feat(agent): new stores default to float16 embeddings

MemoryConfig::float16 now defaults to true for new stores, on
measurement: on the full LongMemEval haystack with real MiniLM
embeddings every retrieval metric matched f32 (previous commit), and at
100K the file is 48% smaller with faster checkpoints and opens.

Existing stores are unaffected: every agent store has recorded
`float16 = false` in /meta and keeps it. A test opens the v2.5.0
fixture, saves and checkpoints, and checks the embeddings are still f32
with the old rows bit-identical; another checks a new store is float16.

CLI: `create --f32` opts out; like `--f32-index` it only ever switches
the default off. `--float16` is still accepted and now a no-op.
Values beyond +-65504 are refused, so f32 remains the choice for
unnormalised vectors — the upgrade note says so.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 (1M context) <[email protected]>

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -11,12 +11,18 @@
   each checkpoint, so it becomes readable at its next checkpoint on this
   version; other files with `f32` or empty datasets need rewriting. Details in
   `docs/known-issues.md`.
-- **`MemoryConfig::float16` now does what it says.** It was persisted and
-  otherwise ignored; embeddings were always stored as `f32`. A store created
-  with it on now writes half-precision embeddings (48% smaller files) and
-  rounds embeddings to half precision as they are saved. A store that already
-  had `float16 = true` rounds its embeddings when next opened and writes them
-  as `float16` at its next checkpoint. Off by default.
+- **New stores store embeddings as half precision by default.**
+  `MemoryConfig::float16` was persisted and otherwise ignored; it now writes
+  `float16` embeddings (48% smaller files at 100K) and rounds each embedding
+  to half precision as it is saved — and it defaults to `true` for new
+  stores. On the full LongMemEval haystack with real MiniLM embeddings every
+  retrieval metric matched `f32`. **Existing stores are unaffected**: every
+  agent store has recorded `float16 = false`, and keeps it (a v2.5.0 fixture
+  guards this). A store that already had `float16 = true` rounds its
+  embeddings when next opened and writes them as `float16` at its next
+  checkpoint. Opt out with `float16 = false` or `create --f32`; the CLI's
+  `--float16` is still accepted and now a no-op. Values beyond ±65504 are
+  refused, so keep `f32` for unnormalised vectors.
 - **Breaking:** `MemoryError` gained `InvalidEntry`, returned when a
   `float16` store is given an embedding value beyond ±65504. Exhaustive
   matches need the new arm.
@@ -123,6 +129,11 @@
   now an error.
 
 ### Defaults
+- `clawhdf5-agent`: `MemoryConfig::float16` defaults to `true` for new stores,
+  measured rather than assumed: identical LongMemEval retrieval on real
+  embeddings, 48% smaller files and faster checkpoints and opens at 100K.
+  `clawhdf5-cli create --f32` opts out; like `--f32-index`, it only ever
+  switches the default off.
 - `clawhdf5-agent`: `MemoryConfig::quantized_index` defaults to `true` for new
   stores. The reason it had been off — that int8 search was slower on ARM —
   did not survive measurement (see Corrections). Stores that predate the

CLAUDE.md

@@ -87,10 +87,12 @@ Cargo workspace with 16 crates under `crates/` (plus `libaec-sys`, an internal F
   `export` do). An unreadable WAL (torn header, bad magic) is quarantined to
   `<store>.h5.wal.corrupt-<ts>` rather than blocking `open()`; a WAL with an
   unknown *newer* version still fails and is left untouched.
-- `MemoryConfig::float16` (off by default, persisted; CLI `create --float16`)
-  writes `/memory/embeddings` as IEEE half precision (48% smaller file at
-  100K, same recall). `MemoryCache::half_precision` rounds each embedding as
-  it enters the cache (push, update, WAL replay, and on load of a store still
+- `MemoryConfig::float16` (**on by default** for new stores, persisted;
+  existing stores keep their recorded `false` — guarded by the v2.5.0
+  fixture in `tests/float16_store.rs`; CLI opt-out is `create --f32`) writes
+  `/memory/embeddings` as IEEE half precision (48% smaller file at 100K;
+  LongMemEval with real MiniLM embeddings identical to f32).
+  `MemoryCache::half_precision` rounds each embedding as it enters the cache (push, update, WAL replay, and on load of a store still
   `f32` on disk), so memory and file agree bit for bit; the conversions live
   in `clawhdf5_format::float16` and must stay the single implementation.
   Values beyond ±65504 are `MemoryError::InvalidEntry`. Interop: every file

