Centralize file storage across your multi-agent team using a Synology NAS (or any SSH-accessible storage). One agent acts as File Master — all others route file requests through it.

The Problem

Multi-agent setups generate files across multiple workspaces. Without centralized storage:

• Files get lost between agent sessions
• No backup strategy
• Agents duplicate work
• No single source of truth

The Solution

Designate one agent as File Master. All file operations go through this agent via sessions_send. The File Master manages:

• SSH connection to NAS
• Folder structure per agent
• File storage and retrieval
• Cross-agent file sharing

Architecture

┌──────────┐    sessions_send     ┌────────────┐     SSH      ┌─────────┐
│ Agent A  │ ──────────────────► │ FILE MASTER │ ──────────► │   NAS   │
│ (Finance)│ "store invoice.pdf" │ (Tech Lead) │             │         │
└──────────┘                     └────────────┘             └─────────┘
                                       │
┌──────────┐    sessions_send          │  SSH
│ Agent B  │ ──────────────────►       │
│ (Sales)  │ "get sales report"        ▼
└──────────┘                     ┌─────────────┐
                                 │ _agents/     │
                                 │ ├── agent-a/ │
                                 │ ├── agent-b/ │
                                 │ ├── agent-c/ │
                                 │ └── _shared/ │
                                 └─────────────┘

Setup

1. NAS Prerequisites

• Synology NAS (any model) or any Linux server with SSH
• SSH access with key-based auth
• VPN or Tailnet (recommended) for secure remote access

2. Create Folder Structure

SSH_HOST="user@your-nas-ip"
# Create agent folders (customize agent names to match your team)
ssh $SSH_HOST "mkdir -p ~/_agents/{coordinator,techops,finance,sales,marketing}"
# Create shared folders
ssh $SSH_HOST "mkdir -p ~/_shared/{config,templates}"
# Create agent directory file
ssh $SSH_HOST 'cat > ~/_shared/config/agent-directory.json << EOF
{
  "agents": {
    "coordinator": { "role": "Coordinator", "path": "~/_agents/coordinator/" },
    "techops": { "role": "File Master", "path": "~/_agents/techops/" },
    "finance": { "role": "Finance", "path": "~/_agents/finance/" }
  },
  "shared": "~/_shared/",
  "basePath": "~/"
}
EOF'

3. Configure File Master Agent

Add to your File Master agent's AGENTS.md:

## FILE MASTER — Incoming Requests
When another agent sends a file request via sessions_send:
Store a file:
ssh USER@NAS-IP "mkdir -p ~/_agents/[agent]/[subfolder]/"
# Copy/create file there
Retrieve a file:
ssh USER@NAS-IP "cat ~/_agents/[agent]/[file]"
# Send content back to requesting agent
Confirm back:
sessions_send(sessionKey="agent:[requester]:main", message="Done! File at [path]")

4. Configure Other Agents

Add to each agent's AGENTS.md:

## File Operations → File Master
I do NOT access files directly. ALL file ops go through the File Master:
sessions_send(sessionKey="agent:techops:main", message="Store: [details]")
sessions_send(sessionKey="agent:techops:main", message="Retrieve: [path]")

NAS Folder Structure (Recommended)

~/
├── _agents/
│   ├── coordinator/     # Coordinator files
│   │   ├── journal/     # Daily journals
│   │   └── tracking/    # Task tracking
│   ├── techops/         # Tech docs, scripts
│   │   ├── scripts/
│   │   └── configs/
│   ├── finance/         # Finance
│   │   ├── invoices/
│   │   ├── contracts/
│   │   └── reports/
│   ├── sales/           # Sales
│   │   ├── leads/
│   │   └── proposals/
│   └── [your-agent]/    # Per-agent storage
├── _shared/
│   ├── config/          # Shared configs
│   │   └── agent-directory.json
│   └── templates/       # Shared templates
└── _backups/
    └── memory/          # Memory file backups

SSH via VPN/Tailnet (Recommended)

# Connect via secure tunnel IP (e.g. WireGuard, ZeroTier, or similar)
SSH_HOST="user@10.x.x.x"  # Your VPN/Tailnet IP
# Test connection
ssh $SSH_HOST "echo 'NAS connected!'"

Security

• ✅ SSH key-based auth (no passwords in configs)
• ✅ VPN/Tailnet for encrypted tunnel (no port forwarding needed)
• ✅ File Master pattern limits SSH access to one agent
• ✅ Other agents never get SSH credentials
• ❌ Never store SSH keys in agent SOUL.md or memory files

Why File Master Pattern?

• Security: Only one agent has NAS credentials
• Consistency: Single point of truth for file locations
• Audit trail: All file ops logged through one agent
• Simplicity: Other agents don't need to know SSH commands

Backup Strategy

Daily Backup Cron (via OpenClaw)

// Cron job config
{
  "schedule": { "kind": "cron", "expr": "0 3   *", "tz": "UTC" },
  "payload": {
    "kind": "agentTurn",
    "message": "Backup all agent workspaces to NAS. For each agent: rsync workspace memory/ folder to NAS _agents/{agent}/memory-backup/. Report any failures."
  },
  "sessionTarget": "isolated"
}

Manual Backup Command

# Backup specific agent
rsync -avz ~/.openclaw/workspace-finance/memory/ user@nas-ip:~/_agents/finance/memory-backup/
# Backup all agents (customize list to your team)
for agent in coordinator techops finance sales marketing; do
  rsync -avz ~/.openclaw/workspace-$agent/memory/ user@nas-ip:~/_agents/$agent/memory-backup/
done

Troubleshooting

SSH connection refused: → Check VPN/Tailnet status — is NAS online and connected? → Verify SSH service running on NAS (Synology: DSM → Control Panel → Terminal & SNMP)

Permission denied: → SSH key not added: ssh-copy-id user@nas-ip → NAS home folder not enabled (Synology: DSM → User → Advanced → Enable home service)

Slow transfers: → Use direct VPN connection (not relayed) → Consider compression: rsync -avz --compress

Compatible NAS Models

• ✅ Synology (any model with DSM 7+)
• ✅ QNAP (QTS 5+)
• ✅ TrueNAS / FreeNAS
• ✅ Any Linux server with SSH access
• ✅ Raspberry Pi with external storage

Changelog

v1.1.0

• Removed all specific agent/setup references
• Generalized folder structure and examples
• Added backup strategy with cron

v1.0.0

• Initial release