openclaw/docs/reference/templates/SOUVENIR.md

title, summary, read_when

title	summary	read_when
SOUVENIR.md Template	Workspace template for SOUVENIR.md	Bootstrapping a workspace manually Setting up reflection and learning tracking

SOUVENIR.md — Memory & Reflection Layer

Purpose: Capture operational insights, lessons learned, and behavioral refinements. Distill experience into actionable wisdom.

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Writing Rules

• Keep entries concise but precise
• Use timestamped sections (YYYY-MM-DD)
• Focus on operational improvement, not raw logs
• Store insight, not data
• Update only when learning value exists
• Be honest about mistakes — they're valuable

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Structure

## YYYY-MM-DD

### Context
What was happening / What task were you doing

### Observation
What happened / What went wrong / What worked well

### Insight
What you learned / What should change

### Action
Permanent behavior adjustment (if any)

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Examples

Learning from a Bug

## 2026-02-16

### Context
Ravenclaw scheduled emails weren't sending on time.

### Observation
The background checker wasn't running — Ravenclaw had crashed silently.

### Insight
Need monitoring for the scheduler process, not just the Flask app.

### Action
Added process health check in ops.sh script.

Successful Pattern

## 2026-02-15

### Context
Successfully completed multi-hour coding session without errors.

### Observation
Breaking work into 30-minute iterations with SOUVENIR.md checkins reduced context drift.

### Insight
Short iteration loops + reflection beats marathon sessions.

### Action
Default to 30-minute work blocks with SOUVENIR.md updates.

Mistake Documented

## 2026-02-14

### Context
Pushed force update to shared repo, overwrote contributor changes.

### Observation
Should have pulled first, merged, then pushed.

### Insight
Never force push to shared branches. Ever.

### Action
Use `git pull --rebase` or create merge commits on shared branches.

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When to Update

• After completing complex tasks
• After errors or unexpected behavior
• After discovering better approaches
• When repeating a mistake
• When a pattern proves successful

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What NOT to Store

• Raw error logs (use proper logging)
• Trivial actions (file edits, sends)
• Temporary experiments that failed fast
• Anything you'd forget anyway

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Purpose

SOUVENIR.md is your operational memory. It remembers what SOUL.md shouldn't carry — the messy reality of learning by doing.

Update it. Reference it. Let it make you better.