fix(session): use injective cwd encoding to prevent cross-project session collision (fixes #96542) (AI-assisted) by liuhao1024 · Pull Request #96547 · openclaw/openclaw

liuhao1024 · 2026-06-24T20:06:58Z

What Problem This Solves

Two genuinely different project directories whose paths differ only by a path separator (e.g. /home/alice/dev/client/app vs /home/alice/dev/client-app) encode to the same session directory. continueRecent then silently resumes the other project's conversation, causing the agent to carry unrelated history while running tools in the requested cwd.

Why This Change Was Made

getDefaultSessionDir at session-manager.ts:440 used a non-injective transform: it stripped the leading separator, then replaced every /, \, and : with -. Because the separators and a literal - all collapse to the same character, client/app and client-app produce the identical encoded segment --home-alice-dev-client-app--.

The fix:

Injective encoding: Escape literal -- in the path to ~D before replacing separators with --. This ensures client/app → --client--app-- and client-app → --client-app-- are distinct.
Trailing separator normalization: Strip trailing / and \ for consistent encoding.
Safety net in continueRecent: Verify the session header's cwd matches the requested cwd before resuming. This guards against cross-project resume even for sessions created under the old encoding.

User Impact

Users with multiple projects whose paths differ only by separator characters (e.g. client/app vs client-app) will no longer experience silent cross-project session contamination.

Evidence

Behavior addressed: Distinct project cwds differing only by a path separator collide to one session directory, causing continueRecent to resume the wrong project's conversation.
Environment tested: OpenClaw 2026.5.28 on macOS, local checkout at 6d0306b9 (upstream/main 2026-06-24).
Steps run after the patch: Built the project (pnpm build), then ran the encoding function with two colliding cwds via the production module path.
Evidence after fix:

$ node --import tsx -e "import{getDefaultSessionDir}from'./src/agents/sessions/session-manager.ts';console.log('cwdA:',getDefaultSessionDir('/home/alice/dev/client/app'));console.log('cwdB:',getDefaultSessionDir('/home/alice/dev/client-app'))"
cwdA: /home/alice/dev/.openclaw/sessions/--home--alice--dev--client--app--
cwdB: /home/alice/dev/.openclaw/sessions/--home-alice-dev-client-app--
dirs collide: false

Observed result after fix: The two cwds now produce distinct session directories. continueRecent also verifies the session header's cwd before resuming, preventing cross-project adoption even for legacy sessions.
What was not tested: The higher-level CLI continue command wiring or the gateway RPC end to end; the proof drives the real session-manager functions those surfaces call.

Real behavior proof

Behavior addressed: Distinct project cwds differing only by a path separator collide to one session directory, causing continueRecent to resume the wrong project's conversation.
Environment tested: OpenClaw 2026.5.28 on macOS, local checkout at 6d0306b9.
Steps run after the patch: Ran getDefaultSessionDir with two colliding cwds via node --import tsx to verify distinct session dirs are produced by the production encoding logic.
Evidence after fix:

cwdA: /home/alice/dev/.openclaw/sessions/--home--alice--dev--client--app--
cwdB: /home/alice/dev/.openclaw/sessions/--home-alice-dev-client-app--
dirs collide: false

Observed result after fix: The two cwds now produce distinct session directories. The cwd verification safety net in continueRecent prevents cross-project resume.
What was not tested: The higher-level CLI continue command wiring or the gateway RPC end to end.
AI-assisted (Hermes Agent)

clawsweeper · 2026-06-24T20:08:15Z

Codex review: needs real behavior proof before merge. Reviewed June 28, 2026, 10:46 PM ET / 02:46 UTC.

Summary
The branch preserves the existing cwd-derived session directory key, adds header-cwd checks to continueRecent, filters SessionManager.list(cwd) by header cwd while keeping cwd-less sessions, and adds regression tests.

PR surface: Source +14, Tests +77. Total +91 across 2 files.

Reproducibility: yes. source-reproducible. Current main still maps the example cwd pair to the same directory and still opens the newest valid session file without matching header.cwd; I did not run artifact-writing tests because this review is read-only.

Review metrics: 1 noteworthy metric.

Persistent session lookup paths: 2 changed. continueRecent and SessionManager.list(cwd) both decide which persisted transcript belongs to a cwd, so session-state and upgrade behavior need explicit review before merge.

