diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 8d5d14b66fb..619446d5934 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 
 ### Fixes
 
+- TUI/sessions: bound the session picker to recent rows and use exact lookup-style refreshes for the active session, so dusty stores no longer make TUI hydrate weeks-old transcripts before becoming responsive. Thanks @vincentkoc.
 - Doctor/gateway: report recent supervisor restart handoffs in `openclaw doctor --deep`, using the installed service environment when available so service-managed clean exits are visible in guided diagnostics. Thanks @shakkernerd.
 - Gateway/status: show recent supervisor restart handoffs in `openclaw gateway status --deep`, including JSON details, so clean service-managed restarts are reported as restart handoffs instead of opaque stopped-service diagnostics. Thanks @shakkernerd.
 - Providers/Fireworks: expose Kimi models as thinking-off-only and keep K2.5/K2.6 requests on `thinking: disabled`, so manual model switches do not send Fireworks-rejected `reasoning*` parameters. Refs #74289. Thanks @frankekn.
diff --git a/docs/web/tui.md b/docs/web/tui.md
index f5254b68dd9..a3fd287aeea 100644
--- a/docs/web/tui.md
+++ b/docs/web/tui.md
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ Notes:
 
 - Model picker: list available models and set the session override.
 - Agent picker: choose a different agent.
-- Session picker: shows only sessions for the current agent.
+- Session picker: shows up to 50 sessions for the current agent updated in the last 7 days. Use `/session <key>` to jump to an older known session.
 - Settings: toggle deliver, tool output expansion, and thinking visibility.
 
 ## Keyboard shortcuts
diff --git a/src/tui/gateway-chat.ts b/src/tui/gateway-chat.ts
index 1a0cc38a13b..a298b864c72 100644
--- a/src/tui/gateway-chat.ts
+++ b/src/tui/gateway-chat.ts
@@ -220,15 +220,7 @@ export class GatewayChatClient implements TuiBackend {
   }
 
   async listSessions(opts?: SessionsListParams) {
-    return await this.client.request<GatewaySessionList>("sessions.list", {
-      limit: opts?.limit,
-      activeMinutes: opts?.activeMinutes,
-      includeGlobal: opts?.includeGlobal,
-      includeUnknown: opts?.includeUnknown,
-      includeDerivedTitles: opts?.includeDerivedTitles,
-      includeLastMessage: opts?.includeLastMessage,
-      agentId: opts?.agentId,
-    });
+    return await this.client.request<GatewaySessionList>("sessions.list", opts ?? {});
   }
 
   async listAgents() {
diff --git a/src/tui/tui-command-handlers.test.ts b/src/tui/tui-command-handlers.test.ts
index 57a85a0eb8d..d49d749a116 100644
--- a/src/tui/tui-command-handlers.test.ts
+++ b/src/tui/tui-command-handlers.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import { createCommandHandlers } from "./tui-command-handlers.js";
+import {
+  TUI_RECENT_SESSIONS_ACTIVE_MINUTES,
+  TUI_SESSION_PICKER_LIMIT,
+} from "./tui-session-list-policy.js";
 
 type LoadHistoryMock = ReturnType<typeof vi.fn> & (() => Promise<void>);
 type RunAuthFlow = NonNullable<Parameters<typeof createCommandHandlers>[0]["runAuthFlow"]>;
@@ -16,6 +20,7 @@ async function flushAsyncSelect() {
 function createHarness(params?: {
   sendChat?: ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>;
   getGatewayStatus?: ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>;
+  listSessions?: ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>;
   patchSession?: ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>;
   resetSession?: ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>;
   runAuthFlow?: RunAuthFlow;
@@ -32,6 +37,7 @@ function createHarness(params?: {
 }) {
   const sendChat = params?.sendChat ?? vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ runId: "r1" });
   const getGatewayStatus = params?.getGatewayStatus ?? vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({});
+  const listSessions = params?.listSessions ?? vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ sessions: [] });
   const patchSession = params?.patchSession ?? vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({});
   const resetSession = params?.resetSession ?? vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ ok: true });
   const setSession = params?.setSession ?? (vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined) as SetSessionMock);
@@ -64,8 +70,8 @@ function createHarness(params?: {
     sessionInfo: {},
   };
 
-  const { handleCommand } = createCommandHandlers({
-    client: { sendChat, getGatewayStatus, patchSession, resetSession } as never,
+  const { handleCommand, openSessionSelector } = createCommandHandlers({
+    client: { sendChat, getGatewayStatus, listSessions, patchSession, resetSession } as never,
     chatLog: { addUser, addSystem } as never,
     tui: { requestRender } as never,
     opts: params?.opts ?? {},
@@ -92,7 +98,9 @@ function createHarness(params?: {
   return {
     handleCommand,
     getGatewayStatus,
+    listSessions,
     sendChat,
+    openSessionSelector,
     openOverlay,
     closeOverlay,
     patchSession,
@@ -114,6 +122,31 @@ function createHarness(params?: {
 }
 
