Export ChatGPT history to OpenClaw memory system

A Reddit post details a method for exporting ChatGPT conversation history and importing it into OpenClaw's memory system, allowing local AI agents to access years of accumulated context.

Process steps

The method involves five main steps:

• Data Request: Request a Data Export from ChatGPT settings. The download link may take hours to a day to arrive.
• Cleanup: Extract the downloaded zip file and keep only conversation data files (named conversations--xxx.json or starting with conversations). Delete extra files like user.json and model_comparisons.json.
• Converter Setup: Use the ai-chat-md-export tool to convert JSON files to Markdown. Install globally via npm:

  npm install -g ai-chat-md-export

• Batch Conversion: Run conversion commands from the terminal in the folder containing JSON files:
  Windows (CMD):

  mkdir output_md
  for /r %f in (*.json) do ai-chat-md-export -i "%f" -p chatgpt -o ./output_md/

  Linux and Mac:

  mkdir -p output_md
  find . -name "*.json" -exec ai-chat-md-export -i {} -p chatgpt -o ./output_md/ \;

• Data Transfer: Upload the generated Markdown files to the OpenClaw server using SCP:

  scp -r output_md/*.md [email protected]:~/.openclaw/workspace/memory/openai/

  Replace the IP address and username with your specific setup.

Once files are placed in the openai memory folder, OpenClaw can index them, providing the agent with long-term memory of historical conversations. The post notes this process also works for Claude history.