Summary

On OpenClaw 2026.5.2, the built-in/native memory-core memory backend is loaded, selected, and functional, but openclaw doctor --non-interactive still reports:

No active memory plugin is registered for the current config.

This looks like a false-positive doctor/status regression for the bundled memory-core path.

Environment

• OpenClaw: 2026.5.2 (8b2a6e5)
• Install: npm global / macOS LaunchAgent
• Host: macOS arm64
• Memory backend: bundled memory-core
• Embeddings: OpenAI text-embedding-3-small

Relevant config shape

{
  "plugins": {
    "slots": {
      "memory": "memory-core"
    },
    "entries": {
      "memory-core": {
        "enabled": true
      },
      "openai": {
        "enabled": true
      }
    }
  },
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "memorySearch": {
        "provider": "openai",
        "model": "text-embedding-3-small"
      }
    }
  }
}

Secrets omitted.

Evidence that memory works

openclaw memory search returns live results from the native memory index:

$ openclaw memory search "Angelo named me Kani" --agent main --json

Returned results include:

memory/2026-03-11.md
MEMORY.md

Another smoke test:

$ openclaw memory search "[email protected]" --agent main --json

Returned two matching memory results.

Evidence that plugin is selected/loaded

openclaw plugins info memory-core --json shows:

{
  "plugin": {
    "id": "memory-core",
    "enabled": true,
    "explicitlyEnabled": true,
    "activated": true,
    "activationSource": "explicit",
    "activationReason": "selected memory slot",
    "status": "loaded",
    "configSchema": true,
    "commands": ["dreaming"],
    "memoryEmbeddingProviderIds": ["local"]
  }
}

openclaw status --json --all shows:

{
  "memory": null,
  "memoryPlugin": {
    "enabled": true,
    "slot": "memory-core"
  }
}

So status recognizes the selected memory plugin slot, but the resolved memory snapshot is null.

Actual behavior

openclaw doctor --non-interactive reports:

◇ Memory search
  No active memory plugin is registered for the current config.

Expected behavior

Because bundled memory-core is selected, loaded, activated, and openclaw memory search works, doctor/status should not report that no active memory plugin is registered.

At minimum, doctor/status should distinguish between:

• no memory plugin selected
• memory plugin selected but runtime registration failed
• memory plugin selected and CLI memory search is functional

Related prior issues

This looks related to the same diagnostic family as:

• [Bug]: doctor falsely reports no active memory plugin while mem0 is loaded and working #59894 — doctor falsely reports no active memory plugin while memory works
• [Bug]: memory-lancedb-pro loaded and working, but doctor/status reports no active memory plugin #60177 — memory plugin loaded/working but doctor/status reports no active memory plugin

Those were for external plugins / prior versions. This report is specifically for bundled memory-core on 2026.5.2.

Notes

Making plugins.entries.memory-core.enabled = true explicit did not clear the warning.