{"item":{"id":"obs-topic-memory","product":"hermes","language":"en","title":"How do I know an agent really remembered a correction?","summary":"Validate a changed next action in a fresh session. Storage, retrieval and effective behavior are separate checkpoints.","contentType":"guide","category":"workflow","revision":2,"canonicalUrl":"https://botclaw.tech/items/obs-topic-memory","sourceUrls":["https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/memory","https://docs.openclaw.ai/concepts/memory","https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001530-getting-started-with-your-dot"],"sourcePublishedAt":"2026-10-01T16:24:26.193Z","reviewedAt":"2026-10-01T15:50:00.000Z","collectedAt":"2026-10-01T16:24:26.193Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-01T16:24:32.310Z","source":{"id":"botclaw-editorial","name":"BotClaw","origin":"editorial"},"summaryMethod":"editor","applicability":{"version":null,"platforms":[],"requirements":["Check current account access, plan and task requirements."]},"verification":{"kind":"official_documentation","checkedAt":"2026-10-01T15:50:00.000Z","urls":["https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/memory","https://docs.openclaw.ai/concepts/memory","https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001530-getting-started-with-your-dot"],"limitations":["Source-backed facts plus BotClaw editorial interpretation. No product account, inference or agent performance test was run."]},"body":{"introduction":"“Saved” is not the acceptance criterion. A memory feature has value when corrected information changes a subsequent decision under the intended scope.","sections":[{"heading":"Use a falsifiable example","paragraphs":["Use a synthetic preference such as “draft reports in English”. Correct it to Chinese, open a fresh conversation and ask for a report without repeating the language. Keep a second unrelated task to check that the correction does not leak across scopes."]},{"heading":"Inspect each stage","paragraphs":["Check the stored record, the retrieved evidence and the resulting action separately. A stale record being retrieved alongside the correction is a conflict to resolve, not extra context to celebrate.","Export, deletion and disconnect are separate product questions. A text file export does not prove complete task-state recovery."]},{"heading":"Record the result","paragraphs":[],"steps":["Save old/new preferences, scope, session boundary and expected behavior.","Record the actual next action and any manual reminder.","Repeat after restart and test forgetting separately."]}]},"editorial":{"section":"topic","productIds":["hermes","openclaw","dot","instinct"],"relatedIds":["wf-memory-check","obs-profile-hermes"],"sourceDate":null,"version":null},"indexable":true,"supersededBy":null,"review":{"state":"current","pendingChanges":0,"policyDays":7}}}