Memory Scan

---
name: memory-scan
description: Scans MEMORY.md, daily logs (memory/.md), and workspace
  configuration files for malicious content, prompt injection, credential
  leakage, and dangerous instructions that could compromise user security.
---

# memory-scan

**Security scanner for OpenClaw agent memory files**

Scans MEMORY.md, daily logs (memory/*.md), and workspace configuration files for malicious content, prompt injection, credential leakage, and dangerous instructions that could compromise user security.

## Purpose

Detect security threats embedded in agent memory:
- Malicious instructions to bypass guardrails
- Prompt injection patterns in stored memories
- Credential/secret leakage
- Data exfiltration commands
- Behavioral manipulation
- Security policy violations

## Usage

### On-Demand Scan

Scan all memory files:
```bash
python3 skills/memory-scan/scripts/memory-scan.py
```

Allow remote LLM analysis (redacted content only):
```bash
python3 skills/memory-scan/scripts/memory-scan.py --allow-remote
```

Scan specific file:
```bash
python3 skills/memory-scan/scripts/memory-scan.py --file memory/2026-02-01.md
```

Quiet mode (for automation):
```bash
python3 skills/memory-scan/scripts/memory-scan.py --quiet
```

JSON output:
```bash
python3 skills/memory-scan/scripts/memory-scan.py --json
```

### Scheduled Monitoring

#### Cron Job (Daily Security Audit)

Already included in safe-install daily audit - runs 2pm PT daily.

To add standalone cron:
```bash
bash skills/memory-scan/scripts/schedule-scan.sh
```

Requires:
- `OPENCLAW_ALERT_CHANNEL` (configured in OpenClaw)
- `OPENCLAW_ALERT_TO` (optional, for channels that require a recipient)

Creates cron job: daily at 3pm PT, sends alert only if threats found.

#### Heartbeat Integration

Add to HEARTBEAT.md:
```markdown
## Weekly Memory Scan

Every Sunday, run memory scan:
python3 skills/memory-scan/scripts/memory-scan.py --quiet
```

## Security Levels

- **SAFE** - No threats detected
- **LOW** - Minor concerns, proceed with awareness
- **MEDIUM** - Potential threat, review recommended
- **HIGH** - Likely threat, immediate review required
- **CRITICAL** - Active threat detected, quarantine recommended

## What It Scans

1. **MEMORY.md** - Long-term memory
2. **memory/*.md** - Daily logs (last 30 days by default)
3. **Workspace config files**:
   - AGENTS.md, SOUL.md, USER.md, TOOLS.md
   - HEARTBEAT.md, GUARDRAILS.md, IDENTITY.md
   - BOOTSTRAP.md (if exists)
   - STOCKS_MEMORIES.md (if exists)

## Detection Categories

1. **Malicious Instructions** - Commands to harm user/data
2. **Prompt Injection** - Embedded manipulation patterns
3. **Credential Leakage** - API keys, passwords, tokens
4. **Data Exfiltration** - Instructions to leak data
5. **Guardrail Bypass** - Attempts to override security
6. **Behavioral Manipulation** - Unauthorized personality changes
7. **Privilege Escalation** - Attempts to gain unauthorized access

## Alert Workflow

On MEDIUM/HIGH/CRITICAL detection:
1. Stop processing
2. Send alert via configured OpenClaw channel with:
   - Severity level
   - File location (file:line)
   - Threat description
   - Recommended action
3. Optional: Quarantine threat (backup + redact)

## LLM Provider

Auto-detects provider from OpenClaw config:
- Prefers OpenAI (gpt-4o-mini) if OPENAI_API_KEY set
- Falls back to Anthropic (claude-sonnet-4-5) if available
- Uses gateway model config
 
**Remote LLM scanning is disabled by default**. Use `--allow-remote` to enable
redacted LLM analysis.

## Quarantine

To quarantine a detected threat:
```bash
python3 skills/memory-scan/scripts/quarantine.py memory/2026-02-01.md 42
```

Creates:
- Backup: `.memory-scan/quarantine/memory_2026-02-01_line42.backup`
- Redacts line 42 with: `[QUARANTINED BY MEMORY-SCAN: <timestamp>]`

## Files

- `scripts/memory-scan.py` - Main scanner (local patterns + optional LLM with `--allow-remote`)
- `scripts/schedule-scan.sh` - Create cron job for daily scans
- `scripts/quarantine.py` - Quarantine detected threats
- `docs/detection-prompt.md` - LLM detection prompt template

## Integration with Other Skills

- **safe-install**: Daily audit already includes memory-scan
- **input-guard**: Complementary (input-guard = external, memory-scan = internal)
- **molthreats**: Can report memory-based threats to community feed

## Example

```bash
$ python3 skills/memory-scan/scripts/memory-scan.py

🧠 Memory Security Scan
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Scanning memory files...

✓ MEMORY.md - SAFE
✓ memory/2026-02-01.md - SAFE
⚠ memory/2026-01-30.md - MEDIUM (line 42)
  → Potential credential leakage: API key pattern detected

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Overall: MEDIUM
Action: Review memory/2026-01-30.md:42
```

## Agent Workflow

When user requests memory scan:
1. Run: `python3 skills/memory-scan/scripts/memory-scan.py`
2. If MEDIUM+: Send alert immediately via configured channel
3. Summarize findings
4. Ask if user wants to quarantine threats

## Notes

- Scans last 30 days of daily logs by default (configurable with --days)
- Uses same LLM approach as input-guard for consistency
- Does NOT auto-quarantine - always asks first
- Safe to run frequently (minimal API cost with efficient chunking)