Use when the user wants to understand the OpenClaw workspace layout, inspect ~/.openclaw/ structure, audit agent workspaces, check workspace conventions, understand file-based orchestration, view agent directory organization, troubleshoot workspace paths, or set up a per-agent workspace.
Explain and help the user navigate the standardized OpenClaw workspace layouts. Two levels exist:
~/.openclaw/) — Created by the OpenClaw CLI, holds global config and all agent workspacesEach agent workspace follows this flatter layout with bootstrap files at root:
<agent-workspace>/
AGENTS.md # Operating manual (safety rules, delegation, memory workflow)
SOUL.md # Personality, boundaries, communication style
IDENTITY.md # Name, role, avatar, vibe
USER.md # Who the agent serves (private sessions only)
MEMORY.md # Long-term curated knowledge (200-line budget)
TOOLS.md # Available tools, integration notes
HEARTBEAT.md # Proactive monitoring checklist
GROUP_MEMORY.md # Info safe for group contexts (optional)
agents/ # Sub-agent directories (team workspace)
<agent-id>/
SOUL.md
MEMORY.md
logs/
output/
skills/ # Workspace-specific skills
memory/ # Daily logs
YYYY-MM-DD.md # Raw session notes
archive/ # Compressed logs older than 14 days
team-memory/ # Shared cross-agent knowledge
market-brief.md
icp-profile.md
brand-voice.md
config/ # Local configuration
security.json
output/ # Agent work products
logs/ # Operational logs
Memory details: See
openclaw-memoryskill for the four-layer memory model, bootstrap file loading order, daily log workflow, SCRIBE compression, shared memory patterns, and/oc-memorycommand.
~/.openclaw/
openclaw.json # Central configuration
models.json # Model registry
workspace/ # Shared collaboration space
CLAUDE.md # Shared instructions for all agents
TASKS.json # Task tracking (RACI schema)
SPRINT_CURRENT.json # Active sprint data
SHARED_KNOWLEDGE.json # Semantic memory layer
IMPROVEMENT_BACKLOG.json # Continuous improvement items (min 5)
agents-workspaces/ # Per-agent isolation
<agent-id>/
IDENTITY.md # Agent role definition
SOUL.md # Behavioral instructions
TOOLS.md # Available capabilities
auth-profiles.json # Credentials (chmod 600)
comms/ # Async messaging
<agent-id>/
inbox/
outbox/
broadcast.md # System announcements
processes/
PROCESSES.json # 23 process definitions
standards/ # Coding, quality, docs, research standards
skills/ # Reusable SKILL.md definitions
memory/
lancedb/ # Vector embeddings store
Sixteen agents map to workspace directories:
| Agent | ID | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Cooper | main | Primary orchestrator |
| Pixel | debugger | Debugging specialist |
| Vault | cybersecurity | Security operations |
| Sage | solution-architect | Architecture design |
| Oracle | predictive-analyst | Predictive analysis |
| Nova | nova | General purpose |
| Mirror | metacognition | Self-reflection |
| Vista | business-analyst | Business analysis |
| Forge | implementation | Implementation work |
| Vex | tester | Testing specialist |
| Axon | devops | DevOps operations |
| Vigil | quality-assurance | QA enforcement |
| Anchor | content-specialist | Content creation |
| Muse | creativity | Creative tasks |
| Cipher | knowledge-curator | Knowledge management |
| Lens | multimodal | Multimodal processing |
Three system-level memory types:
Vector embeddings stored in ~/.openclaw/memory/lancedb/.
Full guide: See
openclaw-memoryskill for the four-layer memory model (bootstrap files, daily logs, session transcripts, retrieval index), shared memory access patterns, SCRIBE compression, and the/oc-memorycommand.
/home/openclaw/ using TailscaleTo inspect the workspace:
# Show top-level structure
ls -la ~/.openclaw/
# List agent workspaces
ls ~/.openclaw/workspace/agents-workspaces/
# Check a specific agent's files
ls -la ~/.openclaw/workspace/agents-workspaces/<agent-id>/
# Verify auth file permissions
stat ~/.openclaw/workspace/agents-workspaces/*/auth-profiles.json
# Check shared knowledge
cat ~/.openclaw/workspace/SHARED_KNOWLEDGE.json | head -50
# Inspect communication channels
find ~/.openclaw/workspace/comms/ -type f