diff --git a/src/agents/subagent-registry-helpers.ts b/src/agents/subagent-registry-helpers.ts
index f8adb4e27b0..870ebc466e5 100644
--- a/src/agents/subagent-registry-helpers.ts
+++ b/src/agents/subagent-registry-helpers.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import fsSync, { promises as fs } from "node:fs";
 import path from "node:path";
+import { DEFAULT_SUBAGENT_ARCHIVE_AFTER_MINUTES } from "../config/agent-limits.js";
 import { getRuntimeConfig } from "../config/config.js";
 import {
   loadSessionStore,
@@ -345,7 +346,9 @@ export function reconcileOrphanedRestoredRuns(params: {
 
 export function resolveArchiveAfterMs(cfg?: OpenClawConfig) {
   const config = cfg ?? getRuntimeConfig();
-  const minutes = config.agents?.defaults?.subagents?.archiveAfterMinutes ?? 60;
+  const minutes =
+    config.agents?.defaults?.subagents?.archiveAfterMinutes ??
+    DEFAULT_SUBAGENT_ARCHIVE_AFTER_MINUTES;
   if (!Number.isFinite(minutes) || minutes < 0) {
     return undefined;
   }
diff --git a/src/cli/config-cli.test.ts b/src/cli/config-cli.test.ts
index 41556f10027..de55d65f5c9 100644
--- a/src/cli/config-cli.test.ts
+++ b/src/cli/config-cli.test.ts
@@ -950,6 +950,26 @@ describe("config cli", () => {
 
       expect(mockLog).toHaveBeenCalledWith("__OPENCLAW_REDACTED__");
     });
+
+    it("prints materialized subagent archive default", async () => {
+      const resolved: OpenClawConfig = {};
+      const config: OpenClawConfig = {
+        agents: {
+          defaults: {
+            maxConcurrent: 4,
+            subagents: {
+              maxConcurrent: 8,
+              archiveAfterMinutes: 60,
+            },
+          },
+        },
+      };
+      setSnapshot(resolved, config);
+
+      await runConfigCommand(["config", "get", "agents.defaults.subagents.archiveAfterMinutes"]);
+
+      expect(mockLog).toHaveBeenCalledWith("60");
+    });
   });
 
   describe("config validate", () => {
diff --git a/src/config/agent-limits.ts b/src/config/agent-limits.ts
index 0e3d4bcd896..14b1b66aa45 100644
--- a/src/config/agent-limits.ts
+++ b/src/config/agent-limits.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import type { OpenClawConfig } from "./types.js";
 export const DEFAULT_AGENT_MAX_CONCURRENT = 4;
 export const DEFAULT_SUBAGENT_MAX_CONCURRENT = 8;
 export const DEFAULT_SUBAGENT_MAX_CHILDREN_PER_AGENT = 5;
+export const DEFAULT_SUBAGENT_ARCHIVE_AFTER_MINUTES = 60;
 // Keep depth-1 subagents as leaves unless config explicitly opts into nesting.
 export const DEFAULT_SUBAGENT_MAX_SPAWN_DEPTH = 1;
 
diff --git a/src/config/config.agent-concurrency-defaults.test.ts b/src/config/config.agent-concurrency-defaults.test.ts
index f5bda63b0ed..3abaf1cc945 100644
--- a/src/config/config.agent-concurrency-defaults.test.ts
+++ b/src/config/config.agent-concurrency-defaults.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import {
   DEFAULT_AGENT_MAX_CONCURRENT,
+  DEFAULT_SUBAGENT_ARCHIVE_AFTER_MINUTES,
   DEFAULT_SUBAGENT_MAX_CONCURRENT,
   resolveAgentMaxConcurrent,
   resolveSubagentMaxConcurrent,
@@ -48,5 +49,8 @@ describe("agent concurrency defaults", () => {
 
