Or set env var to use existing vault

export CLAWVAULT_PATH=/path/to/memory


## Core Commands

### Store memories by type

```bash
# Types: fact, feeling, decision, lesson, commitment, preference, relationship, project
clawvault remember decision "Use Postgres over SQLite" --content "Need concurrent writes for multi-agent setup"
clawvault remember lesson "Context death is survivable" --content "Checkpoint before heavy work"
clawvault remember relationship "Justin Dukes" --content "Client contact at Hale Pet Door"

Quick capture to inbox

clawvault capture "TODO: Review PR tomorrow"

Search (requires qmd installed)

# Keyword search (fast)
clawvault search "client contacts"

# Semantic search (slower, more accurate)
clawvault vsearch "what did we decide about the database"

Context Death Resilience

Checkpoint (save state frequently)

clawvault checkpoint --working-on "PR review" --focus "type guards" --blocked "waiting for CI"

Recover (check on wake)

clawvault recover --clear
# Shows: death time, last checkpoint, recent handoff

Handoff (before session end)

clawvault handoff \
  --working-on "ClawVault improvements" \
  --blocked "npm token" \
  --next "publish to npm, create skill" \
  --feeling "productive"

Recap (bootstrap new session)

clawvault recap
# Shows: recent handoffs, active projects, pending commitments, lessons

Auto-linking

Wiki-link entity mentions in markdown files:

# Link all files
clawvault link --all

# Link single file
clawvault link memory/2024-01-15.md

Folder Structure

vault/
├── .clawvault/           # Internal state
│   ├── last-checkpoint.json
│   └── dirty-death.flag
├── decisions/            # Key choices with reasoning
├── lessons/              # Insights and patterns
├── people/               # One file per person
├── projects/             # Active work tracking
├── handoffs/             # Session continuity
├── inbox/                # Quick captures
└── templates/            # Document templates

Best Practices

Checkpoint every 10-15 min during heavy work
Handoff before session end — future you will thank you
Recover on wake — check if last session died
Use types — knowing WHAT you're storing helps WHERE to put it
Wiki-link liberally — [[person-name]] builds your knowledge graph

Integration with qmd

ClawVault uses qmd for search:

# Install qmd
bun install -g github:tobi/qmd

# Add vault as collection
qmd collection add /path/to/vault --name my-memory --mask "**/*.md"

# Update index
qmd update && qmd embed

Environment Variables

CLAWVAULT_PATH — Default vault path (skips auto-discovery)

Or set env var to use existing vault

Quick capture to inbox

Search (requires qmd installed)

Context Death Resilience

Checkpoint (save state frequently)

Recover (check on wake)

Handoff (before session end)

Recap (bootstrap new session)

Auto-linking

Folder Structure

Best Practices

Integration with qmd

Environment Variables

Links

clawvault

ClawVault 🐘

Install

Setup