Give OpenClaw a second brain: connect it to your notes over MCP

OpenClaw runs around the clock. It answers messages, follows schedules, and calls tools across dozens of platforms without you sitting there. The one thing it does not have out of the box is a memory your team can actually see and edit. Point it at a Baalda vault over MCP and that gap closes. Your agent starts writing into the same markdown files your team already works in.

What connecting OpenClaw to your notes actually gives you

A default agent keeps its context in places you cannot open: a hidden database, a vector store, a chat history that scrolls away. Connect OpenClaw to Baalda and its memory becomes plain files you own.

• It logs decisions, research, and message summaries straight into the vault, where a teammate can correct them.
• It reads prior context before it acts, so it stops repeating itself across sessions.
• It drafts notes and documents your team then edits by hand, in the same place.
• Every read and write respects Baalda's per-file permissions, so the agent only touches what its token is allowed to.

What Baalda is, in one paragraph

Baalda is a team second brain built on plain markdown files that live on disk. It has real-time multi-user editing, it is open source under Apache-2.0, and it exposes your vault over a Model Context Protocol endpoint. That last part is what lets an agent like OpenClaw join in as if it were another member of the team.

How to connect OpenClaw to Baalda over MCP

1. In the Baalda desktop app, open Vault Settings → MCP and create a connection token. The token is scoped to one user and one vault, and it inherits that user's permissions, so the agent sees exactly what that person would.
2. Note your vault's MCP address. Baalda serves MCP at POST /api/mcp over Streamable HTTP. Running locally that is http://localhost:3010/api/mcp. If you self-host, use your server's URL.
3. Add Baalda to OpenClaw's openclaw.json as an MCP server on the streamable-http transport:

{
  mcp: {
    servers: {
      baalda: {
        transport: "streamable-http",
        url: "http://localhost:3010/api/mcp",
        headers: { Authorization: "Bearer mcp_your_token_here" },
        enabled: true
      }
    }
  }
}

4. Reload OpenClaw and confirm the connection with openclaw mcp doctor baalda --probe. It should list Baalda's tools, such as list_vaults, list_folders, and create_folder.

OpenClaw's exact field names for HTTP servers can change between versions. If doctor reports a bad definition, check the MCP page in OpenClaw's docs for the current streamable-http keys.

What OpenClaw can do once it is connected

With the vault attached, OpenClaw can search your notes, open a specific folder, create and update notes, and organise files, all as the user its token belongs to. Because the writes go through the same sync server your teammates use, its edits show up live in everyone's vault instead of sitting in a copy only the agent can see.

Where to be careful

The token acts as one real user. If you do not want the agent to reach everything that user can, mint it against a service account or a vault that only has the folders you want shared. The agent also needs the Baalda server running and reachable, so a local vault means the agent works when your machine is up, and a self-hosted or Team-plan server means it works around the clock the way OpenClaw does.

FAQ

Can OpenClaw read and write my notes?

Yes. OpenClaw is an MCP client and Baalda exposes your vault as an MCP server, so once you add Baalda to OpenClaw's config with a vault token, the agent can search, read, and write your notes.

Do I need to be a developer to set this up?

You need to paste a token into a config file and reload OpenClaw. Minting the token is a few clicks in Baalda's Vault Settings. There is no code to write.

Who can the agent see and edit?

Only what its token allows. Each Baalda MCP token is scoped to one user and one vault and respects per-file permissions, so the agent has exactly that user's access, no more.

Does this work if I self-host Baalda?

Yes. Point OpenClaw at your server's /api/mcp URL instead of localhost. Baalda is open source under Apache-2.0 and self-hostable, so the whole setup can run on infrastructure you control.