README.md

@@ -89,7 +89,8 @@ breaking change, are in [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md).
   fix themselves at their next checkpoint. See
   [docs/known-issues.md](docs/known-issues.md).
 - `MemoryConfig::float16` now stores half-precision embeddings (it was
-  ignored): 48% smaller files at the same recall.
+  ignored), and is on by default for new stores: 48% smaller files, and
+  identical LongMemEval retrieval on real embeddings.
 - `HDF5Memory::search` with `SearchOptions`: filter by source channel (exact
   filtered top-k, never slower than unfiltered), and opt-in re-ranking and
   confidence rejection, which used to be OpenClaw-only.
@@ -256,8 +257,9 @@ retrieval recall reported as QA accuracy typically overstates by 20–30 points.
 | 10K | 17.0 MB | 1.7 KB | 2.7 MB (6.2x) |
 | 100K | 169.8 MB | 1.7 KB | 26.9 MB (6.2x) |
 
-With `MemoryConfig::float16` the embeddings take half the space: an agent
-store of 100K × 384 records is 80.8 MiB instead of 154.0.
+These figures are `f32` embeddings. New agent stores default to
+`MemoryConfig::float16`, which halves them: 100K × 384 records take 80.8 MiB
+instead of 154.0.
 
 **In memory** — a store reopened from disk, 384-dim `f32`, measured with a
 counting allocator ([BENCHMARKS.md § Memory footprint](BENCHMARKS.md#memory-footprint)):
@@ -610,12 +612,14 @@ setting existed keep their `f32` index; opt out for new stores with
 `quantized_index = false` or `clawhdf5-cli create --f32-index`. See
 [BENCHMARKS.md § Quantising the index copy](BENCHMARKS.md#quantising-the-index-copy-quantized_index).
 
-`MemoryConfig::float16` (off by default; CLI `create --float16`) stores the
+`MemoryConfig::float16` (**on by default** for new stores) stores the
 embeddings on disk as IEEE half precision (numpy `float16`): at 100K × 384 the
-file drops from 154 to 81 MiB, checkpoints and opens get faster, and vector
-recall and search latency do not change. Embeddings are rounded as they are
-saved, so the store searches the same before and after a reopen; values must
-lie within ±65504. See
+file drops from 154 to 81 MiB, checkpoints and opens get faster, and on the
+full LongMemEval haystack with real MiniLM embeddings every retrieval metric
+matches `f32`. Embeddings are rounded as they are saved, so the store searches
+the same before and after a reopen; values must lie within ±65504. Existing
+stores keep their setting. Opt out with `float16 = false` or
+`clawhdf5-cli create --f32` — e.g. for unnormalised vectors. See
 [BENCHMARKS.md § float16 embedding storage](BENCHMARKS.md#float16-embedding-storage-memoryconfigfloat16).
 
 ### `clawhdf5-format`

crates/clawhdf5-agent/src/lib.rs

@@ -136,6 +136,13 @@ pub struct MemoryConfig {
     /// so search results are the same before and after a reopen. Values must
     /// lie within ±65504; a save outside that is `MemoryError::InvalidEntry`.
     /// Fixed when the store is created (persisted in `/meta`).
+    ///
+    /// **On by default for new stores**: on the full LongMemEval haystack with
+    /// real MiniLM embeddings every retrieval metric matched `f32`, and at
+    /// 100K records the file is 48% smaller (`BENCHMARKS.md`). Existing
+    /// stores keep the setting they were created with. Set it to `false` for
+    /// full-precision embeddings, e.g. for unnormalised vectors that may
+    /// exceed the half-precision range.
     pub float16: bool,
     pub compression: bool,
     pub compression_level: u32,
@@ -191,7 +198,7 @@ impl MemoryConfig {
             embedding_dim,
             chunk_size: 512,
             overlap: 50,
-            float16: false,
+            float16: true,
             compression: false,
             compression_level: 0,
             compact_threshold: 0.3,

