# Sessions and multiple chats

> Fresh sessions, context truncation, full resets, groups, and multi-agent setups

- 网址：https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/help/faq/sessions-and-chats/
- 来源：OpenClaw 官方文档原文（英文），MIT 许可，同步于 2026-10-11
- 官方原文：https://docs.openclaw.ai/zh-CN/help/faq/sessions-and-chats

---
## Sessions and multiple chats

<details>
<summary>How do I start a fresh conversation?</summary>

Send `/new` or `/reset` as a standalone message. See [Session management](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/concepts/session/).

</details>

<details>
<summary>Do sessions reset automatically if I never send /new?</summary>

No, not by default. Sessions keep the same `sessionId`, and compaction bounds the active model context as conversations grow. `/new` and `/reset` remain available, or you can opt into automatic resets with `mode: "daily"` or `mode: "idle"`. Daily mode rolls over at `session.reset.atHour` (default `4`, 0-23) on the gateway host; idle mode uses `session.reset.idleMinutes` since the last real interaction, not heartbeat/cron/exec system events.

```json5
{
  session: {
    reset: { mode: "daily", atHour: 4 },
    resetByType: {
      group: { mode: "idle", idleMinutes: 120 },
      thread: { mode: "daily", atHour: 6 },
    },
    resetByChannel: {
      discord: { mode: "idle", idleMinutes: 10080 },
    },
  },
}
```

`resetByType` supports `direct`, `group`, and `thread`. Doctor migrates legacy `dm` entries to `direct`; the schema rejects `dm`. Legacy top-level `session.idleMinutes` still works as a compatibility alias for an idle-mode default when no `session.reset`/`resetByType` block is set. See [Session management](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/concepts/session/) for the full lifecycle.

</details>

<details>
<summary>Is there a way to make a team of OpenClaw instances (one CEO and many agents)?</summary>

Yes, via **multi-agent routing** and **sub-agents**: one coordinator agent plus several worker agents with their own workspaces and models.

This is best seen as a fun experiment - it is token-heavy and often less efficient than one bot with separate sessions. The typical model is one bot you talk to, with different sessions for parallel work, spawning sub-agents when needed.

Docs: [Multi-agent routing](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/concepts/multi-agent/), [Sub-agents](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/tools/subagents/), [Agents CLI](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/cli/agents/).

</details>

<details>
<summary>Why did context get truncated mid-task? How do I prevent it?</summary>

Session context is limited by the model window. Long chats, large tool outputs, or many files can trigger compaction or truncation.

- Ask the bot to summarize current state and write it to a file.
- Use `/compact` before long tasks, `/new` when switching topics.
- Keep important context in the workspace and ask the bot to read it back.
- Use sub-agents for long or parallel work so the main chat stays smaller.
- Pick a model with a larger context window if this happens often.

</details>

<details>
<summary>How do I completely reset OpenClaw but keep it installed?</summary>

```bash
openclaw reset
```

Non-interactive full reset:

```bash
openclaw reset --scope full --yes --non-interactive
```

Then re-run setup:

```bash
openclaw onboard --install-daemon
```

To reset and immediately re-run onboarding, pass `openclaw onboard --reset`; reset is a command flag, not a **Setup mode** menu choice. See [Onboarding (CLI)](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/start/wizard/). If you used profiles (`--profile` / `OPENCLAW_PROFILE`), reset each state dir (default `~/.openclaw-<profile>`). Dev-only reset: `openclaw gateway --dev --reset` wipes dev config, credentials, sessions, and workspace.

</details>

<details>
<summary>I am getting "context too large" errors - how do I reset or compact?</summary>

- **Compact** (keeps the conversation, summarizes older turns): `/compact` or `/compact <instructions>` to guide the summary.
- **Reset** (fresh session ID for the same chat key): `/new` or `/reset`.

If it keeps happening, tune **session pruning** (`agents.defaults.contextPruning`) to trim old tool output, or use a model with a larger context window.

Docs: [Compaction](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/concepts/compaction/), [Session pruning](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/concepts/session-pruning/), [Session management](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/concepts/session/).

</details>

<details>
<summary>Why am I seeing "LLM request rejected: messages.content.tool_use.input field required"?</summary>

Provider validation error: the model emitted a `tool_use` block without the required `input`. Usually means the session history is stale or corrupted (often after long threads or a tool/schema change).