 describe("tui command handlers", () => {
+  it("bounds session picker hydration to recent TUI sessions", async () => {
+    const listSessions = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({
+      sessions: [
+        {
+          key: "agent:main:main",
+          displayName: "main",
+          updatedAt: Date.now(),
+        },
+      ],
+    });
+    const { openSessionSelector } = createHarness({ listSessions });
+
+    await openSessionSelector();
+
+    expect(listSessions).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+      limit: TUI_SESSION_PICKER_LIMIT,
+      activeMinutes: TUI_RECENT_SESSIONS_ACTIVE_MINUTES,
+      includeGlobal: false,
+      includeUnknown: false,
+      includeDerivedTitles: true,
+      includeLastMessage: true,
+      agentId: "main",
+    });
+  });
+
   it("renders the sending indicator before chat.send resolves", async () => {
     let resolveSend: (value: { runId: string }) => void = () => {
       throw new Error("sendChat promise resolver was not initialized");
diff --git a/src/tui/tui-command-handlers.ts b/src/tui/tui-command-handlers.ts
index 378cbc05b50..6d9ba339eda 100644
--- a/src/tui/tui-command-handlers.ts
+++ b/src/tui/tui-command-handlers.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,10 @@ import {
 } from "./components/selectors.js";
 import type { TuiBackend } from "./tui-backend.js";
 import { sanitizeRenderableText } from "./tui-formatters.js";
+import {
+  TUI_RECENT_SESSIONS_ACTIVE_MINUTES,
+  TUI_SESSION_PICKER_LIMIT,
+} from "./tui-session-list-policy.js";
 import { formatStatusSummary } from "./tui-status-summary.js";
 import type {
   AgentSummary,
@@ -190,6 +194,8 @@ export function createCommandHandlers(context: CommandHandlerContext) {
   const openSessionSelector = async () => {
     try {
       const result = await client.listSessions({
+        limit: TUI_SESSION_PICKER_LIMIT,
+        activeMinutes: TUI_RECENT_SESSIONS_ACTIVE_MINUTES,
         includeGlobal: false,
         includeUnknown: false,
         includeDerivedTitles: true,
diff --git a/src/tui/tui-session-actions.test.ts b/src/tui/tui-session-actions.test.ts
index e8ede6deee6..9316d530f04 100644
--- a/src/tui/tui-session-actions.test.ts
+++ b/src/tui/tui-session-actions.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import type { TuiBackend } from "./tui-backend.js";
 import { createSessionActions } from "./tui-session-actions.js";
+import { TUI_SESSION_LOOKUP_LIMIT } from "./tui-session-list-policy.js";
 import type { TuiStateAccess } from "./tui-types.js";
 
 describe("tui session actions", () => {
@@ -96,6 +97,13 @@ describe("tui session actions", () => {
 
     await Promise.resolve();
     expect(listSessions).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(listSessions).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(1, {
+      limit: TUI_SESSION_LOOKUP_LIMIT,
+      search: "agent:main:main",
+      includeGlobal: false,
+      includeUnknown: false,
+      agentId: "main",
+    });
 
     resolveFirst?.({
       ts: Date.now(),
diff --git a/src/tui/tui-session-actions.ts b/src/tui/tui-session-actions.ts
index a7e3d12e416..9a853292ebe 100644
--- a/src/tui/tui-session-actions.ts
+++ b/src/tui/tui-session-actions.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import { normalizeOptionalString } from "../shared/string-coerce.js";
 import type { ChatLog } from "./components/chat-log.js";
 import type { TuiAgentsList, TuiBackend } from "./tui-backend.js";
 import { asString, extractTextFromMessage, isCommandMessage } from "./tui-formatters.js";
+import { TUI_SESSION_LOOKUP_LIMIT } from "./tui-session-list-policy.js";
 import type { SessionInfo, TuiOptions, TuiStateAccess } from "./tui-types.js";
 
 type SessionActionBtwPresenter = {
@@ -234,6 +235,8 @@ export function createSessionActions(context: SessionActionContext) {
       };
       const listAgentId = resolveListAgentId();
       const result = await client.listSessions({
+        limit: TUI_SESSION_LOOKUP_LIMIT,
+        search: state.currentSessionKey,
         includeGlobal: false,
         includeUnknown: false,
         agentId: listAgentId,
diff --git a/src/tui/tui-session-list-policy.ts b/src/tui/tui-session-list-policy.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..68965ac0109
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tui/tui-session-list-policy.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+export const TUI_RECENT_SESSIONS_ACTIVE_MINUTES = 7 * 24 * 60;
+export const TUI_SESSION_PICKER_LIMIT = 50;
+export const TUI_SESSION_LOOKUP_LIMIT = 5;
diff --git a/src/tui/tui.ts b/src/tui/tui.ts
index 0c6fd0df84d..e0f98c772bc 100644
--- a/src/tui/tui.ts
+++ b/src/tui/tui.ts
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ import {
 import { createLocalShellRunner } from "./tui-local-shell.js";
 import { createOverlayHandlers } from "./tui-overlays.js";
 import { createSessionActions } from "./tui-session-actions.js";
+import { TUI_SESSION_LOOKUP_LIMIT } from "./tui-session-list-policy.js";
 import {
   createEditorSubmitHandler,
   createSubmitBurstCoalescer,
@@ -635,6 +636,8 @@ export async function runTui(opts: RunTuiOptions): Promise<TuiResult> {
     }
     const sessions = await client
       .listSessions({
+        limit: TUI_SESSION_LOOKUP_LIMIT,
+        search: rememberedKey,
         includeGlobal: false,
         includeUnknown: false,
         agentId: currentAgentId,