crates/clawhdf5-agent/tests/float16_store.rs

@@ -206,3 +206,55 @@ fn wal_replay_rounds_like_a_live_save() {
     assert_eq!(recovered.count(), 30);
     assert_eq!(search_bits(&mut recovered, 77), live);
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn new_stores_default_to_float16() {
+    let dir = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+    let path = dir.path().join("default.h5");
+    let mut m = HDF5Memory::create(MemoryConfig::new(path.clone(), "agent", DIM)).unwrap();
+    assert!(m.config().float16);
+    m.save_batch((0..10).map(entry).collect()).unwrap();
+    drop(m);
+    assert_eq!(embeddings_dtype_and_values(&path).0, "Other(\"float16\")");
+    assert!(HDF5Memory::open(&path).unwrap().config().float16);
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn an_existing_f32_store_stays_f32() {
+    // Written by the v2.5.0 CLI, with `float16 = 0` in /meta (every agent
+    // store has recorded it). Flipping the default for new stores must not
+    // reach back and round an existing store's embeddings.
+    let dir = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+    let path = dir.path().join("legacy.h5");
+    std::fs::copy(
+        concat!(
+            env!("CARGO_MANIFEST_DIR"),
+            "/tests/fixtures/store_v2_5_0.h5"
+        ),
+        &path,
+    )
+    .unwrap();
+    let before = embeddings_dtype_and_values(&path);
+    assert_eq!(before.0, "F32");
+
+    let mut m = HDF5Memory::open(&path).unwrap();
+    assert!(!m.config().float16, "an old store must reopen as f32");
+    let dim = m.config().embedding_dim;
+    let odd: Vec<f32> = (0..dim).map(|i| 0.1 + i as f32 * 1e-4).collect();
+    m.save_batch(vec![MemoryEntry {
+        chunk: "added after the upgrade".into(),
+        embedding: odd.clone(),
+        source_channel: "test".into(),
+        timestamp: 1.0,
+        session_id: "s".into(),
+        tags: String::new(),
+    }])
+    .unwrap();
+    drop(m);
+
+    // Checkpointed: still f32, the old rows untouched and the new one exact.
+    let (dtype, values) = embeddings_dtype_and_values(&path);
+    assert_eq!(dtype, "F32");
+    assert_eq!(&values[..before.1.len()], before.1.as_slice());
+    assert_eq!(&values[before.1.len()..], odd.as_slice());
+}

crates/clawhdf5-cli/src/main.rs

@@ -36,10 +36,13 @@ enum Commands {
         /// Accepted for compatibility; int8 is now the default
         #[arg(long, hide = true, conflicts_with = "f32_index")]
         quantized_index: bool,
-        /// Store embeddings on disk as IEEE half precision (float16): half
-        /// the bytes, about three significant digits; values must lie within
-        /// ±65504
+        /// Store embeddings as full-precision f32 instead of the default
+        /// half precision (float16: half the bytes, about three significant
+        /// digits, values within ±65504)
         #[arg(long)]
+        f32: bool,
+        /// Accepted for compatibility; float16 is now the default
+        #[arg(long, hide = true, conflicts_with = "f32")]
         float16: bool,
     },
     /// Save a memory entry (reads JSON from stdin or --json)
@@ -107,11 +110,16 @@ fn run(cli: Cli) -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
             wal,
             f32_index,
             quantized_index: _,
-            float16,
+            f32,
+            float16: _,
         } => {
             let mut config = MemoryConfig::new(cli.path.clone(), &agent_id, dim);
             config.wal_enabled = wal;
-            config.float16 = float16;
+            // As with --f32-index: only ever switch the library default off.
+            if f32 {
+                config.float16 = false;
+            }
+            let config_float16 = config.float16;
             // Only ever switch *off* the library default: assigning the flag
             // outright would force every CLI-created store back to f32 unless
             // the caller knew to ask for int8.
@@ -127,7 +135,7 @@ fn run(cli: Cli) -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
                 "embedding_dim": dim,
                 "wal_enabled": wal,
                 "quantized_index": config_quantized,
-                "float16": float16,
+                "float16": config_float16,
                 "count": mem.count(),
             });
             println!("{}", serde_json::to_string_pretty(&j)?);