From 599ae7fed849b91fc01b79c247f3d6878cfec1c5 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Peter Steinberger <steipete@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 25 Apr 2026 19:47:11 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] docs: clarify tool result details persistence

---
 docs/concepts/messages.md               | 13 +++++++++++++
 docs/plugins/hooks.md                   | 15 +++++++++++++++
 src/agents/session-tool-result-guard.ts |  9 +++++++++
 3 files changed, 37 insertions(+)

diff --git a/docs/concepts/messages.md b/docs/concepts/messages.md
index 1b38872bc17..7d6ee3876af 100644
--- a/docs/concepts/messages.md
+++ b/docs/concepts/messages.md
@@ -77,6 +77,19 @@ gateway-backed session transcript, so they are the source of truth.
 
 Details: [Session management](/concepts/session).
 
+## Tool result metadata
+
+Tool result `content` is the model-visible result. Tool result `details` is
+runtime metadata for UI rendering, diagnostics, media delivery, and plugins.
+
+OpenClaw keeps that boundary explicit:
+
+- `toolResult.details` is stripped before provider replay and compaction input.
+- Persisted session transcripts keep only bounded `details`; oversized metadata
+  is replaced with a compact summary marked `persistedDetailsTruncated: true`.
+- Plugins and tools should put text the model must read in `content`, not only
+  in `details`.
+
 ## Inbound bodies and history context
 
 OpenClaw separates the **prompt body** from the **command body**:
diff --git a/docs/plugins/hooks.md b/docs/plugins/hooks.md
index 44c252554b7..89d9763d3ec 100644
--- a/docs/plugins/hooks.md
+++ b/docs/plugins/hooks.md
@@ -147,6 +147,21 @@ Rules:
 - `onResolution` receives the resolved approval decision — `allow-once`,
   `allow-always`, `deny`, `timeout`, or `cancelled`.
 
+### Tool result persistence
+
+Tool results can include structured `details` for UI rendering, diagnostics,
+media routing, or plugin-owned metadata. Treat `details` as runtime metadata,
+not prompt content:
+
+- OpenClaw strips `toolResult.details` before provider replay and compaction
+  input so metadata does not become model context.
+- Persisted session entries keep only bounded `details`. Oversized details are
+  replaced with a compact summary and `persistedDetailsTruncated: true`.
+- `tool_result_persist` and `before_message_write` run before the final
+  persistence cap. Hooks should still keep returned `details` small and avoid
+  placing prompt-relevant text only in `details`; put model-visible tool output
+  in `content`.
+
 ## Prompt and model hooks
 
 Use the phase-specific hooks for new plugins:
diff --git a/src/agents/session-tool-result-guard.ts b/src/agents/session-tool-result-guard.ts
index 1f7600a980b..cc47cc53f43 100644
--- a/src/agents/session-tool-result-guard.ts
+++ b/src/agents/session-tool-result-guard.ts
@@ -44,6 +44,10 @@ function resolveMaxToolResultChars(opts?: { maxToolResultChars?: number }): numb
   return Math.max(1, opts?.maxToolResultChars ?? DEFAULT_MAX_LIVE_TOOL_RESULT_CHARS);
 }
 
+// `details` is runtime/UI metadata, not model-visible tool output. Keep the
+// session JSONL useful for debugging without letting metadata blobs dominate
+// disk, replay repair, transcript broadcasts, or future tooling that reads raw
+// sessions. Model-visible text belongs in tool result `content`.
 const MAX_PERSISTED_TOOL_RESULT_DETAILS_BYTES = 8_192;
 const MAX_PERSISTED_DETAIL_STRING_CHARS = 2_000;
 const MAX_PERSISTED_DETAIL_SESSION_COUNT = 10;
@@ -102,6 +106,9 @@ function buildPersistedDetailsFallback(
   originalSize: BoundedJsonUtf8Bytes,
   sanitizedBytes?: number,
 ): Record<string, unknown> {
+  // If even the structured summary is too large, keep only shape and stable
+  // status fields. This preserves "what happened?" without persisting the raw
+  // diagnostics payload that caused the cap to trip.
   const fallback: Record<string, unknown> = {
     persistedDetailsTruncated: true,
     finalDetailsTruncated: true,
@@ -150,6 +157,8 @@ function sanitizeToolResultDetailsForPersistence(details: unknown): unknown {
   if (details === undefined || details === null) {
     return details;
   }
+  // Measure with an early-exit walker so hostile or enormous details do not
+  // need to be fully stringified just to learn they exceed the persistence cap.
   const originalSize = boundedJsonUtf8Bytes(details, MAX_PERSISTED_TOOL_RESULT_DETAILS_BYTES);
   if (originalSize.complete && originalSize.bytes <= MAX_PERSISTED_TOOL_RESULT_DETAILS_BYTES) {
     return details;