A comprehensive organizational framework that enables semantic search across an agent's entire PARA-structured knowledge base.
Install & Download
1. ClawHub CLI
The fastest way to install a skill directly from the registry.
npx clawhub@latest install para-second-brain
2. Manual Installation
Copy the skill folder to one of these locations
~/.openclaw/skills/ <project>/skills/ Priority: Workspace > Local > Bundled
3. Prompt Installation
Copy this prompt to OpenClaw to install it automatically.
Help me install para-second-brain using Clawhub. If Clawhub is not installed, install it first (npm i -g clawhub).
Prefer to download?
Get the raw skill files in a ZIP archive.
What is PARA Second Brain?
The PARA Second Brain skill provides a sophisticated directory structure and workflow for AI agents based on the Projects, Areas, Resources, and Archive (PARA) method. Unlike standard setups where search is limited to a single file, this approach leverages a unique symlink configuration to make every note in your workspace discoverable via semantic search. This ensures that your agent has access to its full historical context and reference material at all times.
By integrating this framework with other Openclaw Skills, users can create a local, offline-first memory system that requires no cloud API costs. It effectively separates raw daily logs from high-level curated wisdom, allowing the agent to grow more intelligent and personalized over time without suffering from information overload or context loss.
PARA Second Brain Use Cases
- Managing active work projects with specific deadlines and end-states.
- Organizing ongoing life or professional responsibilities that require long-term tracking.
- Building a searchable reference library of research, tutorials, and technical documentation.
- Preventing critical information loss during context window compaction through proactive flushing.
- Recalling specific decisions and discussions from past session transcripts.
How PARA Second Brain Works
- The skill establishes a workspace hierarchy consisting of a curated MEMORY.md file and a structured notes directory.
- A symbolic link is created between the notes and memory directories, allowing the agent's search tool to treat both as a single searchable index.
- The agent follows specific writing rules to log daily events while distilling long-term wisdom into the curated memory layer.
- Through the Memory Flush Protocol, the agent monitors its own context usage and writes important data to disk before the context window resets.
- The PARA organization logic ensures that information is sorted by actionability, making it easier for the agent to retrieve relevant data during complex tasks.
PARA Second Brain Setup
To get started, first scaffold your directory structure:
mkdir -p memory notes/projects notes/areas notes/resources/templates notes/archive
Next, enable the symlink trick to ensure full searchability for your Openclaw Skills workspace:
ln -s /path/to/your/workspace/notes /path/to/your/workspace/memory/notes
Finally, initialize your MEMORY.md file and update your agent instructions to include the PARA Writing Rules and Memory Flush Protocol as defined in the skill documentation.
PARA Second Brain Data Schema & Taxonomy
The skill utilizes a two-layer memory architecture to balance raw data capture with high-level synthesis.
| Component | Path | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Curated Memory | MEMORY.md |
High-level preferences, goals, and lessons learned. |
| Raw Capture | memory/*.md |
Daily timestamped logs of events and interactions. |
| Active Projects | notes/projects/ |
Folders for work with specific deadlines. |
| Areas | notes/areas/ |
Ongoing responsibilities and long-term topics. |
| Resources | notes/resources/ |
Reference materials and reusable templates. |
| Archive | notes/archive/ |
Completed or inactive items for historical reference. |
PARA Second Brain Advanced Features
- Symlink Semantic Search: Overrides default search limitations to index the entire PARA directory.
- Memory Flush Protocol: A threshold-based system (50%, 70%, 85%) that triggers context saving to prevent data loss during compactions.
- Session Transcript Indexing: Integrates past conversation history into the searchable knowledge base.
- Context Monitoring: Uses session status tools to act on objective usage thresholds rather than subjective memory.
- Quality Gates: Structured templates for concepts, tools, and patterns to ensure high-density knowledge capture.
SKILL.md
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