- name
- memory-lancedb-setup
- description
- Configure OpenClaw's memory-lancedb plugin for semantic vector memory using a local LanceDB database. Use when: (1) setting up vector memory for the first time, (2) memory-lancedb fails with module not found errors, (3) migrating from flat-file MEMORY.md to vector-based recall, (4) configuring an embedding provider (Gemini, OpenAI-compatible). NOT for: general memory_store/memory_recall usage (just use the tools directly).
memory-lancedb Setup
Enables semantic vector memory in OpenClaw: memories stored with memory_store are embedded and indexed locally, then recalled on-demand via memory_recall — no full-context load.
Prerequisites
- OpenClaw installed at
/usr/local/lib/node_modules/openclaw - An OpenAI-compatible embedding API key (Gemini AI Studio free key works well)
Setup Steps
1. Get a Gemini API Key (free)
Go to aistudio.google.com → Get API key → Create API key.
2. Configure the plugin
openclaw config set plugins.entries.memory-lancedb.enabled true
openclaw config set plugins.entries.memory-lancedb.config.embedding.baseUrl "https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta/openai/"
openclaw config set plugins.entries.memory-lancedb.config.embedding.model "text-embedding-004"
openclaw config set plugins.entries.memory-lancedb.config.embedding.apiKey "YOUR_API_KEY"
openclaw config set plugins.entries.memory-lancedb.config.embedding.dimensions 7683. Install dependencies
# Step 1: install main package in openclaw root
cd /usr/local/lib/node_modules/openclaw
npm install @lancedb/lancedb
# Step 2: install platform-specific native binding in plugin dir
cd /usr/local/lib/node_modules/openclaw/extensions/memory-lancedb
npm install @lancedb/lancedb-darwin-arm64 # Apple Silicon (arm64)
# npm install @lancedb/lancedb-darwin-x64 # Intel Mac
# npm install @lancedb/lancedb-linux-x64-gnu # Linux x644. Patch native.js (Apple Silicon only)
LanceDB's native.js tries x64 first, hits break on failure, and never reaches arm64. Run the patch script:
python3 ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/memory-lancedb-setup/references/patch_native.py5. Restart gateway and verify
openclaw gateway restartThen test:
memory_store → should return: Stored: "..."
memory_recall → should return matching entries with similarity %Migrating from MEMORY.md
If MEMORY.md is large, migrate key facts to the vector store and shrink MEMORY.md to a 20-30 line index. Group by topic and call memory_store for each:
- Identity & permissions
- Execution rules
- Project configurations (cron IDs, doc tokens)
- Technical knowledge (API quirks, field names)
- Workflows and SOPs
Keep only "must-know-every-session" rules in MEMORY.md.
Troubleshooting
See references/troubleshooting.md for common errors and fixes.