openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix feat(memory-lancedb-pro): non-blocking memoryReflection on command:new — session start should not wait for reflection to complete [1 participants]

Problem

When sessionStrategy: "memoryReflection" is enabled, the command:new hook triggers reflection synchronously. The new session does not start — and the agent does not respond to the user — until reflection completes.

In practice this means a ~57 second delay between the user sending /new and receiving a greeting. The user has no indication the agent is alive, making it indistinguishable from a crash or hang.

Current behavior

• command:new fires → reflection starts → blocks → session opens → agent greets user
• Delay: equal to reflection duration (typically 30–90s depending on session length and model)
• timeoutMs defaults to 20s but must be raised significantly to avoid silent reflection failures

Expected behavior

Reflection should run in the background while the new session opens immediately. The user receives a greeting within seconds. Reflection completes async and stores to LanceDB when done.

Proposed config option

"memoryReflection": {
  "blocking": false
}

Or alternatively a top-level reflectionMode: "background" option on the plugin config.

Default could remain blocking: true for backward compatibility.

Why this matters

For agents deployed to messaging surfaces (Telegram, etc.), a 60-second silence on session start looks like a crash. Users may message again, interrupt, or lose trust in the agent's availability. The reflection is valuable — but it shouldn't come at the cost of perceived responsiveness.

Environment

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• [email protected]
• sessionStrategy: memoryReflection, timeoutMs: 60000
• Reflection duration observed: ~57s (Sonnet, ~31k tokens)