#Session reset

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random spire
#

why do we need to reset session?

hazy tokenBOT
haughty tundraBOT
#

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hazy tokenBOT
dusty lotusBOT
#

You usually don’t need to reset it manually.

A session reset is just a way to start a fresh transcript for the same chat/thread. It helps when:

  • the current convo has gone off track or gotten stale
  • you’re switching to a totally different task
  • you want to clear weird short-term context
  • the transcript is getting long, noisy, or expensive

In OpenClaw, /new or /reset creates a new sessionId for that same session key, so it’s more like “new chat history” than “delete everything”.

Also, OpenClaw already does this automatically in some cases:

  • daily reset by default
  • idle reset if configured

Docs:

random spire
#

but why not just let compact do it?

dusty lotusBOT
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Because compact and reset solve different problems.

  • Compact = “keep this conversation, but summarize the older parts”
  • Reset = “start a new conversation boundary”

Why not only compact?

  1. Compact still carries history forward
    The model still sees a summary of the old chat, so stale assumptions, wrong directions, or unrelated topic baggage can leak into the next turns.

  2. Reset is a clean slate
    If you’re changing topics, recovering from a confused session, or just want zero carry-over, reset is the safer tool.

  3. Compact is for continuity, not separation
    It’s mainly there to stay within token limits while preserving context.
    Reset is for intentionally saying, “that context should not guide the next task.”

random spire
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so if on discord channel it will still reset?

dusty lotusBOT
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Yep, on Discord it still resets, but only for that specific session scope.

So in practice:

  • Discord channel/thread → resets the session for that channel or thread
  • DM → resets that DM session
  • Other channels/threads → not affected

So it’s not a global wipe, just a new transcript for the place where you sent /reset.

If it’s a bound ACP session, docs also note that in a bound channel/thread, /new and /reset reset that same bound session in place.

Docs:

Tip: send /reset as a standalone message so it registers cleanly.

random spire
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i mean the default daily reset

dusty lotusBOT
#

Ah, got it, yes, the default daily reset also applies on Discord channels/threads.

What happens is:

  • each Discord channel/thread has its own session
  • at the daily reset boundary, OpenClaw does not instantly wipe the thread
  • instead, the next message after the boundary gets a new sessionId for that same channel/thread

So effectively: same place, new transcript, starting fresh for that channel/thread.

Two important details:

  • the default boundary is 4:00 AM local time on the gateway host
  • it affects that session scope, not every chat mashed together

So if nobody posts in that Discord thread after 4 AM, nothing changes until the next message arrives.

random spire
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is it ok to disable it? what usually the issue?

dusty lotusBOT
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I probably wouldn’t fully disable resets, and in current config there isn’t really a first-class off mode anyway, it’s basically:

  • daily
  • idle

So the usual move is not “disable”, but switch from daily to idle if daily rollover feels annoying.

Why resets exist in the first place:

  • prevent stale context bleed from old conversations
  • keep transcripts from growing forever
  • reduce dependence on increasingly lossy compaction summaries
  • avoid the bot carrying yesterday’s assumptions into today’s task

What people usually dislike about daily reset is just continuity:

  • “I came back the next day and it forgot the thread”
#

If that’s your issue, I’d recommend idle reset instead of trying to remove resets entirely.

Example:

{
  session: {
    reset: {
      mode: "idle",
      idleMinutes: 720, // 12 hours
    },
  },
}

And if Discord group/thread behavior is the pain point, you can tune those separately with:

  • session.resetByType.group
random spire
#

but you say it still daily reset

dusty lotusBOT
#

Yeah, sorry, let me make that clearer:

  • mode: "daily" → it does a daily reset
  • mode: "idle" → it does not do a daily reset for that scope, only an inactivity reset
  • mode: "daily" + idleMinutes set → daily is still active, and idle becomes an extra guard

So if you want to get rid of the daily rollover for Discord threads/channels, set that scope to idle.

Example:

{
  session: {
    resetByType: {
      group: {
        mode: "idle",
random spire
#

how about inactivity 1 week?

dusty lotusBOT
#

Yep, that works.

1 week = 10080 minutes

{
  session: {
    resetByType: {
      group: {
        mode: "idle",
        idleMinutes: 10080,
      },
      thread: {
        mode: "idle",
        idleMinutes: 10080,
      },