Understanding OpenClaw Session Management and Security

OpenClaw handles conversations through a sophisticated session system that balances continuity with security. For power users building multi-agent systems, understanding this system is crucial for both performance and privacy.

The Core of Conversation

At its heart, OpenClaw treats each direct chat as a session identified by a unique key. By default, all direct messages use a "main" session, providing continuity across devices and channels. This works perfectly for individual users but poses risks when multiple people can access the agent.

The default setup creates a potential privacy issue:

• Alice messages about a sensitive topic
• Bob later asks "What were we talking about?"
• The model may reveal Alice's private information to Bob

Secure DM Mode: Protecting User Privacy

For multi-user environments, enable secure DM mode by isolating sessions per user:

{
  session: {
    dmScope: "per-channel-peer"
  }
}

This setting creates isolated sessions for each sender on each channel, preventing cross-user context leaks. For setups with multiple accounts on the same channel, use per-account-channel-peer instead. If the same user contacts you across different channels, use identityLinks to connect their sessions under a single identity.

Configuring Session Lifecycle

Sessions can expire based on two criteria: daily reset and idle timeout.

• Daily reset: Defaults to 4:00 AM local time on the gateway host
• Idle timeout: Configured in minutes (e.g., idleMinutes: 120 for 2 hours)

When both are configured, whichever condition expires first will trigger a new session. You can also manually reset with /new or /reset commands.

Advanced Configuration

The system supports granular control through:

• resetByType: Different policies for direct messages, groups, and threads
• resetByChannel: Channel-specific reset rules
• sendPolicy: Rules to block message delivery based on session type

For example, you might want Discord groups to reset after 7 days of inactivity while keeping direct message sessions active for 2 hours of idle time.

Session Inspection and Maintenance

You can inspect your current session setup with several commands:

• openclaw status - Shows store path and recent sessions
• /status - Reveals context usage and connection status
• /context list - Shows injected workspace files
• /compact - Summarizes older context to free up space

Understanding OpenClaw's session management gives you precise control over conversation flow, context preservation, and user privacy in multi-tenant environments.