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Configuration Reference

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Context Engine

Added to openclaw.json: 
{
  "plugins": {
    "entries": {
      "byterover": {
        "enabled": true,
        "config": {
          "brvPath": "/custom/path/to/brv"
        }
      }
    },
    "allow": ["byterover"],
    "slots": {
      "contextEngine": "byterover"
    }
  }
}
The plugin participates in two lifecycle methods:
  • Assemble (before each model run) — Extracts the user’s query, runs brv query to retrieve curated knowledge from the context tree, and injects it as a systemPromptAddition.
  • After Turn (after each run completes) — Serializes the conversation turn and runs brv curate asynchronously to extract and store valuable knowledge back into the context tree.
The plugin delegates compaction to the OpenClaw runtime (ownsCompaction: false), so built-in auto-compaction continues to work as normal.

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Automatic Memory Flush

Added to openclaw.json: 
{
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "compaction": {
        "reserveTokensFloor": 50000,
        "memoryFlush": {
          "enabled": true,
          "softThresholdTokens": 4000,
          "systemPrompt": "Session nearing compaction. Store durable memories now.",
          "prompt": "Review the session for any architectural decisions, bug fixes, or new patterns. If found, run 'brv curate \"<summary of change>\"' to update the context tree. Also write personal notes to memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md. Reply NO_REPLY if nothing to store."
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

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Uninstalling

Re-run the script and decline each feature when prompted: 
curl -fsSL https://byterover.dev/openclaw-setup.sh | sh
The script cleanly removes:
  • Context Engine — Uninstalls the plugin and removes config entries
  • Memory Flush — Removes compaction config

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Troubleshooting

Cause: OpenClaw has not been initialized.Solution: Install and run OpenClaw first: https://docs.openclaw.ai/install
Cause: Your ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json is corrupted.Solution: Restore from a backup. The script automatically reverts to the backup if an error occurs during patching. To restore manually:
# List available backups
ls ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json.bak.*

# Restore the most recent backup
cp ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json.bak.<timestamp> ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
Cause: The setup script attempted curl -fsSL https://byterover.dev/install.sh | sh but it failed (no network, sandboxed shell, etc.).Solution: Install the ByteRover CLI manually and re-run the setup script:
curl -fsSL https://byterover.dev/install.sh | sh
See the installation docs for offline or package-manager options.
Cause: The setup script attempted npx clawhub@latest install byterover --force but it failed (no npx on PATH, no network).Solution: Install npx/Node.js, then re-run the setup script. To install the skill manually:
npx clawhub@latest install byterover --force
Cause: The plugin is not installed, brv is not in PATH, or the plugin is not enabled.Solution:
  1. Check that the plugin is installed and active: 
    openclaw plugins list
  2. Run the plugin diagnostics tool: 
    openclaw plugins doctor
  3. Check that brv is in your PATH: 
    which brv
  4. Verify the plugin is enabled in config: 
    cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | grep -A2 byterover

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File Reference

PathDescription
~/.openclaw/openclaw.jsonOpenClaw configuration (patched by script)
~/.openclaw/openclaw.json.bak.*Timestamped config backups
~/.openclaw/{workspace}/.brv/ByteRover context tree storage
~/.openclaw/skills/byterover/ByteRover skill (installed via Clawhub)

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Advanced

OpenClaw agents use multiple workspaces — one per agent:
~/.openclaw/workspace/         # Main agent workspace
~/.openclaw/workspace-/        # Sub-agent workspace
The setup script scans openclaw.json for configured workspaces and updates their protocol files (AGENTS.md, TOOLS.md) with ByteRover usage instructions. The .brv/ context tree directory is created automatically on first use:
~/.openclaw/workspace/.brv/
~/.openclaw/workspace/.brv/context-tree/
All ByteRover operations execute against the .brv directory in the current workspace.
To manually run ByteRover commands (brv pull, brv push, brv curate, brv query), first cd into the appropriate workspace directory so the CLI finds the correct .brv context tree.
If you already have OpenClaw memory files (daily logs in memory/), you can migrate them to ByteRover’s context tree. Navigate to your workspace and run:
cd ~/.openclaw/workspace
brv curate "curate the data in the folder ~/.openclaw/workspace/memory by reviewing each file one by one."
ByteRover reads each file, extracts valuable insights, and organizes them into the context tree automatically:
update .brv/context-tree/architecture/api_design/middleware_pipeline.md
update .brv/context-tree/architecture/openclaw/memory_configuration.md
update .brv/context-tree/market_trends/github_repos/trending_repositories.md
✓ Context curated successfully.
You can point to any directory that contains your memory .md files.
This plugin is deprecated. Use the Context Engine plugin for new installations.
The legacy plugin uses OpenClaw’s hook system instead of the context engine lifecycle:
curl -fsSL https://byterover.dev/byterover-legacy-plugin.sh | sh
It intercepts the before_prompt_build event, extracts the user’s query, runs brv query to retrieve context, and prepends it as a ## ByteRover Context (Auto-Enriched) section.The legacy plugin does not automatically curate conversation turns — it only retrieves context.Files changed: ~/.openclaw/extensions/byterover/index.ts, openclaw.plugin.json and ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

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Next Steps

Onboard Context

Learn how to onboard context into ByteRover