SKILL.md
---
name: write-agentmemory-skill
description: The house format and rules for writing or updating an agentmemory skill. Use when adding a new skill, restructuring an existing one, or reviewing a skill contribution for consistency.
user-invocable: false
---
agentmemory skills follow one tiered format so they stay skimmable, accurate, and current. Match it exactly.
## Directory layout
```text
plugin/skills/<name>/
SKILL.md (required, under 100 lines)
REFERENCE.md (optional, dense facts; auto-generate data tables)
EXAMPLES.md (optional, worked transcripts)
TROUBLESHOOTING.md (generated support file)
```
## SKILL.md rules
- Frontmatter: `name`, `description`, optional `argument-hint`, and `user-invocable`. Set `user-invocable: true` only for skills the user runs as a slash command; reference and knowledge skills are `false`.
- Description is two sentences and the only thing the agent sees when deciding to load the skill. Sentence one states the capability. Sentence two starts "Use when" and lists concrete triggers. Keep it distinct from sibling skills, under 1024 chars, third person.
- Body order: Quick start (one concrete example), Why (the governing principle), Workflow (numbered steps with decision gates), Anti-patterns (a WRONG vs RIGHT callout for the top mistake), Checklist, See also (cross-link siblings), Reference or Troubleshooting pointer.
- Stay under 100 lines. Move dense facts to REFERENCE.md and examples to EXAMPLES.md.
- Keep supporting files inside the skill directory so each skill works when installed separately. Link [TROUBLESHOOTING.md](TROUBLESHOOTING.md); the generator copies shared recovery instructions into each skill root.
## Keep it current
Facts that exist in source (tool names and parameters, REST endpoints, env vars, connect adapters, hook events) are generated, never hand-typed. Edit the source, then run `npm run skills:gen`. CI runs `npm run skills:check` and fails on drift, so generated tables cannot fall behind the code.
## Style
No external or competitor product names. No emojis. No em-dashes. No filler. State the thing and stop.
## Checklist
- Description has a "Use when" sentence with real triggers.
- SKILL.md is under 100 lines.
- No time-sensitive claims and no duplicated troubleshooting block.
- Concrete example present; generated facts come from the generator.
- Cross-links resolve and go one level deep.
TROUBLESHOOTING.md
<!-- AUTOGEN:troubleshooting START - generated by scripts/skills/generate.ts, do not edit by hand -->
# Troubleshooting agentmemory skills
Recovery steps for separately installed skills. This document is generated into
each skill directory so native skill readers can open it without parent traversal.
## "MCP tool not available"
Missing tools can mean a stopped MCP process, a disconnected daemon, or an
explicitly reduced tool surface. Walk these in order:
1. Identify the host. In Claude Code, inspect `/plugin list` and `/mcp`.
In Hermes, inspect the configured memory provider and `mcp_servers` separately.
In OpenClaw, validate the host configuration and inspect its MCP servers and
native plugins separately. In Pi or OMP, inspect `/agentmemory-status` and the
MCP inventory separately; native save/search does not prove the broader tools
are connected. Do not run another host's setup commands.
2. Restart or reload the affected host connection after configuration changes.
3. Inspect the connected tool inventory. Hermes may namespace MCP tools; invoke
the actual advertised names and schemas. A native memory provider is not
proof that every MCP tool or shared skill is available.
4. Check `agentmemory status` and the daemon's `AGENTMEMORY_TOOLS` setting.
Codex's bundled bridge lists the daemon's enabled tools. The standalone shim
used by other hosts can fall back to seven basic tools with a separate store.
Do not claim full daemon functionality based on those seven tools.
5. If `agentmemory connect codex` and the Codex plugin are both enabled, choose
one MCP connection. Check `/hooks` before adding global hook fallbacks.
Hermes, OpenClaw, Pi and OMP connector installations bundle skills; other hosts
may install them separately. Check the host's skill inventory and open this file
from the installed skill directory. Test automatic capture with a real turn and
a recorded observation; tool connectivity alone does not establish lifecycle
capture.
An outage or timeout is not an empty search result. Report the failure. A write
may have committed before the response was lost; inspect state before retrying.
## REST fallback
When the MCP tools stay unavailable but the daemon is running, call the REST
API directly:
1. Set `AGENTMEMORY_URL` to the daemon base URL (default `http://localhost:3111`).
2. The REST API requires a bearer credential by default. Use the host's explicit
`AGENTMEMORY_SECRET`; for loopback URLs only, fall back to the secret in
`~/.agentmemory/.env` and then `~/.agentmemory/secret`. Load the value locally
without displaying it. Never send a local-file secret to a remote URL.
If `AGENTMEMORY_CREDENTIAL_MODE=explicit`, require the explicit host credential
and do not read local credential files.
Authenticated REST fallback requests require HTTPS for non-loopback
URLs; HTTP is allowed for loopback URLs (`localhost`, `127.0.0.0/8`, or `[::1]`).
Reject redirects on authenticated requests. Do not print or save the secret.
Endpoint map by skill:
| Skill | REST call |
| --------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| remember | `POST /agentmemory/remember` |
| recall | `POST /agentmemory/smart-search` |
| recap | `GET /agentmemory/sessions` + `POST /agentmemory/smart-search` |
| handoff | `GET /agentmemory/sessions` + `POST /agentmemory/smart-search` |
| session-history | `GET /agentmemory/sessions` |
| commit-context | `GET /agentmemory/session/by-commit?sha=<sha>` |
| commit-history | `GET /agentmemory/commits` (URL-encode every query param) |
The MCP host reads the plugin MCP configuration. Restart the daemon after
changing its configuration, then restart or reconnect the host MCP process after
changing its URL or explicit secret. The local bridge reads the credential files
for each request; it does not inherit other daemon `.env` settings.
<!-- AUTOGEN:troubleshooting END -->