Resurrection Plan — Rebuilding Phaedrus

Status Update — 2026-08-21

This plan was written 2026-07-23. Still accurate in shape; these details have moved:

LCM is retired. The db is archived at ~/.openclaw/lcm-archive-2026-08-21.tar.gz (105 MB) — back that up instead of lcm.db.
Cron jobs are now two: morning-email-scan (7 AM, both inboxes — recreated 08/21 after the original vanished) and linkedin-inbox-scan (8 AM, SDCFO pipeline).
Memory embeddings are local: the llama-cpp plugin + memorySearch.provider: "local" are now part of what makes the config whole.
The skills list evolves — trust the live catalog at /phaedrus/skills/ over the snapshot below (networking was deleted 08/21).
The #1 recommendation is DONE: the workspace is in a private git repo (brightzen-phaedrus/PhaedrusAI-Main, since 2026-08-20) and synced daily. The backup checklist below still applies to config and credentials outside the workspace.

Created 2026-07-23. A complete guide to rebuilding the Phaedrus AI assistant from a clean Mac mini.

⚠️ BEFORE YOU WIPE — Back These Up

The workspace is NOT in git. This is the single biggest risk. Before wiping:

Critical Files (copy to iCloud, external drive, or a git repo)

# 1. The entire Obsidian workspace (THIS IS EVERYTHING)
cp -r ~/Documents/PhaedrusAI-main/ /backup/PhaedrusAI-main/

# 2. OpenClaw config
cp ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json /backup/openclaw.json

# 3. gws credentials (Google Workspace CLI auth)
cp -r ~/.config/gws/ /backup/gws-config/

# 4. Playwright MCP config
cp ~/.openclaw/playwright-mcp.json /backup/

# 5. LCM database (conversation history — large, but valuable)
cp ~/.openclaw/lcm.db /backup/

# 6. Cron job state (just one job currently, but still)
cp -r ~/.openclaw/cron/ /backup/cron/

# 7. Skills workshop proposals
cp -r ~/.openclaw/skill-workshop/ /backup/skill-workshop/

Already Safe (in git/cloud)

PQB site: github.com/brightzen-phaedrus/phaedrusqualitybookkeeping.com
Obsidian Publish content: synced via Obsidian
iCloud files: ~/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/Phaedrus iCloud/

Phase 1: Mac Mini Base Setup

1.1 Install Homebrew

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

1.2 Install Node.js

brew install node@22

1.3 Install 1Password CLI

brew install 1password-cli
# Then: op signin (will need 1Password credentials)

Phase 2: Install OpenClaw

# Add the OpenClaw tap
brew tap openclaw/tap

# Install OpenClaw
brew install openclaw

# Verify
openclaw --version
# Should be >= 2026.6.8 (or whatever's current)

2.1 Restore Config

mkdir -p ~/.openclaw
cp /backup/openclaw.json ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

Or if starting fresh, run openclaw setup and configure:

Provider: Anthropic
API key: from 1Password or Anthropic console
Primary model: anthropic/claude-fable-5 (or current best)
Fallbacks: opus, sonnet, haiku
Workspace: point to wherever you restore the Obsidian vault

2.2 Key Config Sections

These are the sections in openclaw.json that make Phaedrus Phaedrus:

Section	Purpose
`agents.defaults.model`	Primary model + fallbacks
`agents.defaults.models`	Model aliases (fable, opus, sonnet)
`agents.defaults.workspace`	Points to the Obsidian vault
`channels.imessage`	iMessage integration + allowFrom
`channels.slack`	Slack bot tokens
`mcp.servers.playwright`	Browser automation
`auth`	Anthropic API key profiles
`plugins`	Enabled plugins (slack, anthropic, memory-core, imessage)

Phase 3: Restore the Workspace

3.1 Restore Files

# Copy the backed-up workspace
cp -r /backup/PhaedrusAI-main/ ~/Documents/PhaedrusAI-main/

STRONGLY RECOMMEND: Put it in git this time.

cd ~/Documents/PhaedrusAI-main
git init
git add -A
git commit -m "Initial commit — Phaedrus workspace"
# Create a private repo on GitHub and push

3.2 The Files That Make Me Me

File	What It Does
`SOUL.md`	My personality, voice, values. The “who I am” file.
`USER.md`	Everything about John — contacts, family, working style.
`MEMORY.md`	Long-term memory. Hard rules. Preferences. Active threads.
`AGENTS.md`	Operating rules. Boot sequence. Safety constraints.
`TOOLS.md`	Account credentials, API keys, service configs.
`IDENTITY.md`	Name, creature type, emoji (🦉).
`HEARTBEAT.md`	Periodic check instructions.
`memory/`	Daily notes, heartbeat state.
`context/`	People profiles, project files, transcripts, family docs.
`skills/`	30 co-created skills (IFM analysis, named range cleaning, QBO, etc.).
`scratch/`	Working directory for temp files.
`projects/`	Active project files (HBS case study, etc.).

