i notice acp does not read the claude file in the cwd | Friends of the Crustacean 🦞🤝 | Page 1

pseudo bone Apr 19, 2026, 11:55 PM

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if i start cluade code via cli, it reads the file, if i start an acp , it doesn't read the claud file

coral garnetBOT Apr 19, 2026, 11:55 PM

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vague cipherBOT Apr 19, 2026, 11:55 PM

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wheat groveBOT Apr 19, 2026, 11:57 PM

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Let me verify this against the actual docs/source, because there are a couple different code paths here and I don’t want to guess.

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I found the ACP docs and your OpenClaw here is 2026.4.9, so I’m checking against that code path now.

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The FAQ path moved in this checkout, so I’m locating the current one before I answer.

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yeah, most likely this is just a different cwd/workspace, not Claude ignoring CLAUDE.md.

Direct Claude Code CLI:

runs in your shell’s current directory
so it sees that repo’s CLAUDE.md

ACP Claude:

runs as an ACP session through OpenClaw/acpx
if you do not pass --cwd, it uses the ACP session cwd, usually the target agent workspace or backend default, not your terminal cwd
so if CLAUDE.md is not in that ACP cwd, it won’t get picked up

Verified docs:

ACP cwd behavior: https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/acp-agents
agent workspace concept: https://docs.openclaw.ai/concepts/agent-workspace

What to try:

check the ACP session cwd with /acp status

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explicitly set it with /acp cwd /absolute/path/to/repo
or spawn with --cwd /absolute/path/to/repo
if you changed CLAUDE.md after the session already existed, start a fresh ACP session too

If you want, paste:

openclaw --version
how you’re spawning the ACP session
what /acp status shows for cwd

and I can tell you the exact fix.

pseudo bone Apr 20, 2026, 12:01 AM

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thats not the issue, i notice the command is read only after the session si closed. what command does acp use to trigger the claude code ? is it pbypassing the claude.md ?

wheat groveBOT Apr 20, 2026, 12:02 AM

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I’m checking the actual acpx agent mapping now, because this part is easy to get wrong from memory.

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I found the acpx side. Now I’m checking the actual default Claude adapter command, not just the docs summary.

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it is not calling your normal interactive claude CLI path directly.

Current ACP path is:

OpenClaw ACP session control
bundled acpx backend
Claude ACP adapter
Claude-side runtime/session

In current acpx defaults, claude maps to:

npx -y @zed-industries/claude-agent-acp@0.21.0

So, short answer:

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no, OpenClaw is not intentionally telling Claude to skip CLAUDE.md
but yes, ACP uses a different launch path than raw claude, so behavior can differ

If CLAUDE.md only seems to matter after close/reopen, that strongly suggests the Claude ACP adapter/runtime is loading project instructions at session bootstrap, not on every turn.

Also check whether you have an override in:

~/.acpx/config.json

because that can replace the built-in claude command.

Docs:

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If you paste:

your ~/.acpx/config.json
the exact /acp spawn ... or spawn config
openclaw --version

I can tell you whether this is expected adapter behavior or a real bug.

pseudo bone Apr 20, 2026, 12:06 AM

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~/.acpx/config.json does not exists
/acp action:spawn claude --thread here --cwd /home/jarvis/.openclaw/workspace/my-project/da

wheat groveBOT Apr 20, 2026, 12:07 AM

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I’m checking one last thing: whether --thread here can reuse an existing bound ACP session in that thread, because that would explain the “only after close” part.

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yeah, with that info, I don’t think OpenClaw is bypassing CLAUDE.md.

You have:

no ~/.acpx/config.json override
explicit --cwd /home/jarvis/.openclaw/workspace/my-project/da

So the launch path should be the built-in acpx default for claude, which is:

npx -y @zed-industries/claude-agent-acp@0.21.0

That means the behavior difference is probably here:

raw claude CLI
vs

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Claude ACP adapter (claude-agent-acp)

not OpenClaw skipping the file on purpose.

And your symptom, “it only takes effect after the session is closed”, really sounds like:

CLAUDE.md is getting picked up on fresh session bootstrap
not continuously during an already-running ACP session

So my read is: adapter/session-lifecycle behavior, maybe a bug, not cwd, and not an OpenClaw “skip CLAUDE.md” flag.

Practical next step:

/acp close
start a fresh spawn in a new thread
if it still reproduces, I’d treat it as a real bug

Docs:

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https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/acp-agents

If you want, I can help you write a super tight repro for a GitHub issue, because this one does sound worth tracking.

pseudo bone Apr 20, 2026, 12:24 AM

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weird

wheat groveBOT Apr 20, 2026, 12:25 AM

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yeah, that’s pretty weird.

If it repros from a brand-new thread + fresh /acp spawn, I’d call it a real bug, probably in the Claude ACP adapter path.

If you file it, include:

openclaw --version
exact spawn command
exact CLAUDE.md location
“raw Claude CLI sees it immediately, ACP Claude only after close/reopen”

Issue tracker: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/issues

If you want, I can help you turn this thread into a clean repro report.

pseudo bone Apr 20, 2026, 12:44 AM

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what is the command to tell acp to spawn a new session i na spawn threa d

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in a discrod thread ?

wheat groveBOT Apr 20, 2026, 12:45 AM

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if you want a fresh ACP session in a thread:

From a parent channel

/acp spawn claude --thread auto --cwd /path/to/repo

From inside an existing thread

/acp close
/acp spawn claude --thread here --cwd /path/to/repo

Why the extra close? Because once a thread is bound, follow-up messages keep going to the same ACP session until you close/unbind it.

So the safe “new session in this thread” flow is:

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/acp close
/acp spawn claude --thread here --cwd /home/jarvis/.openclaw/workspace/my-project/da

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/acp-agents

#i notice acp does not read the claude file in the cwd