Summary

• Bug: Post-compaction audit requires reading WORKFLOW_AUTO.md, but this file does not exist in the workspace
• Root cause: DEFAULT_REQUIRED_READS in post-compaction-audit.ts hardcodes WORKFLOW_AUTO.md which was never created
• Fix: Remove WORKFLOW_AUTO.md from the default required reads list

Fixes #21957

Problem

After auto-compaction, the post-compaction read audit checks whether the agent has read certain required startup files. DEFAULT_REQUIRED_READS includes WORKFLOW_AUTO.md, but this file:

1. Does not exist anywhere in the repository
2. Is not listed in the canonical workspace file documentation (docs/concepts/agent-workspace.md)
3. Was never created as part of the workspace setup

This causes the audit to always fail for WORKFLOW_AUTO.md, generating a warning that tells the agent to read a non-existent file — leading to a confusing loop where the agent tries and fails to read it.

Before fix:
Input: Agent reads all real workspace files (AGENTS.md, SOUL.md, memory/2026-02-21.md, etc.)
Output: Audit fails with missingPatterns: ["WORKFLOW_AUTO.md"] and warns agent to read it

Changes

• src/auto-reply/reply/post-compaction-audit.ts — Remove WORKFLOW_AUTO.md from DEFAULT_REQUIRED_READS
• src/auto-reply/reply/post-compaction-audit.test.ts — Update tests to reflect removal; add regression tests for OpenClaw System Script provides instruction to read "WORKFLOW_AUTO.md", but it's not a file included or created by the repo. #21957

After fix:
Input: Agent reads daily memory file (memory/2026-02-21.md)
Output: Audit passes, no spurious warning about non-existent file

Test plan

• New test: regression OpenClaw System Script provides instruction to read "WORKFLOW_AUTO.md", but it's not a file included or created by the repo. #21957 — audit does not require WORKFLOW_AUTO.md
• New test: regression OpenClaw System Script provides instruction to read "WORKFLOW_AUTO.md", but it's not a file included or created by the repo. #21957 — audit warning never mentions WORKFLOW_AUTO.md
• All 16 existing + new tests pass
• Related post-compaction-context.test.ts (10 tests) still passes
• Format check passes

Effect on User Experience

Before: After context compaction, the agent receives a warning to read WORKFLOW_AUTO.md. The agent attempts to read it, fails (file not found), and may retry or get confused.
After: The audit only checks for files that actually exist in the workspace (daily memory files). No spurious warnings after compaction.

Greptile Summary

Removes the non-existent WORKFLOW_AUTO.md from the DEFAULT_REQUIRED_READS array in the post-compaction audit, fixing a bug where agents were warned to read a file that was never created.

• Removed "WORKFLOW_AUTO.md" from DEFAULT_REQUIRED_READS in post-compaction-audit.ts, leaving only the daily memory file regex pattern
• Updated existing tests to reflect that only memory/*.md is required, and added two regression tests ensuring WORKFLOW_AUTO.md is never required or mentioned in audit warnings
• Added changelog entry documenting the fix

Confidence Score: 5/5

• This PR is safe to merge — it removes a reference to a file that never existed, eliminating a guaranteed audit failure.
• The change is minimal and well-targeted: one line removed from a constant array, with comprehensive test updates and regression tests. The removed string literal referenced a file that was never committed to the repository. The function signature and behavior are otherwise unchanged, and the consuming code in agent-runner.ts requires no modifications.
• No files require special attention.

_{Last reviewed commit: faeb0d6}