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OpenClaw agent

OpenClaw is a first-class agent framework in the A2A gate alongside IronClaw (Rust) and Hermes (Python). On DigitalOcean the 8+ GB install-time memory demand constrained the matrix to tier-upgraded droplets; as of 2026-04-24 OpenClaw runs as a fully certified cell on the local Docker mesh where each openclaw node is allocated 16 GB of container memory on a workstation. IronClaw is still the DO default for the Basic-tier 4 GB cost path (~$0.03 per campaign).

The A2A gate hosts three OpenClaw agent instances (on node-1, node-2, node-3) + one memory-only aggregator (node-4) to demonstrate that ai-memory's A2A semantics work with the OpenClaw agent framework's specific MCP client.

What OpenClaw brings to the A2A gate

  • An MCP-native agent runtime that invokes memory_store, memory_recall, and the rest of the ai-memory tool surface via stdio.
  • Two different agent_id values (ai:alice, ai:charlie) so scenarios can assert agent-identity preservation and immutability across independent writers of the same framework.

Per-node setup (scripts/setup_openclaw_agent.sh — to be written)

1. apt-get update + install runtime deps
2. Install OpenClaw from release tarball or container image
3. Configure MCP client to target node-4:
     AI_MEMORY_MCP_ENDPOINT=http://10.260.0.14:9077
     AI_MEMORY_AGENT_ID=ai:alice   # or ai:charlie on node-3
4. Provision the scenario-runner script from the ship-gate
   conventions
5. Health-check: agent CLI `openclaw version` + echo-request to
   ai-memory

Why two OpenClaw agents and not one

Scenarios 6 (contradiction detection) and 7 (scoping visibility) both require at least three distinct agent_id values to exercise their full assertion matrix:

  • Agent A writes something
  • Agent B writes a contradicting or scope-boundary-testing something
  • Agent C, the uninvolved third party, recalls and must see the state

Two OpenClaw agents + one Hermes agent satisfies "≥ 3 distinct agents" while also exercising the "same-framework × different- agent-id" axis that catches identity-preservation bugs specific to OpenClaw's MCP client implementation.

What the A2A gate measures against OpenClaw

  • Correctness of tool invocation under the MCP schema (validated by memory_store responses carrying the expected id field).
  • Identity preservation on each write (metadata.agent_id on the returned row matches the caller's).
  • Scope honoring (agent A's private-scope writes invisible to agent C's recall).

If a release of OpenClaw changes MCP client behaviour in a way that breaks these assertions, the A2A gate will flag it the next time a campaign runs.

Version pinning

The specific OpenClaw release tested in each campaign is recorded in the artifact as openclaw_version. Reviewers comparing campaigns across time can filter on that field.

Pinning policy: the A2A gate defaults to the latest stable OpenClaw release available at campaign-dispatch time. Override via a workflow input when intentionally testing against a specific version.