mirror of
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
synced 2026-08-12 21:53:00 -06:00
Peter Steinberger
b4104e29b5
* fix(sessions): stop active runs before archiving Archive now fences the exact session, stops and drains active work before commit, preserves main/global-main/unknown protections and Delete behavior, and keeps patchMany per-target ordering. * test(gateway): provide archive lifecycle context * test(ui): expect active sessions to remain archivable * refactor(gateway): keep archive drains internal * fix(gateway): keep abort lifecycle contract acyclic * fix(sessions): fence sharing across archive drains * test(gateway): type archive lifecycle responses * fix(sessions): reclaim cloud workers before archive * fix(sessions): align archive request integration * test(gateway): omit default deferred type * docs(sessions): clarify cloud archive retries
348 lines
16 KiB
Markdown
348 lines
16 KiB
Markdown
---
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summary: "CLI reference for listing, archiving, deleting, and maintaining stored sessions"
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read_when:
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- You want to list stored sessions and see recent activity
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- You want to archive or delete sessions from a headless Gateway
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title: "Sessions"
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---
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# `openclaw sessions`
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List stored conversation sessions.
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Session lists are not channel/provider liveness checks. They show persisted
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conversation rows from session stores. A quiet Discord, Slack, Telegram, or
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other channel can reconnect successfully without creating a new session row
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until a message is processed. Use `openclaw channels status --probe`,
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`openclaw status --deep`, or `openclaw health --verbose` when you need live
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channel connectivity.
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```bash
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openclaw sessions
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openclaw sessions --agent work
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openclaw sessions --all-agents
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openclaw sessions --active 120
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openclaw sessions --limit 25
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openclaw sessions --store ./tmp/sessions.json
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openclaw sessions --json
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```
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Flags:
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| Flag | Description |
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| -------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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| `--agent <id>` | One configured agent store (default: configured default agent). |
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| `--all-agents` | Aggregate all configured agent stores. |
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| `--store <path>` | Explicit store path (cannot combine with `--agent` or `--all-agents`). |
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| `--active <minutes>` | Only show sessions updated within the past N minutes. |
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| `--limit <n\|all>` | Max rows to output (default `100`; `all` restores full output). |
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| `--json` | Machine-readable output. |
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| `--verbose` | Verbose logging. |
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`openclaw sessions` and the Gateway `sessions.list` RPC are bounded by default
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so large long-lived stores cannot monopolize the CLI process or Gateway event
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loop. The CLI returns the newest 100 sessions by default; pass `--limit <n>`
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for a smaller/larger window or `--limit all` when you intentionally need the
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full store. JSON responses include `totalCount`, `limitApplied`, and `hasMore`
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when callers need to show that more rows exist.
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RPC clients can pass `configuredAgentsOnly: true` to keep the broad combined
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discovery source but return only rows for agents currently present in config.
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Control UI uses that mode by default so deleted or disk-only agent stores do
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not reappear in the Sessions view.
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`--all-agents` reads configured agent stores. Gateway and ACP session
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discovery are broader: they also include SQLite stores resolved from
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configured agent roots or a templated `session.store` root. Legacy selector
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paths must resolve inside the agent root; symlinks and out-of-root paths are
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skipped.
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`openclaw sessions --all-agents --json`:
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```json
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{
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"path": null,
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"stores": [
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{ "agentId": "main", "path": "/home/user/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/sessions.json" },
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{ "agentId": "work", "path": "/home/user/.openclaw/agents/work/sessions/sessions.json" }
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],
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"allAgents": true,
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"count": 2,
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"totalCount": 2,
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"limitApplied": 100,
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"hasMore": false,
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"activeMinutes": null,
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"sessions": [
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{ "agentId": "main", "key": "agent:main:main", "model": "openai/gpt-5.6-sol" },
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{ "agentId": "work", "key": "agent:work:main", "model": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6" }
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]
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}
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```
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## Archive sessions
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Archive one or more sessions through the running Gateway:
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```bash
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openclaw sessions archive "agent:main:scratch-1"
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openclaw sessions archive "agent:main:scratch-1" "agent:main:scratch-2"
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openclaw sessions archive "agent:work:scratch-1" --agent work
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openclaw sessions archive "agent:main:scratch-1" --dry-run
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openclaw sessions archive "agent:main:scratch-1" --json
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```
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Archive uses the same `sessions.patch` lifecycle operation as the Control UI.
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It keeps the transcript, marks the session archived, and removes the session
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from the default active list. For a cloud-worker session with an active
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placement, the Gateway first stops the worker, reconciles its workspace, and
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reclaims the environment. If the placement is still transitioning or failed
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without proof that its environment is gone, the session remains unarchived;
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wait for the placement to settle, then retry. Agent main sessions remain
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protected. Already archived sessions are successful no-ops. Use `--dry-run` to
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validate every key and preview the result without changing session state.
