Memory Isolation

When PocketPaw is connected to shared channels (Discord servers, Slack workspaces, group chats), multiple users interact with the same agent. Memory isolation ensures each user’s memories are scoped and private, while the owner gets full access to all stored knowledge.

How It Works

Owner vs External Users

PocketPaw distinguishes between two types of users:

User ID Resolution

When a message arrives from a channel, the system resolves the sender:

1. Extract sender_id from the inbound message metadata
2. Compare against the configured owner_id
3. If it matches (or no owner_id is set), treat as owner — use the default memory store
4. If it doesn’t match, hash the sender ID with SHA-256 and use a per-user memory silo

Memory Silos

External users get isolated storage:

~/.pocketclaw/memory/
├── MEMORY.md              ← owner's long-term facts
├── sessions/              ← owner's session history
└── users/
    ├── a3f8c2d1e9b0.../   ← user 1's memory (hashed ID)
    │   └── MEMORY.md
    └── 7b4e1f9c6a2d.../   ← user 2's memory (hashed ID)
        └── MEMORY.md

Mem0 Isolation

When using Mem0 for semantic memory, the user_id is passed through to Mem0’s storage layer. Each user’s memories are tagged with their ID, so semantic search only returns relevant results.

Configuration

Setting Your Owner ID

export POCKETCLAW_OWNER_ID="123456789"  # Your Telegram user ID, Discord user ID, etc.

The owner ID should match the sender_id that your primary channel sends. For Telegram, this is your numeric user ID. For Discord, it’s your Discord user ID.

Context Injection

The agent’s system prompt includes an identity block based on who’s messaging:

• Owner: Gets the full USER.md profile, all long-term facts, and semantic memories
• External user: Gets a neutral identity block and only their own scoped memories

This prevents the agent from leaking your personal information (preferences, API keys, project details) to other users who message through shared channels.

What Stays Global

Some data is intentionally not scoped per-user:

• Daily notes — Global operational context
• Skills — Loaded from ~/.pocketclaw/skills/ for all users
• Session history — Scoped by session key (which already includes channel + chat ID)