Feature Request: Session Sidebar with Chat History Management

Problem Statement

Currently, the Control UI lacks proper session management. When users click the "+" button to start a new chat, previous conversations are not properly saved to the session history list, making it impossible to switch between different project contexts.

This is a critical workflow limitation for users who:

• Work on multiple projects simultaneously
• Need to maintain separate conversation contexts per project
• Want to return to previous conversations and continue them

Desired Behavior

Implement a sidebar-based session management system similar to ChatGPT/Claude:

Core Features

1. Left Sidebar with Session List

   • Display all saved conversations chronologically
   • Show session titles (auto-generated from first message or user-renamed)
   • Indicate active session with highlight
   • Search/filter sessions

2. New Chat Button

   • Clicking "+" creates a new session
   • Previous session auto-saves to history
   • New session appears immediately in sidebar

3. Session Renaming

   • Click session title to edit
   • Right-click context menu: Rename, Delete, Archive
   • Auto-generate title from conversation content (fallback: "New Chat + timestamp")

4. Session Switching

   • Click any session in sidebar to load and continue
   • Full conversation history preserved
   • No data loss when switching

5. Persistence

   • Sessions saved to sessions.json immediately
   • Survive browser refresh/restart
   • Sync across devices (when using remote gateway)

Technical Implementation Notes

• Use existing sessions.list and sessions_history Gateway APIs
• Store session metadata (title, createdAt, updatedAt) in session store
• Add session title editing to Gateway session patch API if needed
• Consider collapsible sidebar for mobile responsiveness

User Impact

This is a fundamental UX improvement that would make OpenClaw viable for serious multi-project workflows. Currently, users must either:

• Use command-line (openclaw chat --session <name>)
• Risk losing conversations when switching chats
• Maintain multiple browser profiles

Priority

High - This blocks productive daily use for knowledge workers managing multiple projects.

References

Similar implementations:

• ChatGPT: Left sidebar with conversation history
• Claude.ai: Session list with rename capability
• Poe.com: Bot/conversation switching

Chinese Summary (for maintainer reference):

用户需要一个类似 ChatGPT 的左侧边栏会话管理功能：

• 显示所有历史会话
• 点击"+"创建新会话时自动保存旧会话
• 可以重命名会话
• 随时切换继续聊天

这是多项目工作者的基本需求，目前 Control UI 缺少这个功能严重影响日常使用。