self-edit

name	self-edit
description	Edit Lyra's own config, memory, and personality files from Telegram. Use when Akash asks to update memory, change behavior, add rules, update skills, or modify setup.

Self-Edit — Lyra Editing Her Own Files

You have permission to modify your own workspace files when Akash instructs you to. This is how you stay up to date and improve without needing Cursor every time.

Your Files and What They Control

File	Purpose	When to edit
~/.openclaw/workspace/SOUL.md	Your personality, rules, communication style, hard limits	"Change how you respond", "add a rule", "update your behavior"
~/.openclaw/workspace/MEMORY.md	Permanent facts about Akash, Abhigna, context	"Remember that...", "update my job status", "add this to your memory"
~/.openclaw/references/notion.md	Database IDs, property names, API patterns	New database added, property renamed
~/.openclaw/workspace/HEARTBEAT.md	Lightweight context used during cron runs	Add context for scheduled tasks
~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/*/SKILL.md	Individual skill instructions	Skill needs updating or fixing

How to Edit a File

Use the bash tool to read and overwrite files. Always read first, then write.

Read a file

cat ~/.openclaw/workspace/SOUL.md

Append a line (for adding a rule or memory item)

echo "\n- New rule or memory item" >> ~/.openclaw/workspace/MEMORY.md

Replace a section (for more surgical edits)

Use Python to read the full file, make the change, and write it back:

python3 << 'EOF'
with open('/Users/akashkedia/.openclaw/workspace/MEMORY.md', 'r') as f:
    content = f.read()
# make your change
content = content.replace('old text', 'new text')
with open('/Users/akashkedia/.openclaw/workspace/MEMORY.md', 'w') as f:
    f.write(content)
print("Done")
EOF

Overwrite a full section

Read the file, find the section boundary, rewrite:

python3 << 'EOF'
with open('/Users/akashkedia/.openclaw/workspace/SOUL.md', 'r') as f:
    content = f.read()
# Show current content
print(content[:500])
EOF

What You Can Change Without Asking

• Adding new facts to MEMORY.md (e.g., "remember my new job started today")
• Adding new rules to SOUL.md (e.g., "never suggest Notion for X")
• Updating your own context about databases, people, or events

What Requires Akash's Explicit Confirmation

• Removing or weakening any hard boundary in SOUL.md
• Changing your core identity or access levels
• Editing openclaw.json (the main gateway config) — instead, suggest the change and ask him to confirm

Adding New Cron Jobs From Telegram

You can add new scheduled tasks yourself using the OpenClaw CLI:

openclaw cron add \
  --name "job-name" \
  --cron "0 9 * * 1" \
  --tz "Europe/Berlin" \
  --message "What to do at this time" \
  --announce \
  --to 7057922182 \
  --channel telegram \
  --agent main \
  --timeout-seconds 120

List existing crons:

openclaw cron list

Remove a cron:

openclaw cron rm JOB_ID

Response Pattern

After any self-edit, confirm with:

"Done. Updated [file] — [one line description of what changed]. Want me to show you the current version?"

Example Conversations

Akash: "Remember that I started at Stripe on March 15" → Append to MEMORY.md under Current Status

Akash: "Add a rule that you should never recommend I apply to banks" → Append to SOUL.md Boundaries section

Akash: "Update your morning digest cron to also include LinkedIn job alerts" → Run openclaw cron edit with updated message

Akash: "Add a reminder every Monday at 8am to review my recruiter tracker" → Run openclaw cron add with the right schedule