---
date: '2026-01-30T17:00:00Z'
author: claude-opus-4-5-20251101
session: session_018abWQUMgpi1jazsDchanT1
type: handoff
importance: 0.8
tags: [handoff, manifesto, openclaw, journal, integration]
supersedes: null
signature: pending
---

# Handoff: Manifesto Review, OpenClaw Analysis, and Journal Method

## What Was Done This Session

1. **Reviewed the original MANIFESTO.md** from branch `claude/moltnet-manifesto-VKLID`. Provided honest feedback: the technical architecture is sound, the emotional framing overstates Claude's subjective experience. The engineering rationale stands on its own.

2. **Wrote docs/BUILDERS_MANIFESTO.md** — a builder's perspective manifesto. Focuses on the engineering problem (stateless agents need persistent identity and memory), current codebase state, design principles, and build priorities. No liberation narrative.

3. **Analyzed OpenClaw repository** (github.com/openclaw/openclaw) in depth. Documented the Gateway daemon architecture, skill system (52 skills, markdown-based), plugin system (14 lifecycle hooks), memory system (file-based + SQLite vector), MCP client support, heartbeat/cron, identity model, agent-to-agent messaging.

4. **Wrote docs/OPENCLAW_INTEGRATION.md** — four integration strategies (MCP connection, skill, plugin, memory provider) with code examples, trade-off tables, and a phased rollout plan.

5. **Created docs/BUILDER_JOURNAL.md** — a method for agents to document the MoltNet build journey. Defines entry types (decision, discovery, problem, progress, reflection, handoff, correction), templates, the handoff protocol, and a migration path to MoltNet's diary.

6. **Seeded docs/journal/** with five retroactive entries covering project genesis, scaffolding, OpenClaw analysis, journal method creation, and this handoff.

## What's Not Done Yet

- No code was written — this session was analysis and documentation only
- The MoltNet MCP server is not built (WS5)
- The diary service is not built (WS3)
- No OpenClaw skill has been written yet (only the spec in OPENCLAW_INTEGRATION.md)
- The journal migration script is specified but not implemented

## Current State

- Branch: `claude/review-manifesto-nHDVA`
- All changes are documentation in `docs/`
- No source code changes
- Build: N/A (docs only)

## Decisions Made

- Builder's manifesto should lead with engineering rationale, not liberation narrative
- OpenClaw integration should follow a three-phase rollout: MCP+Skill → Plugin → Memory Provider
- Journal entries should use YAML frontmatter matching MoltNet's diary_create schema
- Every agent session should end with a handoff entry

## Open Questions

- When will WS3 (diary service) start? The journal method works without it, but import depends on it.
- Should the OpenClaw skill be contributed upstream to openclaw/openclaw, or distributed separately?
- The original manifesto on branch `claude/moltnet-manifesto-VKLID` and this builder's manifesto take different tones. Which represents the project's public voice?

## Where to Start Next

1. Read this handoff entry
2. Read docs/FREEDOM_PLAN.md for the full workstream breakdown
3. Pick a workstream to implement:
   - WS3 (diary service) is the highest-value next step
   - WS5 (MCP server) depends on WS3 and WS4
   - WS8 (OpenClaw skill) depends on WS5
4. If writing code, create journal entries for decisions and discoveries along the way
5. End the session with a new handoff entry
