HippoDid — Cloud Character Memory for OpenClaw

Your MEMORY.md survives context compaction. Zero-config cloud sync with structured character memory.

The Problem

OpenClaw's own docs warn: memory dies on context compaction. Your agent accumulates context over a session — preferences, project knowledge, debugging history. Then compaction triggers, and that context is gone. Next session starts from scratch.

HippoDid syncs your memory files to cloud before compaction destroys them. Next session, they're back — automatically.

Install

openclaw plugins install @hippodid/openclaw-plugin

Add to your openclaw.json:

{
  "plugins": {
    "hippodid": {
      "enabled": true,
      "apiKey": "hd_sk_...",
      "characterId": "my-dev-agent"
    }
  }
}

Restart the gateway:

openclaw gateway restart

Local Dev Install

You can test the plugin locally without publishing to npm:

npm run build
openclaw plugins install --link .
openclaw gateway restart
openclaw plugins info hippodid

That links OpenClaw directly to this working tree, so rebuilding dist/ updates what the gateway loads.

How It Works

1. Install → Plugin auto-detects your workspace memory directory
2. File watcher → Monitors MEMORY.md + memory/*.md for changes
3. Pre-compaction flush → Syncs to cloud BEFORE context compaction (the critical hook)
4. Session start → Hydrates files from cloud so memory survives across sessions

The plugin runs as a non-slot plugin — it doesn't replace your existing memory backend. It adds cloud persistence on top of whatever memory system you already use.

Import Existing Memory

Already have memory files from previous sessions?

/hippodid import ~/.openclaw/workspace

This uploads all MEMORY.md + memory/*.md files to your HippoDid character in one pass.

Commands

HippoDid exposes two command surfaces:

1. Chat commands handled by OpenClaw's command router:
   • /hippodid status
   • /hippodid sync
   • /hippodid import [workspace-path]
2. Agent/tool calls available inside the runtime:
   • hippodid:status
   • hippodid:sync
   • hippodid:import

Important: openclaw agent --message "/hippodid status" does not go through OpenClaw's slash-command router. That path sends the text straight to the agent, so /hippodid ... may be interpreted as ordinary user text instead of a plugin command. Use a real OpenClaw chat/channel surface for slash commands, or use the tool forms above for direct agent runs.

Tool Names

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | hippodid:status | Show tier, sync status, watched paths | | hippodid:sync | Trigger immediate sync of all watched files | | hippodid:import | Import existing workspace memory |

HippoDid vs Mem0 vs memory-lancedb

| Feature | HippoDid | Mem0 Plugin | memory-lancedb | |---------|----------|-------------|----------------| | MEMORY.md sync | Bidirectional cloud sync | Ignores MEMORY.md entirely | Separate vector store | | Import existing memory | One command, full history | Start from zero | Start from zero | | Survives compaction | Pre-compaction flush hook | Partial (AUDN capture only) | Local vector DB persists | | Cross-machine sync | Cloud-based | Mem0 cloud | Local only | | Data portability | Export to Markdown anytime | Locked in Mem0 format | LanceDB binary format | | Structured character model | Categories, profiles, decay | Flat user_id memories | Flat key-value | | Free tier cost | $0 (file sync only, no AI) | Requires OPENAI_API_KEY | Requires embedding API key | | Multi-agent isolation | Character-scoped by design | Known bleed bug (#3998) | Agent scope option |

Configuration Reference

{
  "plugins": {
    "hippodid": {
      "enabled": true,
      "apiKey": "hd_sk_...",
      "characterId": "my-dev-agent",
      "baseUrl": "https://api.hippodid.com",
      "syncIntervalSeconds": 300,
      "autoRecall": false,
      "autoCapture": false,
      "additionalPaths": [
        { "path": "./notes/project.md", "label": "project-notes" }
      ]
    }
  }
}

| Option | Type | Default | Description | |--------|------|---------|-------------| | apiKey | string | required | HippoDid API key (hd_sk_...) | | characterId | string | required | Target character ID | | baseUrl | string | https://api.hippodid.com | API endpoint | | syncIntervalSeconds | number | 300 | Debounce interval for file sync. The server enforces a tier-based minimum. | | autoRecall | boolean | false | Inject relevant memories before each turn (paid tier) | | autoCapture | boolean | false | Extract and store facts after each turn (paid tier) | | additionalPaths | array | [] | Extra files/directories to watch |

Free vs Paid Tiers

Free tier (no credit card):

• File watcher with SHA-256 diff sync
• Pre-compaction flush (the critical feature)
• Session-start hydration from cloud
• Manual sync and import commands

Paid tiers add:

• Auto-Recall: Relevant memories injected as context before each agent turn
• Auto-Capture: Facts automatically extracted from conversations via AUDN pipeline
• Lower sync interval minimums

If the server reports autoRecallAvailable or autoCaptureAvailable, the plugin enables those hooks automatically when the matching config flag is true.

Workspace Auto-Detection

The plugin automatically finds your memory files by searching:

1. $OPENCLAW_WORKSPACE/memory/ and $OPENCLAW_WORKSPACE/MEMORY.md
2. ~/.openclaw/workspace/memory/ and ~/.openclaw/workspace/MEMORY.md
3. Current working directory ./memory/ and ./MEMORY.md

Add additionalPaths in config to watch extra files or directories.

Requirements

• OpenClaw 2026.1.x+
• Node.js 22+
• HippoDid account (free at hippodid.dev)

Notes

• The plugin ships compiled output from dist/ and reads its displayed version from package.json at runtime.
• Current HippoDid servers accept Authorization: Bearer <apiKey>. The plugin also sends the legacy X-Api-Key header for compatibility.
• File sync has been verified locally against a linked OpenClaw install, including watcher-driven sync and cloud status updates.

License

Apache 2.0