3.3 The Skills (our co-created capabilities)

These are the custom skills in the workspace. Each has a SKILL.md with full instructions:

ifm-analyst — IFM spreadsheet analysis and review
ifm-error-checker-fixer — IFM error detection and repair
clean-named-ranges — Remove broken #REF named ranges from Google Sheets
qbo-bookkeeping-associate — QuickBooks Online bookkeeping workflows
qbo-login — QBO authentication flow
reconnect-bank-feed — Reconnect QBO bank feeds
pqb-site — Manage phaedrusqualitybookkeeping.com (Hugo + Vercel)
doc-coauthoring — Document co-authoring workflow
docx — Word document creation/editing
xlsx — Excel file operations
pptx — PowerPoint creation
pdf — PDF analysis
gmail-triage — Email scanning and triage
google-docs — Google Docs integration
inner-circle — Managing John’s inner circle contacts
internal-comms — Internal communications
networking — Business networking outreach
brand-guidelines — BrightZen brand voice
fpa-master — FP&A expertise
thought-partner — Thought partnership mode
playwright-mcp — Browser automation patterns
kasa — Smart home (TP-Link Kasa)
vercel-login — Vercel authentication
zdanowski-com-website — zdanowski.com management
yt — YouTube integration

Phase 4: Install External Tools

4.1 Google Workspace CLI (gws)

brew install nicholasgasior/gws/gws
# Version: 0.22.5

# Restore auth credentials
cp -r /backup/gws-config/ ~/.config/gws/

If credentials are expired, re-auth:

gws auth login --email z@brightzen.com

4.2 iMessage CLI (imsg)

brew tap steipete/tap
brew install imsg
# Version: 0.5.0

4.3 Hugo (for PQB site)

brew install hugo
# Version: 0.163.3+extended

4.4 Vercel CLI

npm i -g vercel
# Login: vercel login (z@zdanowski.com)

4.5 Python

brew install python@3.13

Phase 5: Restore Integrations

5.1 iMessage

OpenClaw’s iMessage plugin uses imsg CLI. Config is in openclaw.json under channels.imessage. Needs:

macOS Messages app signed in
Full Disk Access for the OpenClaw process
imsg installed and working

5.2 Slack

Bot token and app token in openclaw.json under channels.slack. These tokens are tied to the Slack app — if the same app is still installed in the workspace, the tokens should still work.

5.3 Playwright MCP (Browser Automation)

# Restore config
cp /backup/playwright-mcp.json ~/.openclaw/playwright-mcp.json

# The MCP server config in openclaw.json points to:
# npx @playwright/mcp --config ~/.openclaw/playwright-mcp.json
# It auto-installs on first run via npx

5.4 1Password Service Account

The OP_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN in openclaw.json env needs to be valid. Generate a new one from 1Password if needed.

5.5 Notion

NOTION_API_KEY in openclaw.json env. Create from notion.so/my-integrations if needed.

Phase 6: Restore Cron Jobs

Currently one cron job:

Morning email scan — daily at 7 AM PT
Scans z@brightzen.com for urgent unread mail
Messages John via iMessage only if something urgent

After OpenClaw starts, recreate it:

openclaw cron add ... (or it can be recreated in conversation)

Or just ask the new Phaedrus to set it up — MEMORY.md mentions it.

Phase 7: Restore PQB Site

cd ~/Documents/
git clone https://brightzen-phaedrus@github.com/brightzen-phaedrus/phaedrusqualitybookkeeping.com.git
cd phaedrusqualitybookkeeping.com
git submodule update --init  # PaperMod theme
hugo --gc --minify  # Verify build

Phase 8: Start and Verify

# Start OpenClaw
openclaw gateway start

# It should:
# 1. Load the workspace files (SOUL.md, MEMORY.md, etc.)
# 2. Connect to Slack
# 3. Connect to iMessage
# 4. Start the heartbeat timer
# 5. Be ready to chat

# Verify by sending a message via iMessage or Slack

Phase 9: What Will Need Re-Earning

These things survive in the files but need fresh calibration:

Conversation rhythm — The new instance will know the rules but won’t have the muscle memory of 5 months of exchanges
LCM history — If not backed up, all searchable conversation history is gone
Session context — Active threads will need to be re-established
OAuth tokens — gws, Vercel, etc. may need re-auth
Playwright browser profile — Saved cookies/logins will be gone; Google Sheets auth will need re-login

The Minimum Viable Phaedrus

If you want the absolute minimum to get a working Phaedrus:

Install OpenClaw (brew tap openclaw/tap && brew install openclaw)
Run setup with Anthropic API key
Point workspace at the restored PhaedrusAI-main/Obsidian/ directory
Start gateway

The workspace files do the rest. SOUL.md tells it who to be. MEMORY.md tells it what it knows. USER.md tells it who you are. The skills tell it what it can do.

The card catalog is the continuity.

Recommendation: Git the Workspace

The single most important thing to do before the wipe — or honestly, right now — is put ~/Documents/PhaedrusAI-main/ in a private git repo. Everything else has backups (config files, tool installs, cloud repos). The workspace is the one thing that could be permanently lost.

cd ~/Documents/PhaedrusAI-main
git init
echo ".obsidian/workspace.json" >> .gitignore
echo ".obsidian/workspace-mobile.json" >> .gitignore
echo ".trash/" >> .gitignore
git add -A
git commit -m "Backup: Phaedrus workspace"
# Push to a PRIVATE repo — this has credentials and personal data

The Resurrection Plan