| name | cmd_save_session |
| description | Save current session state to a dated file in ~/.openclaw/workspace-main/sessions/ so work can be resumed in a future session with full context. |
| user-invocable | true |
| origin | openclaw-mas |
| argument-hint | <project-path> |
Project Path
The first argument is the project path. Before doing anything else:
- Extract the project path from the first argument
- Verify the path exists
- Work within that directory for all file operations and shell commands
Save Session Command
Capture everything that happened in this session — what was built, what worked, what failed, what's left — and write it to a dated file so the next session can pick up exactly where this one left off.
When to Use
- End of a work session before closing Claude Code
- Before hitting context limits (run this first, then start a fresh session)
- After solving a complex problem you want to remember
- Any time you need to hand off context to a future session
Process
Step 1: Gather context
Before writing the file, collect:
- Read all files modified during this session (use git diff or recall from conversation)
- Review what was discussed, attempted, and decided
- Note any errors encountered and how they were resolved (or not)
- Check current test/build status if relevant
Step 2: Create the sessions folder if it doesn't exist
Create the canonical sessions folder in the OpenClaw workspace:
mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/workspace-main/sessions
Step 3: Write the session file
Create ~/.openclaw/workspace-main/sessions/YYYY-MM-DD-<short-id>-session.md,
using today's actual date and a short-id to avoid same-day collisions.
Short-id rules:
- Characters: letters
a-z / A-Z, digits 0-9, hyphens -, underscores _
- Minimum length: 1 character
- Recommended: lowercase letters, digits, and hyphens with 8+ characters
Valid examples: abc123de, a1b2c3d4, frontend-worktree-1
Full valid filename example: 2024-01-15-abc123de-session.md
Step 4: Populate the file with all sections below
Write every section honestly. Do not skip sections — write "Nothing yet" or "N/A" if a section genuinely has no content. An incomplete file is worse than an honest empty section.
Step 5: Show the file to the user
After writing, display the full contents and ask:
Session saved to ~/.openclaw/workspace-main/sessions/[filename]
Does this look accurate? Anything to correct or add before we close?
Wait for confirmation. Make edits if requested.
Session File Format
# Session: YYYY-MM-DD
**Started:** [approximate time if known]
**Last Updated:** [current time]
**Project:** [project name or path]
**Topic:** [one-line summary of what this session was about]
---
## What We Are Building
[1-3 paragraphs describing the feature, bug fix, or task. Include enough
context that someone with zero memory of this session can understand the goal.
Include: what it does, why it's needed, how it fits into the larger system.]
---
## What WORKED (with evidence)
[List only things that are confirmed working. For each item include WHY you
know it works — test passed, ran in browser, Postman returned 200, etc.
Without evidence, move it to "Not Tried Yet" instead.]
- **[thing that works]** — confirmed by: [specific evidence]
- **[thing that works]** — confirmed by: [specific evidence]
If nothing is confirmed working yet: "Nothing confirmed working yet — all approaches still in progress or untested."
---
## What Did NOT Work (and why)
[This is the most important section. List every approach tried that failed.
For each failure write the EXACT reason so the next session doesn't retry it.
Be specific: "threw X error because Y" is useful. "didn't work" is not.]
- **[approach tried]** — failed because: [exact reason / error message]
- **[approach tried]** — failed because: [exact reason / error message]
If nothing failed: "No failed approaches yet."
---
## What Has NOT Been Tried Yet
[Approaches that seem promising but haven't been attempted. Ideas from the
conversation. Alternative solutions worth exploring. Be specific enough that
the next session knows exactly what to try.]
- [approach / idea]
- [approach / idea]
If nothing is queued: "No specific untried approaches identified."
---
## Current State of Files
[Every file touched this session. Be precise about what state each file is in.]
| File | Status | Notes |
| ----------------- | -------------- | -------------------------- |
| `path/to/file.ts` | PASS: Complete | [what it does] |
| `path/to/file.ts` | In Progress | [what's done, what's left] |
| `path/to/file.ts` | FAIL: Broken | [what's wrong] |
| `path/to/file.ts` | Not Started | [planned but not touched] |
If no files were touched: "No files modified this session."
