Chat2KB for OpenClaw#

Convert chat history into clean, structured Markdown knowledge-base files.

When To Use#

Use this skill when the user wants to:

• save the current conversation as notes or KB
• export part or all of a discussion into Markdown
• turn a design/debug/brainstorming thread into reusable documentation
• update a previously saved KB entry with new discussion content

If the request is ambiguous, ask one short clarification question instead of skipping the export flow.

OpenClaw Workflow#

Step 1: Detect topics#

Read the relevant conversation scope and identify distinct topics.

• If the user specified a time range or topic, honor that first
• If only one topic is present, continue directly
• If multiple topics are present, present a numbered list
• Support all to save each topic separately
• Support combine to merge selected topics into one KB file

Use this format when multiple topics are found:

text

Detected 3 topics:

1. [Title]
   [One-sentence summary]

2. [Title]
   [One-sentence summary]

3. [Title]
   [One-sentence summary]

Which topics would you like to save?
-> Enter numbers, e.g. 1,3
-> Enter all
-> Enter combine

Step 2: Check for previous export#

Before generating a new file, scan the conversation for a previous conversation_id for the same topic.

• If no previous export exists, generate a new ID
• If a previous export exists, ask whether to update, append, or create a new KB

Conversation ID format:

text

kb_{YYYYMMDD}_{HHMMSS}_{6hex}
Example: kb_20260410_143052_a7c9e2

Generation:

bash

CONVERSATION_ID="kb_$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)_$(openssl rand -hex 3)"

Use this prompt when a previous export exists:

text

Found a previous KB for this topic (ID: kb_20260410_143052_a7c9e2)

-> A: Update (regenerate the full KB with all content)
-> B: Append (export only content added since last save)
-> C: New (ignore previous KB, create an independent one)

Step 3: Extract content#

For each selected topic, extract:

• summary: 1-2 paragraph overview
• key_points: grouped by theme, not chronology
• code_examples: only if code was discussed
• action_items: completed and pending items

Extraction rules:

• preserve technical accuracy over elegance
• group related ideas by theme
• prefer decisions, tradeoffs, and takeaways over transcript-like detail
• include code only when it helps future reuse
• omit empty sections instead of leaving placeholders

Step 4: Generate Markdown#

Use this structure:

markdown

---
conversation_id: kb_20260410_143052_a7c9e2
created_at: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ
updated_at: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ
export_type: full
topics: [tag1, tag2]
language: en
participants: [User, Assistant]
platform: openclaw
word_count: 342
---

# [Topic Title]

**Date**: YYYY-MM-DD

## Summary

[1-2 paragraphs]

## Key Points

### [Theme 1]
- insight
- detail

### [Theme 2]
- insight

## Code Examples

```language
// code

Action Items#

• Done item
• Pending item

text

Rules:

- group by theme, not chronology
- use bullet points in `Key Points`
- omit `Code Examples` if no code was discussed
- omit `Action Items` if none exist
- do not include a full transcript
- set `word_count` to the total number of words in the body (excluding frontmatter)

### Step 5: Preview before writing

Always show the generated Markdown before writing the file.

Use this preview structure:

Preview (not saved yet)

[full Markdown content]

Will save to: /path/to/YYYY-MM-DD-topic-slug.md

-> Y Save -> E Edit summary -> N Cancel

text

If the user chooses `E`, accept the revised summary, regenerate the preview, and ask again.

### Step 6: Resolve save path and write

Resolve the save path in this order:

1. `~/.chat2kb/config.yml`
2. `CHAT2KB_FOLDER`
3. ask the user

Config file example:

```yaml
kb_folder: ~/Documents/KnowledgeBase
dry_run: false
create_backup: true
log_level: info

Environment overrides:

VariablePurposeCHAT2KB_FOLDERKB save locationCHAT2KB_DRY_RUN``true = preview onlyCHAT2KB_LOG_LEVELLogging verbosity

Write behavior:

• create the directory if needed
• use filename YYYY-MM-DD-<topic-slug>.md
• for incremental export use YYYY-MM-DD-<topic-slug>-part{N}.md
• if config dry_run: true or CHAT2KB_DRY_RUN=true, do not write the file; clearly report preview-only mode
• if overwriting and create_backup: true, create a backup first

Slug rules#

The <topic-slug> in the filename must follow these rules:

• lowercase alphanumeric and hyphens only
• no leading or trailing hyphens
• maximum 50 characters
• derived from the conversation topic

Examples:

• 2026-04-10-react-performance-optimization.md ✅
• 2026-04-10-react-performance-optimization-and-other-things.md ❌ too long
• 2026-04-10--react.md ❌ double hyphen

Step 7: Confirm success#

After writing, report:

• saved file path
• filename
• conversation_id

Use this format:

text

Knowledge base saved!

Location: /absolute/path/to/2026-04-10-react-optimization.md
ID: kb_20260410_143052_a7c9e2

If running in dry-run mode, say so explicitly:

text

Dry run complete — preview generated, no file written.

Error Handling#

Cannot write to folder#

text

Cannot write to folder: /path/to/folder
Reason: directory does not exist or no write permission

Suggested fixes:

• create the directory
• check write permissions
• ask the user for an alternate save location

No content found#

text

No content to export.
Reason: no messages found in the selected time range.

Suggested fixes:

• export the full conversation
• widen the requested time range

File conflict#

text

File already exists: 2026-04-10-react-optimization.md
-> A: Overwrite
-> B: Rename
-> C: Cancel