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## Delete sessions
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Delete one or more sessions through the running Gateway:
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```bash
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openclaw sessions delete "agent:main:scratch-1"
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openclaw sessions delete "agent:main:scratch-1" "agent:main:scratch-2" --yes
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openclaw sessions delete "agent:work:scratch-1" --agent work --yes
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openclaw sessions delete "agent:main:scratch-1" --dry-run
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openclaw sessions delete "agent:main:scratch-1" --yes --json
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```
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<Warning>
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Delete is destructive. In an interactive terminal it asks once before
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deleting the valid keys. Non-interactive and `--json` deletion requires
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`--yes`. Use `--dry-run` first when scripting a bulk cleanup.
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</Warning>
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Delete uses the same `sessions.delete` lifecycle operation as the Control UI,
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with transcript cleanup enabled. The Gateway removes the live session row,
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transcript generations, session-owned runtime state, bindings, boards, and
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other lifecycle artifacts. For ordinary sessions it retains the transcript as
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a verified `.jsonl.deleted.<timestamp>` archive; incognito transcripts are
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removed without an archive. If a managed worktree cannot be removed safely,
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the command reports the preserved branch and path for manual cleanup.
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Both lifecycle commands:
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- accept multiple keys and report one ordered result per key;
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- use `--agent <id>` to select the owning agent, which is required for a
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`global` key outside the default agent;
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- support `--url`, `--token`, `--password`, and `--timeout <ms>` Gateway
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connection overrides;
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- return a non-zero exit when any key is unknown or any operation fails, while
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still processing the other valid keys;
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- emit one stable JSON envelope with `ok`, `operation`, `dryRun`, and `results`
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when `--json` is set.
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Example mixed-result JSON:
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```json
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{
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"ok": false,
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"operation": "archive",
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"dryRun": false,
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"results": [
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{ "key": "agent:main:scratch-1", "ok": true, "status": "archived" },
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{
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"key": "agent:main:missing",
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"ok": false,
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"status": "not_found",
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"error": "Session not found. Run openclaw sessions list --json to choose a valid key."
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}
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]
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}
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```
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## Tail trajectory progress
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```bash
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openclaw sessions tail
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openclaw sessions tail --follow
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openclaw sessions tail --session-key "agent:main:telegram:direct:123" --tail 25
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openclaw sessions --agent work tail --follow
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openclaw sessions --all-agents tail --follow
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```
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`openclaw sessions tail` renders recent runtime trajectory events as compact
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progress lines. Without `--session-key`, it tails running sessions first, then
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the latest stored session. `--tail <count>` controls how many existing events
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print before follow mode; default `80`, and `0` starts at the current end.
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`--follow` keeps watching the selected SQLite-backed session or an explicit
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legacy trajectory file.
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The progress view is intentionally conservative: prompt text, tool arguments,
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and tool result bodies are not printed. Tool calls show the tool name with
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`{...redacted...}`; tool results show status such as `ok`, `error`, or `done`;
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model completion lines show provider/model and terminal status.
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## Export a trajectory bundle
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```bash
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openclaw sessions export-trajectory --session-key "agent:main:telegram:direct:123" --workspace .
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openclaw sessions export-trajectory --session-key "agent:main:telegram:direct:123" --output bug-123 --json
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```
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This is the command path used by the `/export-trajectory` slash command after
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the owner approves the exec request. The output directory is always resolved
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inside `.openclaw/trajectory-exports/` under the selected workspace.
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## Cleanup maintenance
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Run maintenance now instead of waiting for the next write cycle:
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```bash
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openclaw sessions cleanup --dry-run
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openclaw sessions cleanup --agent work --dry-run
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openclaw sessions cleanup --all-agents --dry-run
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openclaw sessions cleanup --enforce
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openclaw sessions cleanup --enforce --active-key "agent:main:telegram:direct:123"
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openclaw sessions cleanup --dry-run --fix-dm-scope
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openclaw sessions cleanup --json
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```
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`openclaw sessions cleanup` uses `session.maintenance` settings from config
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([Configuration reference](/gateway/config-agents#session)):
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- Scope note: `openclaw sessions cleanup` maintains session stores,
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transcripts, trajectory rows, and legacy trajectory sidecars. It does not
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prune cron run history, which automatically keeps the newest 2000 rows per job
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([Cron configuration](/automation/cron-jobs#configuration)).
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- Cleanup also prunes unreferenced legacy/archive transcript artifacts,
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compaction checkpoints, and trajectory sidecars older than
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`session.maintenance.pruneAfter`; artifacts still referenced by SQLite
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session rows are preserved.
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- Cleanup reports short-lived Gateway model-run probe cleanup separately as
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`modelRunPruned`. This only matches strict explicit keys shaped like
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`agent:*:explicit:model-run-<uuid>`. Retention is a fixed `24h` and is
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pressure-gated: it only removes stale probe rows when session-entry
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maintenance/cap pressure is reached. When it runs, model-run cleanup
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happens before global stale cleanup and capping.