Fix: start a fresh session with `/new` (standalone message).

</details>

<details>
<summary>Why am I getting heartbeat messages every 30 minutes?</summary>

Heartbeats run every **30m** by default, or **1h** when the resolved auth mode is Anthropic OAuth/token auth (including Claude CLI reuse) and `heartbeat.every` is unset. Tune or disable:

```json5
{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      heartbeat: {
        every: "2h", // or "0m" to disable recurring cadence
      },
    },
  },
}
```

Heartbeat instructions live in the monitor's cron scratch. Effectively empty scratch skips the heartbeat run to save API calls; without scratch, the heartbeat still runs and the model decides what to do. `0m` does not block targeted event-driven wakes, such as a background exec completion follow-up; those can still run one agent turn without enabling recurring cadence.

Per-agent overrides use `agents.entries.*.heartbeat`. Docs: [Heartbeat](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/gateway/heartbeat/).

</details>

<details>
<summary>Do I need to add a "bot account" to a WhatsApp group?</summary>

No. OpenClaw runs on **your own account** - if you are in the group, OpenClaw can see it. By default, group replies are blocked until you allow senders (`groupPolicy: "allowlist"`).

To restrict group replies to only you:

```json5
{
  channels: {
    whatsapp: {
      groupPolicy: "allowlist",
      groupAllowFrom: ["+15551234567"],
    },
  },
}
```

</details>

<details>
<summary>How do I get the JID of a WhatsApp group?</summary>

Fastest: tail logs and send a test message in the group.

```bash
openclaw logs --follow --json
```

Look for `chatId` (or `from`) ending in `@g.us`, like `1234567890-1234567890@g.us`.

If already configured/allowlisted, list groups from config:

```bash
openclaw directory groups list --channel whatsapp
```

Docs: [WhatsApp](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/channels/whatsapp/), [Directory](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/cli/directory/), [Logs](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/cli/logs/).

</details>

<details>
<summary>Why does OpenClaw not reply in a group?</summary>

Two common causes: mention gating is on by default (you must @mention the bot, or match `mentionPatterns`), or you configured `channels.whatsapp.groups` without `"*"` and the group is not allowlisted.

See [Groups](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/channels/groups/) and [Group messages](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/channels/group-messages/).

</details>

<details>
<summary>Do groups/threads share context with DMs?</summary>

Direct chats collapse to the main session by default. Groups/channels get their own session keys unless a route binding sets `session.groupScope: "main"` to merge that room into the main session; Telegram topics / Discord threads are separate sessions. See [Groups](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/channels/groups/) and [Group messages](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/channels/group-messages/).

</details>

<details>
<summary>How many workspaces and agents can I create?</summary>

No hard limits - dozens or even hundreds are fine, but watch:

- **Disk growth**: active sessions and transcripts live in the per-agent SQLite database; legacy/archive artifacts can still accumulate under `~/.openclaw/agents/<agentId>/sessions/`.
- **Token cost**: more agents means more concurrent model usage.
- **Ops overhead**: per-agent auth profiles, workspaces, and channel routing.

Keep one **active** workspace per agent (`agents.defaults.workspace`), prune old sessions with `openclaw sessions cleanup` if disk grows (do not edit active SQLite state by hand), and use `openclaw doctor` to spot stray workspaces and profile mismatches.

</details>

<details>
<summary>Can I run multiple bots or chats at the same time (Slack), and how should I set that up?</summary>

Yes, via **Multi-Agent Routing**: run multiple isolated agents and route inbound messages by channel/account/peer. Slack is supported as a channel and can be bound to specific agents.

Browser access is powerful but not "do anything a human can" - anti-bot, CAPTCHAs, and MFA can still block automation. For the most reliable control, use local Chrome MCP on the host, or CDP on the machine that actually runs the browser.

Best-practice setup: always-on Gateway host (VPS/Mac mini), one agent per role (bindings), Slack channel(s) bound to those agents, and local browser via Chrome MCP or a node when needed.

Docs: [Multi-Agent Routing](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/concepts/multi-agent/), [Slack](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/channels/slack/), [Browser](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/tools/browser/), [Nodes](https://funcoding.ai/agents/openclaw/nodes/).

</details>