     expect(cfg.agents?.defaults?.maxConcurrent).toBe(DEFAULT_AGENT_MAX_CONCURRENT);
     expect(cfg.agents?.defaults?.subagents?.maxConcurrent).toBe(DEFAULT_SUBAGENT_MAX_CONCURRENT);
+    expect(cfg.agents?.defaults?.subagents?.archiveAfterMinutes).toBe(
+      DEFAULT_SUBAGENT_ARCHIVE_AFTER_MINUTES,
+    );
   });
 });
diff --git a/src/config/defaults.test.ts b/src/config/defaults.test.ts
index 40a4a69c165..98a8fb21bfd 100644
--- a/src/config/defaults.test.ts
+++ b/src/config/defaults.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
-import { DEFAULT_AGENT_MAX_CONCURRENT, DEFAULT_SUBAGENT_MAX_CONCURRENT } from "./agent-limits.js";
+import {
+  DEFAULT_AGENT_MAX_CONCURRENT,
+  DEFAULT_SUBAGENT_ARCHIVE_AFTER_MINUTES,
+  DEFAULT_SUBAGENT_MAX_CONCURRENT,
+} from "./agent-limits.js";
 import {
   applyAgentDefaults,
   applyContextPruningDefaults,
@@ -112,5 +116,17 @@ describe("config defaults", () => {
 
     expect(next.agents?.defaults?.maxConcurrent).toBe(DEFAULT_AGENT_MAX_CONCURRENT);
     expect(next.agents?.defaults?.subagents?.maxConcurrent).toBe(DEFAULT_SUBAGENT_MAX_CONCURRENT);
+    expect(next.agents?.defaults?.subagents?.archiveAfterMinutes).toBe(
+      DEFAULT_SUBAGENT_ARCHIVE_AFTER_MINUTES,
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("preserves explicit subagent archive default", () => {
+    const next = applyAgentDefaults({
+      agents: { defaults: { subagents: { archiveAfterMinutes: 0 } } },
+    } as never);
+
+    expect(next.agents?.defaults?.subagents?.archiveAfterMinutes).toBe(0);
+    expect(next.agents?.defaults?.subagents?.maxConcurrent).toBe(DEFAULT_SUBAGENT_MAX_CONCURRENT);
   });
 });
diff --git a/src/config/defaults.ts b/src/config/defaults.ts
index fe74df12282..9ffa5736c78 100644
--- a/src/config/defaults.ts
+++ b/src/config/defaults.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,11 @@ import { DEFAULT_CONTEXT_TOKENS } from "../agents/defaults.js";
 import { normalizeConfiguredProviderCatalogModelId } from "../agents/model-ref-shared.js";
 import { normalizeProviderId } from "../agents/provider-id.js";
 import type { PluginManifestRegistry } from "../plugins/manifest-registry.js";
-import { DEFAULT_AGENT_MAX_CONCURRENT, DEFAULT_SUBAGENT_MAX_CONCURRENT } from "./agent-limits.js";
+import {
+  DEFAULT_AGENT_MAX_CONCURRENT,
+  DEFAULT_SUBAGENT_ARCHIVE_AFTER_MINUTES,
+  DEFAULT_SUBAGENT_MAX_CONCURRENT,
+} from "./agent-limits.js";
 import { normalizeAgentModelMapForConfig, normalizeAgentModelRefForConfig } from "./model-input.js";
 import {
   applyProviderConfigDefaultsForConfig,
@@ -394,7 +398,10 @@ export function applyAgentDefaults(cfg: OpenClawConfig): OpenClawConfig {
   const hasSubMax =
     typeof defaults?.subagents?.maxConcurrent === "number" &&
     Number.isFinite(defaults.subagents.maxConcurrent);
-  if (hasMax && hasSubMax) {
+  const hasSubArchive =
+    typeof defaults?.subagents?.archiveAfterMinutes === "number" &&
+    Number.isFinite(defaults.subagents.archiveAfterMinutes);
+  if (hasMax && hasSubMax && hasSubArchive) {
     return cfg;
   }
 
@@ -410,6 +417,10 @@ export function applyAgentDefaults(cfg: OpenClawConfig): OpenClawConfig {
     nextSubagents.maxConcurrent = DEFAULT_SUBAGENT_MAX_CONCURRENT;
     mutated = true;
   }
+  if (!hasSubArchive) {
+    nextSubagents.archiveAfterMinutes = DEFAULT_SUBAGENT_ARCHIVE_AFTER_MINUTES;
+    mutated = true;
+  }
 
   if (!mutated) {
     return cfg;