OpenClaw Context Upgrade

Diagnose and upgrade OpenClaw conversation context limits, especially moving a chat from ~272k to 1M. Use when the user asks to enlarge context, make GPT-5.4 use 1M context, change agents.defaults.contextTokens, verify why a chat still shows 272k after changes, or execute the full workflow of model selection + config patch + restart + fresh session + status verification.

Check current state first

1. Run session_status and record:
   • current model
   • current Context
   • whether the session already shows 1.0m
2. If the user is only asking "why isn't it 1M yet", diagnose first. Do not change config blindly.

Inspect the exact config path before editing

1. Inspect agents.defaults.contextTokens with gateway config.schema.lookup.
2. If model selection matters, also inspect agents.defaults.model.
3. Use gateway config.patch for changes.
4. Do not tell the user to run openclaw CLI for this workflow.

Upgrade workflow

1. Make sure the target session is using a high-context model.

   • Prefer model alias GPT-5.4 for this workflow.
   • During verification, avoid relying on fallback behavior.
   • If needed, use session_status with a session model override to pin the current session to GPT-5.4.

2. Raise the default context budget.

   • Set agents.defaults.contextTokens = 1000000.
   • If the user's goal is future sessions, patch defaults.
   • If the user only wants diagnosis, explain the change without applying it.

3. Let the restart happen.

   • gateway config.patch restarts OpenClaw automatically.
   • Always include a clear note so the user gets a useful completion message after restart.

4. Force a fresh chat session.

   • Tell the user to use /new or /reset.
   • Old chats often keep the earlier session budget and mislead verification.

5. Verify after the fresh session starts.

   • Run session_status again.
   • Success looks like Context: .../1.0m or similar.

Diagnose common failure modes

Still shows .../272k

Check these in order:

1. The chat was not restarted with /new or /reset.
2. The session is still on the wrong model or a fallback model.
3. The provider/model pair is returning a lower real cap.
4. The config patch did not target agents.defaults.contextTokens correctly.

Tell the truth about limits

• Do not promise 1M if the provider is actually returning a smaller cap.
• OpenClaw can request a larger budget, but it cannot exceed the model/provider limit in reality.
• If verification still shows 272k, say that plainly and explain whether the blocker is session reuse, model mismatch, or provider cap.

Default reply pattern

Use this sequence when answering:

1. State the current observed limit.
2. Give the exact fix order:
   • pin model to GPT-5.4
   • set agents.defaults.contextTokens = 1000000
   • restart
   • /new or /reset
   • verify with session_status
3. End with the caveat that provider limits still win.