Guide to /compact in OpenClaw

Guide to /compact in OpenClaw | Generated by AI

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Question: How do I use the /compact command with instructions in OpenClaw (AI agent)?

Answer:

What is `/compact` in OpenClaw?

The /compact [instructions] command compacts the session context and reports the remaining context budget. It is a built-in slash command available in your messaging interface (WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, etc.) that helps you manage the AI’s context window before it fills up completely.

Basic Syntax

/compact
/compact [your optional instructions here]

How It Works

Without instructions

Sending /compact by itself will trigger context compaction and the agent will reply confirming the action, along with how much context budget remains.

With instructions

You can append custom instructions to guide what gets preserved or prioritized during compaction. For example:

/compact Focus on the coding task we discussed. Forget the earlier grocery planning.

/compact Keep the API integration context. Summarize everything else briefly.

/compact Prioritize my project deadlines and ignore casual conversation history.

The instruction text after /compact tells the model how to summarize or filter the session history when compressing it.

Why Use `/compact`?

OpenClaw agents accumulate context rapidly during long sessions. Your agent accumulates context fast. Periodically review what it’s remembering and flush anything outdated. Do this before it hits compaction — once it auto-compacts, you lose control over what gets kept.

Using /compact manually (with instructions) gives you control over what the agent retains vs. discards, rather than letting it auto-compact arbitrarily.

You can also use /new or /reset to start a fresh session for that chat (configurable via resetTriggers). If sent alone, the agent replies with a short hello to confirm the reset.

Command	Effect
`/compact`	Compress context, report remaining budget
`/compact [instructions]`	Compress with guidance on what to keep
`/new` or `/reset`	Wipe session and start fresh
`/status`	Show compact session status (model + tokens, cost)

Tips

Use /compact before the context window is exhausted — once the agent auto-compacts, you lose manual control.
Always include specific instructions when you want to preserve a particular task thread (e.g., a coding project or ongoing research).
After compaction, the agent will report how much context budget is remaining, helping you plan when you need to compact again.

References:

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