---
## Decisions Made
[Architecture choices, tradeoffs accepted, approaches chosen and why.
These prevent the next session from relitigating settled decisions.]
- **[decision]** — reason: [why this was chosen over alternatives]
If no significant decisions: "No major decisions made this session."
---
## Blockers & Open Questions
[Anything unresolved that the next session needs to address or investigate.
Questions that came up but weren't answered. External dependencies waiting on.]
- [blocker / open question]
If none: "No active blockers."
---
## Exact Next Step
[If known: The single most important thing to do when resuming. Be precise
enough that resuming requires zero thinking about where to start.]
[If not known: "Next step not determined — review 'What Has NOT Been Tried Yet'
and 'Blockers' sections to decide on direction before starting."]
---
## Environment & Setup Notes
[Only fill this if relevant — commands needed to run the project, env vars
required, services that need to be running, etc. Skip if standard setup.]
[If none: omit this section entirely.]
Example Output
# Session: 2024-01-15
**Started:** ~2pm
**Last Updated:** 5:30pm
**Project:** my-app
**Topic:** Building JWT authentication with httpOnly cookies
---
## What We Are Building
User authentication system for the Next.js app. Users register with email/password,
receive a JWT stored in an httpOnly cookie (not localStorage), and protected routes
check for a valid token via middleware. The goal is session persistence across browser
refreshes without exposing the token to JavaScript.
---
## What WORKED (with evidence)
- **`/api/auth/register` endpoint** — confirmed by: Postman POST returns 200 with user
object, row visible in Supabase dashboard, bcrypt hash stored correctly
- **JWT generation in `lib/auth.ts`** — confirmed by: unit test passes
(`npm test -- auth.test.ts`), decoded token at jwt.io shows correct payload
- **Password hashing** — confirmed by: `bcrypt.compare()` returns true in test
---
## What Did NOT Work (and why)
- **Next-Auth library** — failed because: conflicts with our custom Prisma adapter,
threw "Cannot use adapter with credentials provider in this configuration" on every
request. Not worth debugging — too opinionated for our setup.
- **Storing JWT in localStorage** — failed because: SSR renders happen before
localStorage is available, caused React hydration mismatch error on every page load.
This approach is fundamentally incompatible with Next.js SSR.
---
## What Has NOT Been Tried Yet
- Store JWT as httpOnly cookie in the login route response (most likely solution)
- Use `cookies()` from `next/headers` to read token in server components
- Write middleware.ts to protect routes by checking cookie existence
---
## Current State of Files
| File | Status | Notes |
| -------------------------------- | -------------- | ----------------------------------------------- |
| `app/api/auth/register/route.ts` | PASS: Complete | Works, tested |
| `app/api/auth/login/route.ts` | In Progress | Token generates but not setting cookie yet |
| `lib/auth.ts` | PASS: Complete | JWT helpers, all tested |
| `middleware.ts` | Not Started | Route protection, needs cookie read logic first |
| `app/login/page.tsx` | Not Started | UI not started |
---
## Decisions Made
- **httpOnly cookie over localStorage** — reason: prevents XSS token theft, works with SSR
- **Custom auth over Next-Auth** — reason: Next-Auth conflicts with our Prisma setup, not worth the fight
---
## Blockers & Open Questions
- Does `cookies().set()` work inside a Route Handler or only in Server Actions? Need to verify.
---
## Exact Next Step
In `app/api/auth/login/route.ts`, after generating the JWT, set it as an httpOnly
cookie using `cookies().set('token', jwt, { httpOnly: true, secure: true, sameSite: 'strict' })`.
Then test with Postman — the response should include a `Set-Cookie` header.
Notes
- Each session gets its own file — never append to a previous session's file
- The "What Did NOT Work" section is the most critical — future sessions will blindly retry failed approaches without it
- If the user asks to save mid-session (not just at the end), save what's known so far and mark in-progress items clearly
- The file is meant to be read by Claude at the start of the next session via
/resume-session
- Use the canonical OpenClaw session store:
~/.openclaw/workspace-main/sessions/
- Prefer the short-id filename form (
YYYY-MM-DD-<short-id>-session.md) for any new session file
