@memtensor/memos-local-plugin
June 4, 2026 · View on GitHub
Reflect2Evolve memory plugin for AI agents. One algorithm core, multiple agent adapters (OpenClaw, Hermes Agent).
What it is
A local-first, file-backed memory system that gives an agent four cooperating layers of memory and a feedback-driven self-evolution loop:
- L1 trace — step-level grounded records (action + observation + reflection + value).
- L2 policy — sub-task strategies induced across many traces.
- L3 world model — compressed environmental cognition derived from L2 + L1.
- Skill — callable, crystallized capabilities the agent can invoke directly.
The plugin learns continuously from two feedback channels:
- Step-level — model ↔ environment (tool result, observation deltas).
- Task-level — human ↔ model (explicit ratings + implicit signals).
Reflection-weighted reward is back-propagated along each trace, and high-value patterns crystallize into reusable Skills. At inference time, a three-tier retriever (Skill → trace/episode → world model) injects the right context at the right time.
Layout (high-level)
apps/memos-local-plugin/
├── agent-contract/ # Stable types + JSON-RPC protocol shared with adapters
├── core/ # Agent-agnostic algorithm (memory, reward, retrieval, skill, hub, …)
├── server/ # HTTP + SSE server (powers the viewer)
├── bridge.cts + bridge/ # JSON-RPC bridge (used by Hermes Python adapter)
├── adapters/openclaw/ # In-process TS adapter for OpenClaw
├── adapters/hermes/ # Python adapter that talks to bridge.cts
├── templates/ # config.yaml templates copied to the user's home on install
├── viewer/ # Runtime viewer (Vite, served by server/)
├── docs/ # Developer-facing docs (algorithm, data model, prompts, …)
├── scripts/ # Build / packaging / release helpers
└── tests/ # unit / integration / e2e (vitest)
For the full structural breakdown read [ARCHITECTURE.md](./ARCHITECTURE.md).
Where data lives
The source code never writes to the user's home directly. At install time,
install.sh creates a per-agent home folder for runtime state:
| Agent | Code installed to | Runtime data + config in |
|---|---|---|
| OpenClaw | ~/.openclaw/plugins/memos-local-plugin/ | ~/.openclaw/memos-plugin/ |
| Hermes | ~/.hermes/plugins/memos-local-plugin/ | ~/.hermes/memos-plugin/ |
Inside the runtime folder:
config.yaml # the only config file (includes API keys; chmod 600)
data/memos.db # SQLite (L1/L2/L3/Skill/Episode/Feedback/…)
skills/ # crystallized skill packages
logs/ # rotating logs (memos.log, error.log, audit.log, llm.jsonl, perf.jsonl, events.jsonl)
daemon/ # bridge pid/port files
Upgrading or uninstalling the plugin never touches data/, skills/,
logs/, or config.yaml.
Quick start
Important
Do not run npm install -g @memtensor/memos-local-plugin.
This package is a Hermes / OpenClaw plugin, not a standalone CLI. A global
npm install only downloads the published tarball into your node_modules
tree; it does not deploy the plugin to the agent home (~/.hermes/plugins/
or ~/.openclaw/plugins/), does not write config.yaml, and does not start
the bridge / viewer. The tarball also intentionally ships built artifacts
only (dist/ + viewer/dist/) — the viewer/ source, vite.config.ts,
website/, tests, etc. live in this repository, not in the npm package.
Use the install.sh / install.ps1 installer below; it is the only
supported install path.
The installer downloads the package from npm, deploys it to the right agent
directory, installs production dependencies, writes the initial config.yaml,
and restarts the agent runtime when needed.
From this repository:
cd apps/memos-local-plugin
bash install.sh --version 2.0.0
Or run against the latest published package:
bash install.sh
The installer auto-detects OpenClaw and Hermes. In an interactive terminal it asks which agent to install for; in non-interactive environments it installs for the detected agent(s). To test a local package before publishing, pass the tarball path instead of a registry version:
npm pack
bash install.sh --version ./memtensor-memos-local-plugin-1.0.0-beta.1.tgz
On Windows, run install.ps1 from PowerShell instead of install.sh; the
flags and behavior match.
Troubleshooting
npm install -g @memtensor/memos-local-plugin says "not found" or "404".
You are likely on an old version of this README, or trying to install the
package as if it were a standalone CLI. The package is published under the
@memtensor scope on the public npm registry, but it is intended to be pulled
in by install.sh, not installed globally. Use bash install.sh as shown
above.
I cloned this repo and the web/ or site/ directory only contains a
README.md (no src/, no vite.config.ts, no index.html).
Those directory names are stale. The runtime viewer source lives in viewer/
(formerly web/), and the unfinished marketing-site scaffolding at site/
has been removed entirely. If you see a web/ or site/ directory with only
a README, you are looking at a published npm tarball (which only ships
viewer/dist/), not a fresh git clone of this repository. Clone the repo
to get the full source tree, or just run install.sh to deploy the prebuilt
viewer.
Configuration
The plugin reads its configuration from config.yaml in the runtime directory. The location is resolved in the following priority order:
MEMOS_HOMEenvironment variable — points to the runtime root directory (e.g.,/opt/data/.hermes/memos-plugin)MEMOS_CONFIG_FILEenvironment variable — points directly to the config file (e.g.,/opt/data/.hermes/memos-plugin/config.yaml)--homeCLI flag (bridge.cts only) — specifies the runtime root directory- Default path —
~/.hermes/memos-plugin/or~/.openclaw/memos-plugin/based on the agent
Docker Deployment
When running the daemon in a Docker container, you must explicitly specify the config location if it differs from the default path. There are three ways to do this:
Option 1: Environment Variable (Recommended)
Set MEMOS_HOME to point to the runtime directory:
ENV MEMOS_HOME=/opt/data/home/.hermes/memos-plugin
CMD ["node", "bridge.cts", "--agent=hermes", "--daemon"]
Option 2: CLI Flag
Pass --home directly to the bridge command:
CMD ["node", "bridge.cts", "--agent=hermes", "--daemon", "--home=/opt/data/home/.hermes/memos-plugin"]
Option 3: Config File Path
Set MEMOS_CONFIG_FILE to point directly to the config file:
ENV MEMOS_CONFIG_FILE=/opt/data/home/.hermes/memos-plugin/config.yaml
CMD ["node", "bridge.cts", "--agent=hermes", "--daemon"]
Example Docker Deployment
For the Hermes Agent Docker image:
FROM nousresearch/hermes-agent:latest
# Install memos-local-plugin
RUN bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MemTensor/MemOS/main/apps/memos-local-plugin/install.sh)"
# Set the config location
ENV MEMOS_HOME=/opt/data/.hermes/memos-plugin
# Start daemon in background, then run Hermes
CMD node /opt/data/.hermes/plugins/memos-local-plugin/bridge.cts --agent=hermes --daemon && hermes chat
Troubleshooting
If you see warnings like:
config file not found at /opt/data/.hermes/memos-plugin/config.yaml; using defaults
This means the bridge process is looking in the wrong location. Check:
- Verify your
config.yamlexists:ls -la ~/.hermes/memos-plugin/config.yaml - Set
MEMOS_HOMEor use--hometo point to the correct directory - Ensure the path matches the location where
install.shcreated the config
When config is missing, the plugin falls back to defaults (local embedding, no LLM provider), which will break summarization and reflection features.