fix: improve compaction summary instructions to preserve active work (#8903)

fix: improve compaction summary instructions to preserve active work

Expand staged-summary merge instructions to preserve active task status, batch progress, latest user request, and follow-up commitments so compaction handoffs retain in-flight work context.

Co-authored-by: joetomasone <56984887+joetomasone@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: Josh Lehman <josh@martian.engineering>

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 
 ### Fixes
 
+- Agents/Compaction continuity: expand staged-summary merge instructions to preserve active task status, batch progress, latest user request, and follow-up commitments so compaction handoffs retain in-flight work context. (#8903) thanks @joetomasone.
 - LINE/auth boundary hardening synthesis: enforce strict LINE webhook authn/z boundary semantics across pairing-store account scoping, DM/group allowlist separation, fail-closed webhook auth/runtime behavior, and replay/duplication controls (including in-flight replay reservation and post-success dedupe marking). (from #26701, #26683, #25978, #17593, #16619, #31990, #26047, #30584, #18777) Thanks @bmendonca3, @davidahmann, @harshang03, @haosenwang1018, @liuxiaopai-ai, @coygeek, and @Takhoffman.
 - LINE/media download synthesis: fix file-media download handling and M4A audio classification across overlapping LINE regressions. (from #26386, #27761, #27787, #29509, #29755, #29776, #29785, #32240) Thanks @kevinWangSheng, @loiie45e, @carrotRakko, @Sid-Qin, @codeafridi, and @bmendonca3.
 - LINE/context and routing synthesis: fix group/room peer routing and command-authorization context propagation, and keep processing later events in mixed-success webhook batches. (from #21955, #24475, #27035, #28286) Thanks @lailoo, @mcaxtr, @jervyclaw, @Glucksberg, and @Takhoffman.

src/agents/compaction.ts

@@ -14,9 +14,20 @@ export const MIN_CHUNK_RATIO = 0.15;
 export const SAFETY_MARGIN = 1.2; // 20% buffer for estimateTokens() inaccuracy
 const DEFAULT_SUMMARY_FALLBACK = "No prior history.";
 const DEFAULT_PARTS = 2;
-const MERGE_SUMMARIES_INSTRUCTIONS =
-  "Merge these partial summaries into a single cohesive summary. Preserve decisions," +
-  " TODOs, open questions, and any constraints.";
+const MERGE_SUMMARIES_INSTRUCTIONS = [
+  "Merge these partial summaries into a single cohesive summary.",
+  "",
+  "MUST PRESERVE:",
+  "- Active tasks and their current status (in-progress, blocked, pending)",
+  "- Batch operation progress (e.g., '5/17 items completed')",
+  "- The last thing the user requested and what was being done about it",
+  "- Decisions made and their rationale",
+  "- TODOs, open questions, and constraints",
+  "- Any commitments or follow-ups promised",
+  "",
+  "PRIORITIZE recent context over older history. The agent needs to know",
+  "what it was doing, not just what was discussed.",
+].join("\n");
 const IDENTIFIER_PRESERVATION_INSTRUCTIONS =
   "Preserve all opaque identifiers exactly as written (no shortening or reconstruction), " +
   "including UUIDs, hashes, IDs, tokens, API keys, hostnames, IPs, ports, URLs, and file names.";