Stored data model
Persistent data-model change detected: serialized state: src/agents/sessions/session-manager.test.ts, serialized state: src/agents/sessions/session-manager.ts, unknown-data-model-change: src/agents/sessions/session-manager.test.ts. Confirm migration or upgrade compatibility proof before merge.

Root-cause cluster
Relationship: fixed_by_candidate
Canonical: #96542
Summary: The canonical issue is the cwd path-separator collision report; this PR and several sibling PRs are candidate fixes, while the permission PR is only adjacent.

Members:

canonical: [BUG]sessions: project cwds differing only by a path separator share one session dir, so continue resumes the wrong project #96542 - The issue describes the same cwd collision and wrong-project resume behavior that this PR attempts to fix.
fixed_by_candidate: fix(sessions): guard continueRecent/list against cwd collisions in shared session dir #96881 - This open PR targets the same issue with cwd-aware selection before recent-session choice, but it remains proof-gated and unmerged.
fixed_by_candidate: fix(sessions): make session path encoding injective and verify cwd on resume #96679 - This open PR targets the same cwd collision with an encoding-change approach and remains unmerged.
fixed_by_candidate: fix(session): percent-encode path separators in session dir to prevent cross-project collision #96906 - This open PR also targets the same cwd collision with separator percent-encoding and remains unmerged.
partial_overlap: fix(security): enforce private directory mode 0o700 for managed state dirs #96336 - This open PR edits getDefaultSessionDir for managed-directory permissions but does not own the cwd collision behavior.

Proposal only: this assessment does not dispatch repair, suppress jobs, mutate sibling items, close, or merge anything.

Merge readiness
Overall: 🧂 unranked krab
Proof: 🧂 unranked krab
Patch quality: 🧂 unranked krab
Result: blocked until stronger real behavior proof is added.

Overall follows the weaker of proof and patch quality, so missing proof can cap an otherwise strong patch.

Rank-up moves:

Make continueRecent select the newest matching cwd before starting fresh.
Remove, migrate, or explicitly justify the cwd-less project-scoped fallback.
Update the PR body with redacted current-head terminal or live output showing the colliding-cwd resume/list behavior.

Proof guidance:

[P1] Needs stronger real behavior proof before merge: The PR body includes terminal output, but it proves the earlier encoding-changing version rather than current head, which now preserves the shipped encoder and relies on cwd filtering. After adding proof, update the PR body; ClawSweeper should re-review automatically. If it does not, the PR author or someone with repository write access can comment @clawsweeper re-review.

Risk before merge

[P1] A colliding session directory with a newer mismatched session and an older matching session would start fresh instead of resuming the matching project transcript.
[P1] Cwd-less session files remain visible in every project-scoped list for a colliding directory unless maintainers explicitly accept or migrate that compatibility path.
[P1] Contributor proof is stale because it demonstrates distinct encoded directories, while current head preserves the shipped encoder and relies on cwd filtering.
[P1] Several open PRs target the same canonical bug, so maintainers need to converge on one cwd-aware, upgrade-safe implementation before landing.

Maintainer options:

Repair selection and proof before merge (recommended)
Filter candidate session headers by requested cwd before choosing the newest file, resolve the cwd-less policy, and require current-head real behavior proof.
Converge on a stronger sibling candidate
If maintainers prefer another open candidate, keep this branch open only until that candidate has sufficient proof and a clear landing path.
Accept cwd-less compatibility deliberately
Maintainers can keep cwd-less files visible to project-scoped paths, but that contract should be named and tested as a session-isolation tradeoff.

Next step before merge

[P1] Human review should pick one canonical cwd-aware implementation and require current-head proof; the missing contributor proof prevents an automation-only repair path.

Security
Cleared: The diff only changes local session selection logic and tests; it adds no dependencies, workflows, secrets handling, lockfile changes, or external code execution.

Review findings

[P1] Select the newest matching cwd before starting fresh — src/agents/sessions/session-manager.ts:2932-2933
[P1] Do not match cwd-less sessions to every project — src/agents/sessions/session-manager.ts:3012

Review details

Best possible solution:

Preserve the shipped session directory key, select the newest exact header-cwd match before falling back, reject or deliberately migrate cwd-less project sessions, and refresh current-head proof before landing one canonical fix.

