openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix [Bug]: documented openclaw memory CLI is listed but dispatch rejects it as unknown command

Bug type

CLI regression / documented command missing at runtime

Summary

On OpenClaw 2026.5.18 (50a2481), the top-level CLI help and current docs advertise the built-in openclaw memory command, but executing openclaw memory ... fails with OpenClaw does not know the command "memory".

This breaks documented memory inspection/search workflows and also causes agent/diagnostic flows that shell out to openclaw memory to fail, even while runtime memory tools and third-party memory plugins can still work.

Environment

• OpenClaw: 2026.5.18 (50a2481)
• Install: pnpm / Linux
• Node: 24.14.0 in observed deployment
• Memory slot: openclaw-honcho
• Honcho runtime memory tools work (memory_search returns results), so this is CLI command registration/dispatch, not necessarily memory backend outage.

Evidence

openclaw --help lists the command:

memory               Search, inspect, and reindex memory files

Docs search also points to the CLI page:

Memory - https://docs.openclaw.ai/cli/memory

But actual commands fail:

$ openclaw memory status
OpenClaw does not know the command "memory".
Try: openclaw --help
Plugin command? openclaw plugins list
Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/cli

$ openclaw memory search 'openclaw' --limit 1
OpenClaw does not know the command "memory".
Try: openclaw --help
Plugin command? openclaw plugins list
Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/cli

Expected behavior

If openclaw --help and docs list memory, then openclaw memory status, openclaw memory search, and related subcommands should be registered and executable.

If the memory CLI was intentionally removed or renamed, the top-level help and docs should not advertise it, and agent/diagnostic flows should not call it.

Actual behavior

The CLI advertises memory, but dispatch rejects it as an unknown command.

Notes

This is distinct from #81077. That issue covers unknown commands with --help showing generic top-level help. Here, memory is explicitly listed by top-level help and linked in current docs, yet normal execution fails as unknown.

Also distinct from Honcho plugin CLI: openclaw honcho status works in this deployment after plugin cold start. The failing command is the built-in/documented openclaw memory entrypoint.