2026-03-07

Memory/Embeddings incident + external API inventory (OpenClaw)

Issue: memory_search (semantic memory retrieval) failed with 429 insufficient_quota due to embeddings provider quota exhaustion.
Root cause: OpenClaw agents.defaults.memorySearch.provider = openai with remote.apiKey present (OpenAI embeddings key). Not related to Brave web search.

Chat/model routing:
- Primary: openai-codex/gpt-5.4
- Fallbacks: openai-codex/gpt-5.2, github-copilot/claude-opus-4.6
Memory semantic search:
- memorySearch.enabled = true
- memorySearch.provider = openai
- memorySearch.remote.apiKey present
- memorySearch.sources = [memory, sessions]
Web tools:
- tools.web.search.enabled = true (Brave Search key present)
- tools.web.fetch.enabled = true
Auth profiles present: anthropic:manual, github-copilot:github, openai:manual, openai-codex:default.

Tao requested: archive this inventory info and keep it updated whenever APIs/providers are added/removed in the future.

Tao reported a recurring issue: after assigning a task, the agent may go silent (stuck or working) unless Tao explicitly asks.
Preference selected: progress updates at milestones (Option B).
Policy: acknowledge within ~30s with plan+ETA; then send updates at each milestone; if ETA slips, proactively report block/reason/next-step.

Tao preference: each Agent should have independent soul + independent memory; do not share memory across agents.
Disaster recovery preference: restore automation should be maximized; when restoring, default to safe mode: rename existing ~/.openclaw before restoring (Option B).

Created and published new open-source repo: https://github.com/dtzp555-max/clawkeeper
- Purpose: OpenClaw Memory Ops Kit (doctor + embeddings probe + provider switch + backup plan + verify-backup + restore tooling).
- Added doctor to perform a real OpenAI embeddings probe (minimal request) to detect 429/insufficient_quota early.
- Added backup-plan --json and verify-backup <tgz> to ensure backups include required paths.
- Added restore-guide and restore-apply with SAFE default: do not restart gateway unless explicitly requested.
Incident: calling openclaw gateway restart during restore testing could leave LaunchAgent in a bad state (not loaded / restart fails), forcing openclaw gateway install to recover; can cause temporary messaging disconnects.
New hard rule from Tao: do not harm the primary Mac gateway during development/testing; use a separate test machine.

Host: 172.16.2.232 (ubuntu-srv), user: administrator.
SSH key: ~/.ssh/openclaw_backup_key
Tao confirmed key was installed; verified login: ssh -i ~/.ssh/openclaw_backup_key administrator@172.16.2.232 'echo OK'.
Policy: perform potentially disruptive OpenClaw install/restart tests on 232 instead of the primary Mac.

Tao clarified the intended architecture for complex development:
- main = PM / architect / coordinator / reviewer / reporter.
- execution agents do the hands-on implementation.
Dedicated execution agent for Codex work:
- Name: codex_worker
- Workspace: ~/.openclaw/workspaces/codex_worker
- Agent dir: ~/.openclaw/agents/codex_worker/agent
- Model target: openai-codex/gpt-5.4
Preference: codex_worker should avoid automatic fallback; if GPT-5.4 is unavailable, report to Tao for model decision.
Preference: execution agents should get the strongest execution model; main should remain strong for PM/summary work, but not necessarily do the coding itself.
New delegation rule clarified: unless work is truly tiny and can be finished in one short pass, main should avoid personally editing/coding and should delegate implementation to codex_worker first.
New agent-splitting rule clarified: create multiple execution agents when work is parallelizable, responsibilities differ, contexts would otherwise get mixed, or separate validation/release tracks are needed; avoid splitting tiny or tightly coupled work.
This architecture is the current default, but Tao may revise it as needs change.