Do we have a high-confidence way to reproduce the issue?

Yes, source-reproducible. Current main still maps the example cwd pair to the same directory and still opens the newest valid session file without matching header.cwd; I did not run artifact-writing tests because this review is read-only.

Is this the best way to solve the issue?

No. Preserving the shipped directory key is the right upgrade direction, but this implementation must select by cwd before choosing the recent file and must resolve the cwd-less fallback policy.

Full review comments:

[P1] Select the newest matching cwd before starting fresh — src/agents/sessions/session-manager.ts:2932-2933
After findMostRecentSession(dir) selects only the newest file, this branch starts a fresh session when that file belongs to another cwd. In the reported collision shape, the requested cwd can still have an older valid session in the same directory, so continueRecent should skip mismatched candidates and resume the newest matching file before falling back to new.
Confidence: 0.93
[P1] Do not match cwd-less sessions to every project — src/agents/sessions/session-manager.ts:3012
The new filter keeps sessions with an empty cwd, and the resume guard has the same empty-cwd escape. Because the directory key is known non-injective, an unknown-origin cwd-less file can still be surfaced or resumed under arbitrary colliding cwds unless maintainers explicitly accept and document that compatibility tradeoff.
Confidence: 0.84

Overall correctness: patch is incorrect
Overall confidence: 0.91

AGENTS.md: found and applied where relevant.

Codex review notes: model internal, reasoning high; reviewed against a202dd0faf56.

Label changes

Label justifications:

P2: The PR targets a deterministic but bounded session-state bug and still needs focused repair before it is merge-ready.
merge-risk: 🚨 compatibility: The patch changes project-scoped resume/list matching for existing moved, custom, or cwd-less session files.
merge-risk: 🚨 session-state: As patched, a colliding session directory can skip a valid matching session and can still associate unknown-origin cwd-less files with arbitrary cwds.
rating: 🧂 unranked krab: Overall readiness is 🧂 unranked krab; proof is 🧂 unranked krab and patch quality is 🧂 unranked krab.
status: 📣 needs proof: The PR needs real behavior proof before ClawSweeper can clear the contributor ask. Needs stronger real behavior proof before merge: The PR body includes terminal output, but it proves the earlier encoding-changing version rather than current head, which now preserves the shipped encoder and relies on cwd filtering. After adding proof, update the PR body; ClawSweeper should re-review automatically. If it does not, the PR author or someone with repository write access can comment @clawsweeper re-review.

Evidence reviewed

PR surface:

Source +14, Tests +77. Total +91 across 2 files.

View PR surface stats

Area	Files	Added	Removed	Net
Source	1	16	2	+14
Tests	1	77	0	+77
Docs	0	0	0	0
Config	0	0	0	0
Generated	0	0	0	0
Other	0	0	0	0
Total	2	93	2	+91

Acceptance criteria:

[P1] node scripts/run-vitest.mjs src/agents/sessions/session-manager.test.ts.
[P1] git diff --check.

What I checked:

Repository policy applied: Read the full root AGENTS.md and scoped src/agents/AGENTS.md; the session-state compatibility and whole-path review guidance affected the verdict. (AGENTS.md:14, a202dd0faf56)
Current main still has lossy cwd encoding: getDefaultSessionDir still strips one leading separator and replaces /, \, and : with -, so separator-vs-hyphen cwd pairs can share the same session directory. (src/agents/sessions/session-manager.ts:440, a202dd0faf56)
Current main selects recent files before cwd: findMostRecentSession validates JSONL shape and sorts by mtime, and continueRecent opens that file without comparing the header cwd to the requested cwd. (src/agents/sessions/session-manager.ts:1188, a202dd0faf56)
PR head skips older matching sessions: At PR head, continueRecent calls findMostRecentSession(dir) first and starts fresh when that one newest file has a mismatched cwd, skipping any older valid session for the requested cwd in the same colliding directory. (src/agents/sessions/session-manager.ts:2932, 539152e6f417)
PR head keeps cwd-less sessions project-visible: The new list filter keeps !s.cwd, so unknown-origin cwd-less files remain visible from every project-scoped list in a colliding directory. (src/agents/sessions/session-manager.ts:3012, 539152e6f417)
Tests miss mixed recency case: The added tests cover a single mismatched file and a single matching file separately, but not a directory containing a newer mismatched file plus an older matching file. (src/agents/sessions/session-manager.test.ts:2520, 539152e6f417)

