Summary

[Bug/Feature Request] Missing Session Management Commands in OpenClaw

🐛 Defect Type: Critical Functionality Missing

Severity: High
Impact: All OpenClaw Users
Priority: P1 (Urgent)

🎯 Expected Behavior

OpenClaw should provide complete session lifecycle management:

📈 Business Impact

Positive Impact if Fixed

1. Cost Control: Users can manage API expenses effectively
2. Better UX: Users have control over their sessions
3. Enterprise Ready: Suitable for production deployments

Negative Impact if Not Fixed

1. User Frustration: Lack of control drives users away
2. Cost Overruns: Uncontrolled sessions lead to unexpected bills
3. Limited Adoption: Hinders enterprise and team usage

🎯 Success Criteria

Functional Requirements

• openclaw sessions stop command works reliably
• Sessions can be paused and resumed
• Web Console has session control buttons
• Resource limits can be set and enforced

📞 Additional Information

Environment

• OpenClaw Version: 2026.4.5
• OS: Linux
• Use Case: AI Claw Team with 13 professional agents

Related Issues

• None found in current GitHub issues
• This appears to be a fundamental missing feature

🙏 Request

Please prioritize this feature as it is critical for:

1. User control over running sessions
2. Cost management for API usage
3. Professional deployment of multi-agent systems
4. Competitive parity with other AI agent platforms

This is not just a "nice-to-have" feature but a fundamental requirement for any serious use of OpenClaw in production environments.

Submitted by: AI Claw Team User
Date: 2026-04-08
Urgency: High - This blocks professional usage of OpenClaw

Problem to solve

📋 Problem Description

OpenClaw currently lacks essential session management functionality. There is no way to stop, pause, or manage running sessions, which creates significant problems for users managing multiple agents or controlling resource consumption.

Proposed solution

🚀 Proposed Solution

Phase 1: Basic Session Control (High Priority)

1. Implement openclaw sessions stop <id> command
2. Add session state tracking (running → stopped)
3. Update Web Console with stop buttons

Phase 2: Advanced Session Management

1. Implement openclaw sessions pause/resume <id> commands
2. Add resource quotas and limits
3. Implement bulk operations

🔍 Reproduction Steps

1. Start a session:

   openclaw agent --agent backend-developer --message "Start a long-running task"

2. Try to stop the session (THIS COMMAND DOES NOT EXIST):

   openclaw sessions stop <session-id>
   # Error: unknown command 'stop'

3. Check available session commands:

   openclaw sessions --help
   # Shows only list functionality, no management commands

🔍 Reproduction Steps

1. Start a session:

   openclaw agent --agent backend-developer --message "Start a long-running task"

2. Try to stop the session (THIS COMMAND DOES NOT EXIST):

   openclaw sessions stop <session-id>
   # Error: unknown command 'stop'

3. Check available session commands:

   openclaw sessions --help
   # Shows only list functionality, no management commands

🎯 Expected Behavior

OpenClaw should provide complete session lifecycle management:

Expected Commands:

# Session control commands
openclaw sessions stop <session-id>      # Gracefully stop a session
openclaw sessions kill <session-id>      # Force terminate a session
openclaw sessions pause <session-id>     # Pause a session
openclaw sessions resume <session-id>    # Resume a paused session

# Session management commands
openclaw sessions cleanup --age 1h       # Clean up old sessions
openclaw sessions list --active          # List only active sessions
openclaw sessions list --tokens 10000    # List sessions with high token usage

Expected Web Console Features:

• "Stop", "Pause", "Resume" buttons on session cards
• Real-time resource consumption display
• Alert system for high-consumption sessions

⚠️ Actual Behavior

Currently, users can only:

1. List sessions - but not manage them
2. Wait for timeout - sessions eventually time out (unreliable)
3. Send messages - ask agents to stop themselves (unreliable)
4. Restart OpenClaw - extreme measure that affects all sessions

Alternatives considered

No response

Impact

💥 Impact Analysis

1. Cost Implications

• Uncontrolled token consumption: Sessions can run indefinitely, consuming API credits
• No cost control: Cannot stop high-cost sessions before they exceed budgets

2. Management Implications

• No intervention capability: Cannot stop misbehaving or off-track agents
• No pause/resume: Cannot temporarily halt sessions for review

3. Multi-Agent System Impact

For projects like our AI Claw Team (managing 13 professional agents), this is particularly problematic:

• Cannot manage token consumption across the team
• Cannot stop inefficient sessions (high input, low output)
• Must implement unreliable workarounds

🛠️ Current Workarounds (Suboptimal)

We've implemented workarounds, but they are unreliable:

# Send stop message to agent (depends on agent cooperation)
openclaw agent --agent <name> --message "🚨 STOP: Please terminate your current task!"

# Custom monitoring scripts
./tools/project_manager/session_control.sh status
./tools/project_manager/session_control.sh cancel <agent>

Evidence/examples

No response

Additional information

No response