PR #58810: fix(status): filter stale task rows from status cards

• Repository: openclaw/openclaw
• Author: vincentkoc
• State: closed | merged: True
• Link: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/pull/58810

Description (problem / solution / changelog)

Summary

• Problem: /status and session_status were reading raw retained task rows, so stale completed tasks could keep showing up as if they were still the relevant session context.
• Why it matters: users checking current status can miss active work, or see misleading stale task context after cleanup has not swept yet.
• What changed: added a cleanup-aware task status snapshot, routed both status surfaces through it, preferred active tasks, and only surfaced recent failures when no active work remains.
• What did NOT change (scope boundary): this does not change task creation, retention policy, or maintenance sweep behavior.

Change Type (select all)

• Bug fix
• Feature
• Refactor required for the fix
• Docs
• Security hardening
• Chore/infra

Scope (select all touched areas)

• Gateway / orchestration
• Skills / tool execution
• Auth / tokens
• Memory / storage
• Integrations
• API / contracts
• UI / DX
• CI/CD / infra

Linked Issue/PR

• Closes #58661
• Related #54226
• This PR fixes a bug or regression

Root Cause / Regression History (if applicable)

• Root cause: both status surfaces built their task line from raw retained registry rows instead of a cleanup-aware view.
• Missing detection / guardrail: there was no shared status-specific snapshot helper that excluded expired rows and prioritized active tasks.
• Prior context (git blame, prior PR, issue, or refactor if known): task status surfaces were added before a dedicated status snapshot layer existed.
• Why this regressed now: task retention and task-linked status became useful enough that stale completed rows were visible to users in normal /status checks.
• If unknown, what was ruled out: this was not a task maintenance sweep failure alone; the UI path itself was reading the wrong view.

Regression Test Plan (if applicable)

• Coverage level that should have caught this:
  • Unit test
  • Seam / integration test
  • End-to-end test
  • Existing coverage already sufficient
• Target test or file: src/auto-reply/reply/commands-status.test.ts, src/agents/openclaw-tools.session-status.test.ts
• Scenario the test should lock in: stale completed tasks should not headline status when no active visible work remains, and recent failures should only surface when active tasks are absent.
• Why this is the smallest reliable guardrail: both user-visible status surfaces share the same summary semantics, and these tests assert those semantics directly.
• Existing test that already covers this (if any): none.
• If no new test is added, why not: N/A.

User-visible / Behavior Changes

• /status prefers active session-linked tasks over stale completed rows.
• session_status follows the same cleanup-aware task view.
• Recent failures are still visible, but only when there is no active work to show.
• Changelog entry included under Unreleased > Fixes. Thanks @vincentkoc.

Diagram (if applicable)

Before:
[/status] -> [raw retained tasks] -> [stale completed row may headline]

After:
[/status] -> [cleanup-aware task snapshot] -> [active tasks first | else recent failure | else recent completion]

Security Impact (required)

• New permissions/capabilities? (No)
• Secrets/tokens handling changed? (No)
• New/changed network calls? (No)
• Command/tool execution surface changed? (No)
• Data access scope changed? (No)
• If any Yes, explain risk + mitigation: N/A

Repro + Verification

Environment

• OS: macOS
• Runtime/container: local worktree
• Model/provider: N/A
• Integration/channel (if any): chat /status, session_status
• Relevant config (redacted): default local dev config

Steps

1. Create retained completed task rows and at least one active task linked to a session.
2. Run the chat /status path or the session_status tool.
3. Compare the task headline before and after the snapshot filtering.

Expected

• Active task context is shown first.
• Expired/stale completed rows do not headline status.
• Recent failures only appear when no active work remains.

Actual

• Verified by targeted tests below.

Evidence

• Failing test/log before + passing after
• Trace/log snippets
• Screenshot/recording
• Perf numbers (if relevant)

Human Verification (required)

• Verified scenarios: /status active-vs-stale behavior, session_status active-vs-recent-failure behavior.
• Edge cases checked: expired retained rows excluded even before maintenance sweep; recent failures still visible when there is no active work.
• What you did not verify: live channel smoke across every chat transport.

Review Conversations

• I replied to or resolved every bot review conversation I addressed in this PR.
• I left unresolved only the conversations that still need reviewer or maintainer judgment.

Compatibility / Migration

• Backward compatible? (Yes)
• Config/env changes? (No)
• Migration needed? (No)
• If yes, exact upgrade steps: N/A

Risks and Mitigations

• Risk: status hides a terminal task a user still wanted to inspect.
  • Mitigation: openclaw tasks remains the full ledger/operator surface; this change only narrows the status summary view.

AI-assisted: yes. Targeted tests and local pnpm check run.

Changed files

• CHANGELOG.md (modified, +1/-0)
• src/agents/openclaw-tools.session-status.test.ts (modified, +134/-8)
• src/agents/tools/session-status-tool.ts (modified, +14/-20)
• src/auto-reply/reply/commands-status.test.ts (modified, +92/-1)
• src/auto-reply/reply/commands-status.ts (modified, +18/-18)
• src/tasks/task-owner-access.ts (modified, +13/-0)
• src/tasks/task-status.ts (added, +68/-0)