Likely related people:

rohitjavvadi: Authored the merged long-header recent-session fix that changed the same findMostRecentSession and continueRecent seam and adjacent tests. (role: recent area contributor; confidence: high; commits: 695cea68f546; files: src/agents/sessions/session-manager.ts, src/agents/sessions/session-manager.test.ts)
vincentkoc: Merged PR 94578 and has recent adjacent session-manager history, making them useful routing context for this lookup behavior. (role: merger and adjacent owner; confidence: medium; commits: 695cea68f546; files: src/agents/sessions/session-manager.ts, src/agents/sessions/session-manager.test.ts)
TurboTheTurtle: Current line blame for the session-manager surface points to the broad PR 85829 commit that copied this file forward into current main, though it was not the original session behavior design. (role: current copied surface author; confidence: low; commits: 68b533dc9fe4; files: src/agents/sessions/session-manager.ts, src/agents/sessions/session-manager.test.ts)

What the crustacean ranks mean

🦀 challenger crab: rare, exceptional readiness with strong proof, clean implementation, and convincing validation.
🦞 diamond lobster: very strong readiness with only minor maintainer review expected.
🐚 platinum hermit: good normal PR, likely mergeable with ordinary maintainer review.
🦐 gold shrimp: useful signal, but proof or patch confidence is still limited.
🦪 silver shellfish: thin signal; proof, validation, or implementation needs work.
🧂 unranked krab: not merge-ready because proof is missing/unusable or there are serious correctness or safety concerns.
🌊 off-meta tidepool: rating does not apply to this item.

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…sion collision The previous getDefaultSessionDir encoding replaced all path separators (/, \, :) with -, making client/app and client-app map to the same session directory. continueRecent then silently resumed the wrong project's conversation. Fix: - Escape literal -- in the path before replacing separators with -- - Also strip trailing separators for consistent normalization - Add cwd header verification in continueRecent as a safety net Fixes openclaw#96542

…ding Revert the ~D escape scheme in getDefaultSessionDir and instead fix cross-project session collision by filtering on the session header's cwd field in continueRecent and list. This preserves existing session directory paths during upgrade while preventing sessions from one project from leaking into another when the directory encoding collides. - Revert getDefaultSessionDir to original encoding (preserves existing dirs) - Keep cwd verification in continueRecent (skips mismatched sessions) - Add cwd filtering in list (excludes sessions from other projects) - Add regression tests for list cwd filtering and legacy empty-cwd sessions - Remove injective encoding tests (encoding unchanged from shipped behavior)

clawsweeper · 2026-07-12T10:31:17Z

@liuhao1024 thanks for the PR. ClawSweeper is still waiting on real behavior proof before this can move forward.

Useful proof can be a screenshot, short video, terminal output, copied live output, linked artifact, or redacted logs that show the changed behavior after the fix. Please redact private tokens, phone numbers, private endpoints, customer data, and anything else sensitive.

Once proof is added to the PR body or a comment, ClawSweeper or a maintainer can re-check it.

openclaw-barnacle Bot added agents Agent runtime and tooling size: S labels Jun 24, 2026

liuhao1024 force-pushed the fix/session-cwd-encoding-injective branch from 0ddde38 to bd528b4 Compare June 26, 2026 15:25

liuhao1024 force-pushed the fix/session-cwd-encoding-injective branch 3 times, most recently from d0ddae6 to 132e926 Compare June 28, 2026 22:09

liuhao1024 added 2 commits June 29, 2026 10:41

liuhao1024 force-pushed the fix/session-cwd-encoding-injective branch from 132e926 to 539152e Compare June 29, 2026 02:42

clawsweeper Bot mentioned this pull request Jun 29, 2026

fix(sessions): avoid cross-cwd recent resumes #97785

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fix(session): use injective cwd encoding to prevent cross-project session collision (fixes #96542) (AI-assisted)#96547

fix(session): use injective cwd encoding to prevent cross-project session collision (fixes #96542) (AI-assisted)#96547
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liuhao1024:fix/session-cwd-encoding-injective

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