Memory tools

Memory tools

config.toolsAllow sets the concrete tool names the blocking sub-agent may call for advanced Active Memory. Defaults depend on the current memory provider:

toolsAllow is a limit, not a permission grant. Before starting recall, Active Memory filters these names through the parent agent's finalized tool policy. A plugin can register a tool that the parent agent's selected profile excludes. Use explicit tools.alsoAllow entries to extend a restrictive profile, as in the Lossless Claw example. These grants also give the parent agent access to the named tools; they are not recall-only permissions. Explicit denies and provider, agent, and sandbox restrictions still apply, and recall cannot continue after the parent turn's tool authority expires. If only some configured tools are allowed, recall can still run with that smaller set. For example, memory_search may remain available even when the Lossless Claw tools are excluded.

If none of the configured tools are available, or the sub-agent run fails, active memory skips recall for that turn and the main reply continues without memory context. For custom recall tools, non-empty model-visible tool output counts as recall evidence unless structured result fields explicitly report an empty result or failure.

toolsAllow only accepts concrete memory tool names: wildcards, group:* entries, and core agent tools (read, exec, message, web_search, and similar) are silently filtered out before the hidden sub-agent starts.

Built-in memory

No explicit toolsAllow needed:

{  plugins: {    entries: {      "active-memory": {        enabled: true,        config: {          agents: ["main"],          // Default: ["memory_search", "memory_get"]        },      },    },  },}

LanceDB memory

After installing and configuring LanceDB, Active Memory automatically uses memory_recall; no explicit toolsAllow is needed:

{  plugins: {    entries: {      "active-memory": {        enabled: true,        config: {          agents: ["main"],          promptAppend: "Use memory_recall for long-term user preferences, past decisions, and previously discussed topics. If recall finds nothing useful, return NONE.",        },      },    },  },}

This is the advanced Active Memory path for LanceDB's own stored memories. memory.search.rememberAcrossConversations does not expose private session transcripts through memory_recall. Use LanceDB's auto-recall or the advanced configuration above when LanceDB is the active memory provider.

Lossless Claw

Lossless Claw is an external context-engine plugin (openclaw plugins install @martian-engineering/lossless-claw) with its own recall tools. Set it up as a context engine first; see Context engine. Then grant its recall tools to the parent agent and point Active Memory at them. This example keeps the main agent on the restrictive coding profile and adds only the three named Lossless Claw tools through agents.entries.main.tools.alsoAllow. Merge these entries into that agent's existing tool configuration. Keep your selected profile and any other required grants and denies. This example assumes that agent scope does not also define tools.allow: allow and alsoAllow cannot be combined in the same scope. A later allowlist cannot restore tools excluded by a profile. See Tool policy before adapting an existing layered allowlist:

{  agents: {    entries: {      main: {        tools: {          profile: "coding",          alsoAllow: ["lcm_grep", "lcm_describe", "lcm_expand_query"],        },      },    },  },  plugins: {    slots: {      contextEngine: "lossless-claw",    },    entries: {      "lossless-claw": {        enabled: true,      },      "active-memory": {        enabled: true,        config: {          agents: ["main"],          toolsAllow: ["memory_search", "lcm_grep", "lcm_describe", "lcm_expand_query"],          promptAppend: "Use lcm_grep first for compacted conversation recall. Use lcm_describe to inspect a specific summary. Use lcm_expand_query only when the latest user message needs exact details that may have been compacted away. Return NONE if the retrieved context is not clearly useful.",        },      },    },  },}

Do not add lcm_expand to toolsAllow here; Lossless Claw uses it as a lower-level tool for delegated expansion, not meant for the top-level active-memory sub-agent. Lossless Claw changes context assembly without replacing the current memory provider. Keep memory_search in toolsAllow when also using rememberAcrossConversations; an LCM-only tool list remains valid for advanced Active Memory but disables the product transcript-recall path.