openclaw is an open-source workflow skill for Claude Code and compatible agents, published by thedotmack. It packages reusable instructions an agent loads on demand to help with workflow tasks. The project has 91k stars on GitHub and is available under the Apache-2.0 license. Add it to your setup with `/plugin marketplace add thedotmack/claude-mem`.
how-it-works
how-it-works is an open-source workflow skill for Claude Code and compatible agents, published by thedotmack. Its author describes it as: “Explain how claude-mem captures observations, when memory injection kicks in, and where data lives. Use when the user asks "how does claude-mem work?" or "what is this thing doing?".”. The project has 91k stars on GitHub and is available under the Apache-2.0 license. Add it to your setup with `/plugin marketplace add thedotmack/claude-mem`.
What how-it-works does
Every Read, Edit, and Bash that Claude makes turns into a compressed observation. Observations get summarized at session end. Relevant ones get auto-injected into future prompts so the next session starts with context from the last one — no re-explaining the codebase, no re-discovering decisions.
Installation
Add how-it-works to your agent with:
/plugin marketplace add thedotmack/claude-memAlways review a skill's source before installing it. This command comes from the skill's public repository; the linked repo is the source of truth for exact setup steps.
What's inside
The SKILL.md for how-it-works is organised into these sections:
- What it does
- When it kicks in
- Where data lives
When to use it
Reach for how-it-works when you want workflow help from your agent without writing the same instructions every session. Load the skill and the agent picks it up automatically for relevant tasks.
Strengths
- Clear Apache-2.0 license — safe to read and adapt
- Ships in thedotmack/claude-mem, an established project with 91,126 GitHub stars
- Actively maintained (recent commits)
Topics
Frequently asked questions
- What does how-it-works do?
- Explain how claude-mem captures observations, when memory injection kicks in, and where data lives. Use when the user asks "how does claude-mem work?" or "what is this thing doing?".
- How do I install how-it-works?
- Run /plugin marketplace add thedotmack/claude-mem in your agent, then reload your skills. Review the source at https://github.com/thedotmack/claude-mem before installing.
- Is how-it-works free to use?
- Yes. how-it-works is free and open source under the Apache-2.0 license, so you can read, run, and adapt it within that license's terms.
- Where does how-it-works come from?
- how-it-works ships inside thedotmack/claude-mem, a repository that contains 21 catalogued skills in total. The repository's 91,126 GitHub stars apply to that whole collection, not to this skill on its own.
Related skills
More Workflow →Execute a phased implementation plan using subagents. Use when asked to execute, run, or carry out a plan — especially one created by make-plan.
Create a detailed, phased implementation plan with documentation discovery. Use when asked to plan a feature, task, or multi-step implementation — especially before executing with do.
Watch a pull request or review cycle until it is ready to merge. Use when asked to babysit, monitor, or keep checking PR comments, reviews, and CI until all actionable issues are resolved.
Set up or check claude-mem cloud sync with cmem.ai Pro. Use when the user says "set up cloud sync", "sync my memories", "cmem pro", "cloud backup", "sync status", or wants their memory database backed up or synced to their cmem.ai account.