## Workspace bootstrap injection

Bootstrap files are trimmed and appended under **Project Context** so the model sees identity and profile context without needing explicit reads:

Bootstrap files are resolved from the active workspace, then routed to the

prompt surface that matches their lifetime:

- `AGENTS.md`

- `SOUL.md`

- `BOOTSTRAP.md` (only on brand-new workspaces)

- `MEMORY.md` when present

All of these files are **injected into the context window** on every turn unless

a file-specific gate applies. `HEARTBEAT.md` is omitted on normal runs when

heartbeats are disabled for the default agent or

On the native Codex harness, OpenClaw avoids repeating stable workspace files

in every user turn. Codex loads `AGENTS.md` through its own project-doc

discovery. `SOUL.md`, `IDENTITY.md`, `TOOLS.md`, and `USER.md` are forwarded as

Codex developer instructions. `HEARTBEAT.md` content is not injected; heartbeat

turns get a collaboration-mode note pointing to the file when it exists and is

non-empty. `MEMORY.md` and active `BOOTSTRAP.md` content keep the normal

turn-context role for now.

On non-Codex harnesses, bootstrap files continue to be composed into the

OpenClaw prompt according to their existing gates. `HEARTBEAT.md` is omitted on

normal runs when heartbeats are disabled for the default agent or

`agents.defaults.heartbeat.includeSystemPromptSection` is false. Keep injected

files concise, especially `MEMORY.md`. `MEMORY.md` is intended to stay a

curated long-term summary; detailed daily notes belong in `memory/*.md` where

files concise, especially `MEMORY.md`. `MEMORY.md` is intended to stay a curated

long-term summary; detailed daily notes belong in `memory/*.md` where

`memory_search` and `memory_get` can retrieve them on demand. Oversized

`MEMORY.md` files increase prompt usage and can be partially injected because of

the bootstrap file limits below.

When a session runs on the native Codex harness, Codex loads `AGENTS.md`

through its own project-doc discovery. OpenClaw still resolves the remaining

bootstrap files and forwards them as Codex config instructions, so `SOUL.md`,

`TOOLS.md`, `IDENTITY.md`, `USER.md`, `HEARTBEAT.md`, `BOOTSTRAP.md`, and

`MEMORY.md` keep the same workspace-context role without duplicating

`AGENTS.md`.

<Note>

`memory/*.md` daily files are **not** part of the normal bootstrap Project Context. On ordinary turns they are accessed on demand via the `memory_search` and `memory_get` tools, so they do not count against the context window unless the model explicitly reads them. Bare `/new` and `/reset` turns are the exception: the runtime can prepend recent daily memory as a one-shot startup-context block for that first turn.

</Note>