structure

workspace/ ├── AGENTS.md # Operating rules (system file, don't rename) ├── SOUL.md # Identity + personality ├── USER.md # About the human ├── MEMORY.md # Curated long-term memory (<10KB) ├── LESSONS.md # "Never again" safety rules ├── TOOLS.md # Tool-specific notes │ ├── state/ # Active state (check every session) │ ├── ACTIVE.md # Current task (exact user words) │ ├── HOLD.md # Blocked items (check before acting!) │ ├── STAGING.md # Drafts awaiting approval │ └── DECISIONS.md # Recent choices with timestamps │ ├── memory/ # Historical │ ├── YYYY-MM-DD.md │ ├── recent-work.md │ └── archive/ │ └── ops/ # Operational └── WORKSPACE-INDEX.md

Boot Sequence (Every Session)

Read state/HOLD.md — what's BLOCKED Read state/ACTIVE.md — current task Read state/DECISIONS.md — recent choices Read memory/recent-work.md — last 48 hours Read MEMORY.md — long-term (main session only) Output status line after boot: 📋 Boot: ACTIVE=[task] | HOLD=[n] items | STAGING=[n] drafts

state/ACTIVE.md

• ## Current Instruction
• **User said:** "[exact quote]"
• **Interpretation:** [what you think it means]
• **Status:**
• [ ] Step 1
• [ ] Step 2

state/HOLD.md

[YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM | session] Item — reason blocked ALL agents must check before acting on anything that looks ready.

state/DECISIONS.md

[YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM | session] Decision made

Conflict Resolution

When files conflict, priority (highest first): state/HOLD.md — blocks override all state/ACTIVE.md — current instruction state/DECISIONS.md — recent choices AGENTS.md — general rules

Memory Scoring (Before Saving to MEMORY.md)

Score on 4 axes (0–3 each): Axis0123LongevityGone tomorrowWeeksMonthsYears+ReuseOne-offOccasionalFrequentEvery sessionImpactTrivialNice to knowChanges outputsChanges decisionsUniquenessObviousSlightly helpfulHard to rederiveImpossible without Save if: Total ≥ 8, OR any axis = 3 AND total ≥ 6.

Quick Setup

Copy template files from assets/templates/ to your workspace: cp -r skills/dory-memory/assets/templates/* ~/.openclaw/workspace/ Then customize SOUL.md and USER.md for your agent.

References

references/IMPLEMENTATION-GUIDE.md — Full setup walkthrough references/ANTI-PATTERNS.md — Common mistakes to avoid