So I'm running my openclaw on wsl. My OS is windows. The problem I'm having is that editing a file that gets auto injected at the start of each session doesn't get picked up by a new session after /new the actual memory file has the edit in it but the version that gets auto injected at the start of each session doesn't contain that edit unless I restart the gateway. Is this normal? Is anyone expierencing something similar?
#/new injecting stale files
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This can happen right now, and it’s usually one of two things:
-
Bootstrap/project-context is snapshotted/cached
OpenClaw injects workspace “bootstrap files” (AGENTS.md / SOUL.md / USER.md / memory files, etc.) into the prompt. Recent versions added caching of those bootstrap file snapshots per session key to reduce prompt-cache churn (changelog: “cache bootstrap file snapshots per session key…” in 2026.2.23).
So edits don’t necessarily show up immediately unless that snapshot is invalidated. -
WSL + editing from the Windows side (/mnt/c) = flaky file change detection
If your workspace lives on/mnt/c/...(Windows filesystem) or you edit it with a Windows editor, Linux file watching/mtimes can be weird in WSL, and the Gateway may not notice the change → you see “stale injected” context until a Gateway restart forces a reload.
What I’d try / check:
- What’s your version? Please paste:
openclaw --version
(If you’re < 2026.2.23, definitely update; if you’re around that version, update anyway in case you’re on a buggy point release.) - Where is your workspace located? If it’s on
/mnt/c, move it into the WSL Linux filesystem (e.g. the default~/.openclaw/workspace) and edit it from inside WSL (VS Code “Remote - WSL” is ideal). - After editing a bootstrap file, try
/newonce, and if it’s still stale, doopenclaw gateway restartas a workaround.
Docs that describe the intended behavior:
- Agent workspace + which files get loaded: https://docs.openclaw.ai/concepts/agent-workspace
- Session reset semantics (
/newcreates a new sessionId for the same sessionKey): https://docs.openclaw.ai/reference/session-management-compaction
If you reply with (a) openclaw --version and (b) whether your workspace is under /mnt/c or under /home/..., I can tell you which bucket you’re in and what the cleanest fix is.
a = 2026.2.26
b = it's installed under Linux/Ubuntu/home/user/.openclaw