Session Recall#

Recover missing conversation context autonomously. Never ask the user "what are you talking about?" until all steps are exhausted.

When This Triggers#

• An incoming message doesn't match the current session context
• Session starts after compaction ( .jsonl.reset exists)
• User references something not in current context window
• User references a topic from another channel or a cron-delivered notification
• Thread reply arrives without visible parent context

Recovery Flow#

Execute steps in order. Stop early if sufficient context is found.

Step 0: sessions_history (fastest check)#

Use sessions_history to retrieve recent messages for the current channel. This requires no file I/O and is the quickest way to recover recent context.

Step 1: Same-channel transcript#

Read the .jsonl transcript for the current session:

1. Look up the session associated with this channel via sessions_list or sessions.json
2. Read ~/.openclaw/agents/{agent}/sessions/{sessionId}.jsonl (default agent: main)
3. For large files, read the tail first ( tail -n 200) rather than loading the entire file
4. Check for .reset files with the same sessionId prefix (pre-compaction data)
5. If the message is a thread reply, read the parent message first

Step 2: Channel context summary#

Read memory/channel_context/{channel-name}.md if it exists. These are user-maintained summaries of ongoing topics per channel — not a built-in OpenClaw feature, but a recommended convention.

Step 3: Cross-channel and cron search#

Messages often originate from cron jobs or other channels.

1. Extract key terms from the unclear message

2. Use the bundled search script or grep across all .jsonl files: bash

   ./scripts/search_sessions.sh "keyword"
   
   

3. Also search for the current channel ID in other sessions — cron jobs send messages to channels but these don't appear in the channel's own .jsonl: bash

   ./scripts/search_sessions.sh "{current_channel_id}"
   
   

4. When a match is found, read surrounding context to understand the full conversation

5. Sort results by timestamp, prioritize most recent

Step 4: Memory files#

1. memory/active_context.md — current shared context across channels
2. memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md — today and yesterday's daily notes
3. Semantic memory search if available in your setup (e.g., memory_search tool)

Step 5: Ask the user (last resort)#

Only after steps 0–4 yield nothing. Be specific about what was searched:

"Searched this channel's transcript, cross-channel sessions (including cron), and memory files for '{keyword}' but couldn't find context. What are you referring to?"

Key Insight: Cron-to-Channel Messages#

Cron jobs can send messages to channels via sessions_send or direct API calls. These messages:

• Appear in the chat platform for the user to see
• Are logged in the cron session's .jsonl, NOT the target channel's .jsonl
• Require Step 3's channel-ID search to discover

This is the most common cause of unrecognized messages — the user is responding to something a cron job sent.

Security Note#

Session transcripts may contain sensitive data (API keys, passwords, personal information). Do not pipe search output to public channels or logs. This skill assumes single-user/single-agent deployment.

Notes#

• Path ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/ assumes default agent name main. Adjust if using a custom agent name.
• Channel context files ( memory/channel_context/) are a recommended convention, not built-in. Users create and maintain these themselves.
• The search script requires python3, grep, and bash.