fix(memory): default batch embeddings to off

Disables async batch embeddings by default for memory indexing; batch remains opt-in via agents.defaults.memorySearch.remote.batch.enabled.

(#13069) Thanks @mcinteerj.

Co-authored-by: Jake McInteer <mcinteerj@gmail.com>

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 - Discord: support forum/media thread-create starter messages, wire `message thread create --message`, and harden routing. (#10062) Thanks @jarvis89757.
 - Paths: structurally resolve `OPENCLAW_HOME`-derived home paths and fix Windows drive-letter handling in tool meta shortening. (#12125) Thanks @mcaxtr.
 - Memory: set Voyage embeddings `input_type` for improved retrieval. (#10818) Thanks @mcinteerj.
+- Memory: disable async batch embeddings by default for memory indexing (opt-in via `agents.defaults.memorySearch.remote.batch.enabled`). (#13069) Thanks @mcinteerj.
 - Memory/QMD: reuse default model cache across agents instead of re-downloading per agent. (#12114) Thanks @tyler6204.
 - Media understanding: recognize `.caf` audio attachments for transcription. (#10982) Thanks @succ985.
 - State dir: honor `OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR` for default device identity and canvas storage paths. (#4824) Thanks @kossoy.

docs/concepts/memory.md

@@ -302,9 +302,9 @@ Fallbacks:
 - `memorySearch.fallback` can be `openai`, `gemini`, `local`, or `none`.
 - The fallback provider is only used when the primary embedding provider fails.
 
-Batch indexing (OpenAI + Gemini):
+Batch indexing (OpenAI + Gemini + Voyage):
 
-- Enabled by default for OpenAI and Gemini embeddings. Set `agents.defaults.memorySearch.remote.batch.enabled = false` to disable.
+- Disabled by default. Set `agents.defaults.memorySearch.remote.batch.enabled = true` to enable for large-corpus indexing (OpenAI, Gemini, and Voyage).
 - Default behavior waits for batch completion; tune `remote.batch.wait`, `remote.batch.pollIntervalMs`, and `remote.batch.timeoutMinutes` if needed.
 - Set `remote.batch.concurrency` to control how many batch jobs we submit in parallel (default: 2).
 - Batch mode applies when `memorySearch.provider = "openai"` or `"gemini"` and uses the corresponding API key.

src/agents/memory-search.test.ts

@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ describe("memory search config", () => {
     };
     const resolved = resolveMemorySearchConfig(cfg, "main");
     expect(resolved?.remote?.batch).toEqual({
-      enabled: true,
+      enabled: false,
       wait: true,
       concurrency: 2,
       pollIntervalMs: 2000,
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ describe("memory search config", () => {
     };
     const resolved = resolveMemorySearchConfig(cfg, "main");
     expect(resolved?.remote?.batch).toEqual({
-      enabled: true,
+      enabled: false,
       wait: true,
       concurrency: 2,
       pollIntervalMs: 2000,
@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ describe("memory search config", () => {
       apiKey: "default-key",
       headers: { "X-Default": "on" },
       batch: {
-        enabled: true,
+        enabled: false,
         wait: true,
         concurrency: 2,
         pollIntervalMs: 2000,

src/agents/memory-search.ts

@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ function mergeConfig(
     provider === "voyage" ||
     provider === "auto";
   const batch = {
-    enabled: overrideRemote?.batch?.enabled ?? defaultRemote?.batch?.enabled ?? true,
+    enabled: overrideRemote?.batch?.enabled ?? defaultRemote?.batch?.enabled ?? false,
     wait: overrideRemote?.batch?.wait ?? defaultRemote?.batch?.wait ?? true,
     concurrency: Math.max(
       1,

src/config/schema.ts

@@ -554,7 +554,7 @@ const FIELD_HELP: Record<string, string> = {
   "agents.defaults.memorySearch.remote.headers":
     "Extra headers for remote embeddings (merged; remote overrides OpenAI headers).",
   "agents.defaults.memorySearch.remote.batch.enabled":
-    "Enable batch API for memory embeddings (OpenAI/Gemini; default: true).",
+    "Enable batch API for memory embeddings (OpenAI/Gemini/Voyage; default: false).",
   "agents.defaults.memorySearch.remote.batch.wait":
     "Wait for batch completion when indexing (default: true).",
   "agents.defaults.memorySearch.remote.batch.concurrency":