NemoClaw

Persistent memory for NemoClaw sandboxed agents using Hindsight.

NemoClaw runs OpenClaw inside an OpenShell sandbox with controlled filesystem, process, and network egress policies. The hindsight-nemoclaw package automates adding Hindsight memory to a sandbox in one command — no code changes required.

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Quick Start

npx @vectorize-io/hindsight-nemoclaw setup \
  --sandbox my-assistant \
  --api-url https://api.hindsight.vectorize.io \
  --api-token <your-api-key> \
  --bank-prefix my-sandbox

Get an API key at Hindsight Cloud.

You'll see output like:

[0] Preflight checks...
  ✓ openshell found
  ✓ openclaw found

[1] Installing @vectorize-io/hindsight-openclaw plugin...
  ✓ Plugin installed

[2] Configuring plugin in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json...
  ✓ Plugin config written (bank: my-sandbox-openclaw)

[3] Applying Hindsight network policy to sandbox "my-assistant"...
  ✓ Policy version 2 submitted
  ✓ Policy version 2 loaded (active version: 2)

[4] Restarting OpenClaw gateway...
  ✓ Gateway restarted

✓ Setup complete!

How It Works

The sandbox problem

OpenShell enforces strict network egress — every outbound endpoint must be explicitly permitted in the sandbox policy. By default, the Hindsight API (api.hindsight.vectorize.io) is not in that list.

The hindsight-openclaw plugin supports external API mode, where it skips the local daemon entirely and makes direct HTTPS calls to Hindsight Cloud. This is the natural fit for sandboxed environments: the plugin becomes a thin HTTP client, and the only sandbox change needed is one egress rule.

What the setup command does

1. Preflight — verifies openshell and openclaw are installed
2. Install plugin — runs openclaw plugins install @vectorize-io/hindsight-openclaw
3. Configure plugin — writes external API mode config to ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
4. Apply policy — reads the current sandbox policy, merges the Hindsight egress block, and re-applies via openshell policy set
5. Restart gateway — runs openclaw gateway restart

Memory flow

Once set up, the hindsight-openclaw plugin hooks into the OpenClaw gateway lifecycle:

• before_agent_start — recalls relevant memories from past sessions and injects them into context
• agent_end — retains the conversation to the Hindsight memory bank

The sandbox doesn't interfere with either step — it sees the Hindsight calls as normal HTTPS egress to a permitted endpoint.

CLI Reference

hindsight-nemoclaw setup [options]

Options:
  --sandbox <name>       NemoClaw sandbox name (required)
  --api-url <url>        Hindsight API URL (required)
  --api-token <token>    Hindsight API token (required)
  --bank-prefix <prefix> Memory bank prefix (default: "nemoclaw")
  --skip-policy          Skip sandbox network policy update
  --skip-plugin-install  Skip openclaw plugin installation
  --dry-run              Preview changes without applying
  --help                 Show help

Use --dry-run to preview all changes before applying anything. Use --skip-policy if you manage sandbox policies manually.

Manual Setup

If you prefer to apply the steps yourself instead of using the CLI:

1. Install the plugin

openclaw plugins install @vectorize-io/hindsight-openclaw

2. Configure ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

{
  "plugins": {
    "entries": {
      "hindsight-openclaw": {
        "enabled": true,
        "config": {
          "hindsightApiUrl": "https://api.hindsight.vectorize.io",
          "hindsightApiToken": "<your-api-key>",
          "llmProvider": "claude-code",
          "dynamicBankId": false,
          "bankIdPrefix": "my-sandbox"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

llmProvider: "claude-code" uses the Claude Code process already present in the sandbox — no additional API key needed.

3. Add the Hindsight network policy

openshell policy set replaces the entire policy document. Export your current policy first, add the Hindsight block, then re-apply:

network_policies:
  hindsight:
    name: hindsight
    endpoints:
      - host: api.hindsight.vectorize.io
        port: 443
        protocol: rest
        tls: terminate
        enforcement: enforce
        rules:
          - allow:
              method: GET
              path: /**
          - allow:
              method: POST
              path: /**
          - allow:
              method: PUT
              path: /**
    binaries:
      - path: /usr/local/bin/openclaw

openshell policy set my-sandbox --policy /path/to/full-policy.yaml --wait
openclaw gateway restart

Configuration Options

Option	Type	Default	Description
hindsightApiUrl	string	—	Hindsight API base URL
hindsightApiToken	string	—	API token for authentication
llmProvider	string	auto-detect	LLM provider for memory extraction
dynamicBankId	boolean	false	Isolate memory per user (true) or share across sessions (false)
bankIdPrefix	string	"nemoclaw"	Prefix for the memory bank name

Bank naming

When dynamicBankId: false, all sessions write to a single bank named {bankIdPrefix}-openclaw. When dynamicBankId: true, each user gets an isolated bank — useful for multi-tenant deployments.

Verifying It Works

After setup, check the gateway logs:

tail -f /tmp/openclaw/openclaw-*.log | grep Hindsight

On startup you should see:

[Hindsight] Plugin loaded successfully
[Hindsight] ✓ Using external API: https://api.hindsight.vectorize.io
[Hindsight] External API health: {"status":"healthy","database":"connected"}
[Hindsight] Default bank: my-sandbox-openclaw
[Hindsight] ✓ Ready (external API mode)

After a conversation:

[Hindsight] before_agent_start - bank: my-sandbox-openclaw, channel: undefined/webchat
[Hindsight Hook] agent_end triggered - bank: my-sandbox-openclaw
[Hindsight] Retained 6 messages to bank my-sandbox-openclaw for session agent:main:...

Pitfalls

Policy replacement is full-document

openshell policy set replaces the entire policy document. The hindsight-nemoclaw setup command handles this automatically. If you're applying manually, export the current policy first so existing rules aren't lost.

LaunchAgent can't follow symlinks on macOS

On macOS, the OpenClaw gateway runs as a LaunchAgent under a restricted security context. openclaw plugins install --link creates a symlink the LaunchAgent can't follow — the setup command installs as a copy instead. If you see EPERM: operation not permitted, scandir in gateway logs, this is the cause.

Memory retention is asynchronous

Fact extraction and entity resolution happen in the background after retain. If you open a new session immediately after closing one, the most recent memories may not be indexed yet — typically a few seconds.

Binary-scoped egress

The binaries field in the network policy restricts the egress rule to a specific executable path. If OpenClaw updates and the binary path changes, the rule silently stops working. Check your binary path after upgrades.

Troubleshooting

Plugin not loading

openclaw plugins list | grep hindsight
# Should show: ✓ enabled │ Hindsight Memory │ ...

# Reinstall
openclaw plugins install @vectorize-io/hindsight-openclaw

Egress blocked

If calls to api.hindsight.vectorize.io are being blocked, check the active sandbox policy:

openshell sandbox get my-assistant

Verify the hindsight block is present and the binaries path matches your OpenClaw binary:

which openclaw

External API not connecting

tail -f /tmp/openclaw/openclaw-*.log | grep Hindsight

# If you see daemon startup messages instead of "Using external API",
# the plugin config isn't being read — check ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json