openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix Config schema rejects contextSafety even though runtime supports it [1 comments, 2 participants]

Summary

OpenClaw runtime reads cfg.session.contextSafety and cfg.contextSafety, but the durable config schema rejects both paths. This causes openclaw.json to be clobbered/restored when a user tries to configure context safety explicitly.

Observed behavior

• Runtime commands work from defaults:
  • /context_status
  • /handoff_now
  • /handoff_latest
  • /rollover_now
• Manual rollover successfully keeps the same Telegram peer/session key while switching to a new session id and carrying forward a handoff.
• But adding session.contextSafety to openclaw.json causes config validation to fail.
• OpenClaw saves the attempted config as .clobbered.* and restores the last-known-good config.
• Top-level contextSafety is also rejected.

Evidence

Runtime reads contextSafety in dist/context-safety.runtime-local.js:

const raw = cfg?.session?.contextSafety ?? cfg?.contextSafety ?? {};

Schema rejects it in dist/zod-schema-DjRHIl0Z.js.

Notes:

• SessionSchema is strict.
• It includes threadBindings and maintenance.
• It does not include contextSafety.

Validator in dist/io-CFdEhZuM.js:

const validated = OpenClawSchema.safeParse(normalizedRaw);

Validation result:

{
  "ok": false,
  "issues": [
    {
      "path": "session",
      "message": "Unrecognized key: \"contextSafety\""
    }
  ],
  "warnings": []
}

Types also appear to omit it in dist/plugin-sdk/src/config/types.base.d.ts.

Notes:

• SessionConfig has no contextSafety field.

Expected behavior

A durable supported config path should exist, preferably:

{
  "session": {
    "contextSafety": {
      "enabled": true,
      "autoRollover": true,
      "warnOnly": false,
      "clientSafeMode": true,
      "handoffDir": "~/.openclaw/workspace/session-handoffs",
      "maxHandoffChars": 12000,
      "maxContextTokens": 200000,
      "fallbackMaxTranscriptBytes": 800000,
      "fallbackMaxMessages": 1200,
      "thresholds": {
        "rollingSummaryPct": 70,
        "durableHandoffPct": 80,
        "autoRolloverPct": 85,
        "forceHandoffPct": 90,
        "emergencyPct": 95
      }
    }
  }
}

Suggested fix

1. Add ContextSafetyConfigSchema.
2. Add session.contextSafety?: ContextSafetyConfig to SessionSchema.
3. Consider whether top-level contextSafety should be supported as a legacy alias since runtime already reads it.
4. Add matching TypeScript config types.
5. Add runtime-schema/config metadata/docs entries so config tooling knows the path exists.

Why this matters

For Telegram/client-bot deployments, users will not manually run /new or manage sessions. Automatic context rollover/handoff is critical to avoid bloated sessions, compaction interruption, and degraded model behavior. The runtime feature appears to exist, but cannot currently be configured durably.

Verified locally

• dist/context-safety.runtime-local.js reads cfg?.session?.contextSafety ?? cfg?.contextSafety ?? {}.
• dist/zod-schema-DjRHIl0Z.js defines a strict SessionSchema with no contextSafety field.
• dist/io-CFdEhZuM.js validates config through OpenClawSchema.safeParse(normalizedRaw).
• dist/plugin-sdk/src/config/types.base.d.ts omits contextSafety from SessionConfig.