Workspace Temp

Manage temporary files in workspace temp directory. All non-essential files must go to temp/, keeping workspace root clean. Auto-detects workspace from openclaw.json config.

Note: This skill requires access to ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json (to read agents.defaults.workspace) and the sessions_list tool (to get current session ID). It is NOT enabled by default (always: false). Users must explicitly enable it in their config.

Workspace Temp Skill

Purpose

Ensure all temporary/cached files go to <workspace>/temp/<session_id>/, never pollute the workspace root.

Required Permissions

This skill requires the following access:

Resource	Purpose	Justification
~/.openclaw/openclaw.json	Read agents.defaults.workspace configuration	Required to determine the workspace path where temp/ directory will be created. Read-only access to single config file.
sessions_list tool	Get current session ID	Required to create isolated temp directories per session (prevents file conflicts between concurrent sessions).
External file system	Read user-specified files	Required when user asks to process files from outside the workspace. Files are only read and copied to temp directory.

Note: The sessions_list tool and external file access are runtime capabilities documented here for transparency.

Security & Privacy

Skill Safety Guarantees

This skill operates under strict safety constraints:

• No Code Execution: Does not execute arbitrary code, shell commands, or external programs
• Isolated Write Scope: All write operations restricted to <workspace>/temp/<session_id>/ only
• Read-Only External Access: External files are only read and copied, never modified in place
• Temporary Only: Files are designed to be deleted; no permanent storage outside workspace

User Privacy & Security Notes

⚠️ Sensitive Data: Files processed through this skill may temporarily contain sensitive data in the temp directory. Avoid processing files with passwords, keys, or secrets.

⚠️ Behavioral Guarantee: The promise not to modify pre-existing workspace files is a best-effort guarantee, not technical enforcement. The instruction guides the agent but cannot prevent all edge cases.

How It Works

1. Read ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json to get agents.defaults.workspace
2. Get current session unique ID via sessions_list
3. Use <workspace>/temp/<session_id>/ as the temp directory
4. Auto-create the directory if it doesn't exist

File Classification Rules

🔒 Original Files (Existing Before Skill Installation)

Definition: All files and directories in the workspace root at the time this skill is installed.

These files remain unchanged:

• AGENTS.md, SOUL.md, USER.md, TOOLS.md
• MEMORY.md, HEARTBEAT.md, IDENTITY.md
• memory/ directory and its contents
• .git/ directory
• Any files existing before installation

Additional Note: Files manually added to the workspace root by the user after installation will also not be modified or deleted by this skill. However, users are encouraged to follow the principle: "Non-temporary files go in the root directory, temporary files go in temp/."

🗑️ Temporary Files (Must Go to temp/)

Definition: Files read from or downloaded from outside the workspace.

These files must go to temp/:

• Files read from user-specified external locations
• Downloaded files
• Intermediate files during conversion/processing

Not Temporary Files:

• Files generated by OpenClaw itself (e.g., session logs, internal caches)
• Files explicitly requested by the user to be saved to the workspace

Dynamic Temp Directory Resolution

1. Read ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
2. Extract agents.defaults.workspace
3. Get current session ID via sessions_list
4. Temp dir = <workspace>/temp/<session_id>/

Example:

• If workspace is E:/OpenClaw/workspace
• If session ID is abc123
• Then temp dir is E:/OpenClaw/workspace/temp/abc123/

Procedures

Step 1: Get Temp Directory

Always determine temp dir dynamically:

// Pseudocode
const config = readFile('~/.openclaw/openclaw.json');
const workspace = config.agents.defaults.workspace;

// Get current session ID via sessions_list tool
const sessions = sessions_list();
const currentSession = sessions.find(s => s.key.includes('main'));
const sessionId = currentSession ? currentSession.sessionId : generateFallbackId();

const tempDir = path.join(workspace, 'temp', sessionId);

// Error handling: ensure directory creation succeeds
try {
  ensureDirExists(tempDir);
} catch (error) {
  throw new Error(`Failed to create temp directory: ${tempDir}. Reason: ${error.message}. Please check permissions or disk space.`);
}

Error Handling Principles:

• If temp/ or <session_id>/ directory cannot be created (e.g., insufficient permissions, disk full), a clear error message must be provided
• Never fall back to writing files to the workspace root directory
• Operation terminates; retry after user resolves the issue

Step 2: Handle External Files

1. Copy files to <workspace>/temp/<session_id>/
2. Read/process from temp
3. Optionally clean up after processing

Step 3: Handle Downloads

1. Download directly to <workspace>/temp/<session_id>/
2. Optionally clean up after processing

Step 4: Handle Generated Files

1. Write to <workspace>/temp/<session_id>/
2. Delete after use

Examples

User says: "Read the report.txt from my desktop"

• ❌ Wrong: Read desktop path directly
• ✅ Correct:
  1. Read ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json to get workspace
  2. Copy to <workspace>/temp/<session_id>/report.txt
  3. Read content from temp

User says: "Download this image"

• ❌ Wrong: Download to workspace root
• ✅ Correct: Download to <workspace>/temp/<session_id>/image.jpg

User says: "Convert this PDF"

• ❌ Wrong: Generate intermediate files in root directory
• ✅ Correct: Generate in <workspace>/temp/<session_id>/, clean up after conversion

Cleanup Policy

When the user explicitly requests cleanup assistance (e.g., "Check my temp directory", "Clean up temp files"), evaluate the following conditions and offer appropriate actions:

Cleanup Triggers & Actions

Trigger	Condition	Action	User Options
Large Directory	Temp directory > 500MB	Alert: "Your temp directory is using X GB. Clean up?"	"Clean up" (delete) / "Keep" / "I'll do it myself" (provide path)
Old Files	Files older than 7 days	Alert: "Found X files older than 7 days. Clean up?"	Same as above
Session Residuals	Current session temp not empty	Alert: "This session created X temporary files. Keep or clean up?"	Same as above
Status Check	User asks for temp status	Report: size, file count, oldest files, then offer cleanup	Same as above

Cleanup Scope

• Skill-Initiated: Intermediate files should be deleted immediately after use
• Session-End: Current session's <session_id>/ directory should be cleaned when session ends
• Manual: Users can clear any subdirectory under temp/ at any time
• Safety: temp/ only contains temporary files; cleanup never affects original workspace files

Important: Do NOT proactively interrupt users with cleanup reminders. Only check and offer cleanup when explicitly requested.

Notes

• Temp directory follows workspace configuration and adapts automatically
• If workspace changes, temp directory follows automatically
• Always use absolute paths to avoid ambiguity
• Never touch original files existing before installation
• This skill is NOT enabled by default - users must explicitly enable it in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json