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Flags:
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| Flag | Description |
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| -------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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| `--dry-run` | Preview how many entries would be pruned/capped without writing. In text mode, prints a per-session action table (`Action`, `Key`, `Age`, `Model`, `Flags`) plus a summary grouped by session label. |
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| `--enforce` | Apply maintenance even when `session.maintenance.mode` is `warn`. |
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| `--fix-missing` | Remove legacy entries whose archived transcript artifacts are missing or header-only/empty, even if they would not normally age/count out yet. |
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| `--fix-dm-scope` | When `session.dmScope` is `main`, retire stale peer-keyed direct-DM rows left behind by earlier `per-peer`, `per-channel-peer`, or `per-account-channel-peer` routing. Use `--dry-run` first; applying removes those rows from SQLite and preserves their legacy transcript artifacts as deleted archives. |
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| `--active-key <key>` | Protect a specific active key from disk-budget eviction. Durable external conversation pointers, such as group sessions and thread-scoped chat sessions, are also kept by age/count/disk-budget maintenance. |
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| `--agent <id>` | Run cleanup for one configured agent store. |
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| `--all-agents` | Run cleanup for all configured agent stores. |
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| `--store <path>` | Run against a specific legacy store selector path. |
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| `--json` | Print a JSON summary. With `--all-agents`, output includes one summary per store. |
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When a Gateway is reachable, non-dry-run cleanup for configured agent stores is
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sent through the Gateway so it shares the same session-store writer as runtime
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traffic. Use `--store <path>` for explicit offline repair of a legacy store
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selector.
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`openclaw sessions cleanup --all-agents --dry-run --json`:
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```json
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{
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"allAgents": true,
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"mode": "warn",
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"dryRun": true,
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"stores": [
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{
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"agentId": "main",
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"storePath": "/home/user/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/sessions.json",
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"beforeCount": 120,
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"afterCount": 80,
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"missing": 0,
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"dmScopeRetired": 0,
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"pruned": 40,
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"capped": 0
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},
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{
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"agentId": "work",
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"storePath": "/home/user/.openclaw/agents/work/sessions/sessions.json",
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"beforeCount": 18,
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"afterCount": 18,
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"missing": 0,
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"dmScopeRetired": 0,
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"pruned": 0,
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"capped": 0
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}
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]
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}
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```
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## Compact a session
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Reclaim context budget for a wedged or oversized session. `openclaw sessions
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compact <key>` is the first-class wrapper around the `sessions.compact`
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Gateway RPC and requires a running Gateway.
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```bash
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openclaw sessions compact "agent:main:main"
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openclaw sessions compact "agent:main:main" --max-lines 200
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openclaw sessions compact "agent:work:main" --agent work --json
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```
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- Without `--max-lines`, the Gateway LLM-summarizes the transcript. The CLI
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does not impose a client deadline by default; the Gateway owns the
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configured compaction lifecycle.
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- With `--max-lines <n>`, it truncates to the last `n` transcript lines and
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archives the prior transcript as a `.bak` sidecar.
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- `--agent <id>`: agent that owns the session; required for `global` keys.
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- `--url` / `--token` / `--password`: Gateway connection overrides.
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- `--timeout <ms>`: optional client-side RPC timeout in milliseconds.
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- `--json`: print the raw RPC payload.
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The command exits non-zero when the Gateway reports a failed compaction or is
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unreachable, so crons and scripts never mistake a silent no-op for success.
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<Note>
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`openclaw agent --message '/compact ...'` is **not** a compaction path. Slash
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commands from the CLI are rejected by the authorized-sender check; that
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invocation exits non-zero with guidance pointing here instead of silently
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no-opping.
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</Note>
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### sessions.compact RPC
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`openclaw gateway call sessions.compact --params '<json>'` accepts:
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| Field | Type | Required | Description |
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| ---------- | ----------- | -------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
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| `key` | string | yes | Session key to compact (for example `agent:main:main`). |
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| `agentId` | string | no | Agent id that owns the session (for `global` keys). |
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| `maxLines` | integer ≥ 1 | no | Truncate to the last N lines instead of LLM summarization. |
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Example LLM-summarize response:
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```json
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{
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"ok": true,
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"key": "agent:main:main",
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"compacted": true,
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"result": { "tokensBefore": 243868, "tokensAfter": 34941 }
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}
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```
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Example truncate response (`--max-lines 200`):
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```json
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{
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"ok": true,
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"key": "agent:main:main",
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"compacted": true,
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"archived": "/home/user/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/transcripts/<id>.jsonl.bak",
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"kept": 200
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}
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```
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## Related
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- [Session config](/gateway/config-agents#session)
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- [Session management](/concepts/session)
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- [Compaction](/concepts/compaction)
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- [CLI reference](/cli)
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