# Where things live on disk

> Data locations, AGENTS.md and SOUL.md placement, backups, and uninstalling

- 网址：https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/help/faq/where-things-live-on-disk/
- 来源：OpenClaw 官方文档原文（英文），MIT 许可，同步于 2026-10-11
- 官方原文：https://docs.openclaw.ai/zh-CN/help/faq/where-things-live-on-disk

---
## Where things live on disk

<details>
<summary>Is all data used with OpenClaw saved locally?</summary>

No: **OpenClaw's own state is local**, but **external services still see what you send them**.

- **Local by default**: sessions, memory files, config, and workspace live on the Gateway host (`~/.openclaw` plus your workspace directory).
- **Remote by necessity**: messages sent to model providers (Anthropic/OpenAI/etc.) go to their APIs, and chat platforms (Slack/Telegram/WhatsApp/etc.) store message data on their servers.
- **You control the footprint**: local models keep prompts on your machine, but channel traffic still goes through the channel's servers.

Related: [Agent workspace](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/concepts/agent-workspace/), [Memory](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/concepts/memory/).

</details>

<details>
<summary>Where does OpenClaw store its data?</summary>

Everything lives under `$OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR` (default: `~/.openclaw`):

| Path                                                               | Purpose                                                            |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `$OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR/openclaw.json`                                 | Main config (JSON5)                                                 |
| `$OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR/credentials/oauth.json`                        | Legacy OAuth migration source for `openclaw doctor --fix`           |
| `$OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR/state/openclaw.sqlite`                         | Shared SQLite state, including shared auth profiles                 |
| `$OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR/secrets.json`                                  | Optional file-backed secret payload for `file` SecretRef providers   |
| `$OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR/agents/<agentId>/agent/auth.json`              | Legacy auth migration source for `openclaw doctor --fix`             |
| `$OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR/credentials/`                                  | Provider state (for example `whatsapp/<accountId>/creds.json`)      |
| `$OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR/agents/`                                       | Per-agent state (agentDir + legacy/archive session artifacts)        |
| `$OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR/agents/<agentId>/agent/openclaw-agent.sqlite`  | Per-agent SQLite state, including local auth profiles, sessions, and transcripts |
| `$OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR/agents/<agentId>/sessions/`                    | Legacy session migration sources and archive/support artifacts      |

Legacy single-agent path `~/.openclaw/agent/*` is migrated by `openclaw doctor`.

Legacy `auth-profiles.json` files are imported by `openclaw doctor --fix`;
new logins write SQLite. Agent-local profiles override the shared read-through
base. Older installs keep that shared store in the main agent's database until
doctor relocates it; see [Auth credential semantics](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/auth-credential-semantics/#agent-copy-portability).

Your **workspace** (AGENTS.md, memory files, skills, etc.) is separate, configured via `agents.defaults.workspace` (default: `~/.openclaw/workspace`).

</details>

<details>
<summary>Where should AGENTS.md / SOUL.md / USER.md / MEMORY.md live?</summary>

These live in the **agent workspace**, not `~/.openclaw`.

- **Workspace (per agent)**: `AGENTS.md`, `SOUL.md`, `IDENTITY.md`, `USER.md`, `MEMORY.md`, `memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md`. Lowercase root `memory.md` is legacy repair input only; `openclaw doctor --fix` can merge it into `MEMORY.md` when both exist.
- **State dir (`~/.openclaw`)**: config, channel/provider state, auth profiles, sessions, logs, shared skills (`~/.openclaw/skills`).

Default workspace is `~/.openclaw/workspace`, configurable:

```json5
{
  agents: { defaults: { workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace" } },
}
```

If the bot "forgets" after a restart, confirm the Gateway uses the same workspace on every launch (remote mode uses the **gateway host's** workspace, not your local laptop).

Tip: for durable behavior or preference, ask the bot to **write it into AGENTS.md or MEMORY.md** rather than relying on chat history.

See [Agent workspace](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/concepts/agent-workspace/) and [Memory](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/concepts/memory/).

</details>

<details>
<summary>Can I make SOUL.md bigger?</summary>

Yes. `SOUL.md` is one of the workspace bootstrap files injected into agent context. Default per-file injection limit is `20000` characters; total bootstrap budget across files is `60000` characters.

Change shared defaults:

```json5
{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      bootstrapMaxChars: 50000,
      bootstrapTotalMaxChars: 300000,
    },
  },
}
```

Or override one agent under `agents.entries.*.bootstrapMaxChars` / `bootstrapTotalMaxChars`.

Use `/context` to check raw vs injected sizes and whether truncation happened. Keep `SOUL.md` focused on voice, stance, and personality; put operating rules in `AGENTS.md` and durable facts in memory.

See [Context](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/concepts/context/) and [Agent config](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/gateway/config-agents/).

</details>

<details>
<summary>Recommended backup strategy</summary>

Put your **agent workspace** in a **private** git repo and back it up somewhere private (for example GitHub private). This captures memory plus AGENTS/SOUL/USER files and lets you restore the assistant's "mind" later.

Do **not** commit anything under `~/.openclaw` (credentials, sessions, tokens, encrypted secrets payloads). For a full restore, back up the workspace and state directory separately.

Docs: [Agent workspace](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/concepts/agent-workspace/).

</details>

<details>
<summary>How do I completely uninstall OpenClaw?</summary>

See [Uninstall](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/install/uninstall/).

</details>

<details>
<summary>Can agents work outside the workspace?</summary>

Yes. The workspace is the **default cwd** and memory anchor, not a hard sandbox. Relative paths resolve inside the workspace; absolute paths can access other host locations unless sandboxing is enabled. For isolation, use [`agents.defaults.sandbox`](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/gateway/sandboxing/) or per-agent sandbox settings. To make a repo the default working directory, point that agent's `workspace` at the repo root - the OpenClaw repo itself is just source code, so keep the workspace separate unless you intentionally want the agent to work inside it.

```json5
{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      workspace: "~/path/to/my-repo",
    },
  },
}
```

</details>

<details>
<summary>Remote mode: where is the session store?</summary>

Session state is owned by the **gateway host**. In remote mode, the session store you care about is on the remote machine, not your local laptop. See [Session management](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/concepts/session/).

</details>