fix(openclaw): inject recalled memories as system context (#548)

Co-authored-by: Stable Genius <259448942+stablegenius49@users.noreply.github.com>

hindsight-integrations/openclaw/README.md

@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ That's it! The plugin will automatically start capturing and recalling memories.
 
 ## Features
 
-- **Auto-capture** and **auto-recall** of memories each turn
+- **Auto-capture** and **auto-recall** of memories each turn, injected into system prompt space so recalled memories stay out of the visible chat transcript
 - **Memory isolation** — configurable per agent, channel, user, or provider via `dynamicBankGranularity`
 - **Retention controls** — choose which message roles to retain and toggle auto-retain on/off
 
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ Optional settings in `~/.openclaw/openclaw.json` under `plugins.entries.hindsigh
 | `recallTopK` | — | Max number of memories to inject per turn. Applied after API response as a hard cap. |
 | `recallContextTurns` | `1` | Number of user turns to include when composing recall query context. `1` keeps latest-message-only behavior. |
 | `recallMaxQueryChars` | `800` | Maximum character length for the composed recall query before calling recall. |
-| `recallPromptPreamble` | built-in string | Prompt text placed above recalled memories in the injected `<hindsight_memories>` block. |
+| `recallPromptPreamble` | built-in string | Prompt text placed above recalled memories in the injected `<hindsight_memories>` system-context block. |
 | `hindsightApiUrl` | — | External Hindsight API URL (skips local daemon) |
 | `hindsightApiToken` | — | Auth token for external API |
 

hindsight-integrations/openclaw/src/index.ts

@@ -1143,8 +1143,9 @@ ${memoriesFormatted}
 
         debug(`[Hindsight] Auto-recall: Injecting ${results.length} memories from bank ${bankId}`);
 
-        // Inject context before the user message
-        return { prependContext: contextMessage };
+        // Inject recalled memories into system prompt space so they stay hidden from
+        // the end-user transcript/UI while still being available to the model.
+        return { prependSystemContext: contextMessage };
       } catch (error) {
         if (error instanceof DOMException && error.name === 'TimeoutError') {
           console.warn(`[Hindsight] Auto-recall timed out after ${RECALL_TIMEOUT_MS}ms, skipping memory injection`);

hindsight-integrations/openclaw/src/types.ts

@@ -1,10 +1,15 @@
 // Moltbot plugin API types (minimal subset needed for this plugin)
 
+export interface PluginPromptHookResult {
+  prependContext?: string;
+  prependSystemContext?: string;
+}
+
 export interface MoltbotPluginAPI {
   config: MoltbotConfig;
   registerService(config: ServiceConfig): void;
   // OpenClaw hook handler signature: (event, ctx?) where ctx contains channel/sender info
-  on(event: string, handler: (event: any, ctx?: any) => void | Promise<void | { prependContext?: string }>): void;
+  on(event: string, handler: (event: any, ctx?: any) => void | Promise<void | PluginPromptHookResult>): void;
   // Add more as needed
 }
 

hindsight-integrations/openclaw/tests/hooks.integration.test.ts

@@ -223,7 +223,7 @@ describe('before_prompt_build hook', () => {
     expect(result).toBeUndefined();
   });
 
-  it('returns { prependContext } with <hindsight_memories> when recall returns results', async () => {
+  it('returns { prependSystemContext } with <hindsight_memories> when recall returns results', async () => {
     if (!apiReachable) return;
     recallSpy.mockResolvedValue({
       results: [makeMemoryResult('User likes Python')],
@@ -236,15 +236,16 @@ describe('before_prompt_build hook', () => {
       'before_prompt_build',
       { rawMessage: 'What programming language do I prefer?', prompt: '', messages: [] },
       { messageProvider: 'telegram', senderId: 'U003' },
-    )) as { prependContext: string };
+    )) as { prependSystemContext: string; prependContext?: string };
 
     expect(result).toBeDefined();
-    expect(result.prependContext).toContain('<hindsight_memories>');
-    expect(result.prependContext).toContain('User likes Python');
-    expect(result.prependContext).toContain('</hindsight_memories>');
+    expect(result.prependContext).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(result.prependSystemContext).toContain('<hindsight_memories>');
+    expect(result.prependSystemContext).toContain('User likes Python');
+    expect(result.prependSystemContext).toContain('</hindsight_memories>');
   });
 
-  it('injects all memory result fields in the prependContext', async () => {
+  it('injects all memory result fields in the prependSystemContext', async () => {
     if (!apiReachable) return;
     const mem = makeMemoryResult('User prefers dark mode');
     mem.tags = ['preference'];
@@ -260,12 +261,13 @@ describe('before_prompt_build hook', () => {
       'before_prompt_build',
       { rawMessage: 'Do I prefer dark or light mode?', prompt: '', messages: [] },
       { messageProvider: 'telegram', senderId: 'U004' },
-    )) as { prependContext: string };
+    )) as { prependSystemContext: string; prependContext?: string };
 
     // formatMemories returns a bullet list, not JSON
-    expect(result.prependContext).toContain('- User prefers dark mode');
-    expect(result.prependContext).toContain('<hindsight_memories>');
-    expect(result.prependContext).toContain('</hindsight_memories>');
+    expect(result.prependContext).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(result.prependSystemContext).toContain('- User prefers dark mode');
+    expect(result.prependSystemContext).toContain('<hindsight_memories>');
+    expect(result.prependSystemContext).toContain('</hindsight_memories>');
   });
 
   it('extracts the inner query from an envelope-formatted prompt when rawMessage is absent', async () => {
@@ -328,7 +330,7 @@ describe('before_prompt_build hook', () => {
     expect(callArgs.max_tokens).toBeGreaterThan(0);
   });
 
-  it('includes recalled memories in the prependContext block', async () => {
+  it('includes recalled memories in the prependSystemContext block', async () => {
     if (!apiReachable) return;
     recallSpy.mockResolvedValue({
       results: [makeMemoryResult('User loves hiking')],
@@ -341,10 +343,11 @@ describe('before_prompt_build hook', () => {
       'before_prompt_build',
       { rawMessage: 'What outdoor activities do I enjoy?', prompt: '', messages: [] },
       { messageProvider: 'telegram', senderId: 'U007' },
-    )) as { prependContext: string };
+    )) as { prependSystemContext: string; prependContext?: string };
 
-    expect(result.prependContext).toContain('User loves hiking');
-    expect(result.prependContext).toContain('<hindsight_memories>');
+    expect(result.prependContext).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(result.prependSystemContext).toContain('User loves hiking');
+    expect(result.prependSystemContext).toContain('<hindsight_memories>');
   });
 });