fix: harden session transcript path resolution

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 - Security/Sandbox: confine mirrored skill sync destinations to the sandbox `skills/` root and stop using frontmatter-controlled skill names as filesystem destination paths. Thanks @1seal.
 - Security/Web tools: treat browser/web content as untrusted by default (wrapped outputs for browser snapshot/tabs/console and structured external-content metadata for web tools), and strip `toolResult.details` from model-facing transcript/compaction inputs to reduce prompt-injection replay risk.
 - Security/Hooks: harden webhook and device token verification with shared constant-time secret comparison, and add per-client auth-failure throttling for hook endpoints (`429` + `Retry-After`). Thanks @akhmittra.
+- Sessions/Gateway: harden transcript path resolution and reject unsafe session IDs/file paths so session operations stay within agent sessions directories. Thanks @akhmittra.
 - Gateway: raise WS payload/buffer limits so 5,000,000-byte image attachments work reliably. (#14486) Thanks @0xRaini.
 - Logging/CLI: use local timezone timestamps for console prefixing, and include `±HH:MM` offsets when using `openclaw logs --local-time` to avoid ambiguity. (#14771) Thanks @0xRaini.
 - Gateway: drain active turns before restart to prevent message loss. (#13931) Thanks @0xRaini.

src/agents/subagent-announce.ts

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import {
   loadSessionStore,
   resolveAgentIdFromSessionKey,
   resolveMainSessionKey,
+  resolveSessionFilePath,
   resolveStorePath,
 } from "../config/sessions.js";
 import { callGateway } from "../gateway/call.js";
@@ -229,8 +230,16 @@ async function buildSubagentStatsLine(params: {
   });
 
   const sessionId = entry?.sessionId;
-  const transcriptPath =
+  let transcriptPath: string | undefined;
-    sessionId && storePath ? path.join(path.dirname(storePath), `${sessionId}.jsonl`) : undefined;
+  if (sessionId && storePath) {
+    try {
+      transcriptPath = resolveSessionFilePath(sessionId, entry, {
+        sessionsDir: path.dirname(storePath),
+      });
+    } catch {
+      transcriptPath = undefined;
+    }
+  }
 
   const input = entry?.inputTokens;
   const output = entry?.outputTokens;

src/agents/tools/sessions-list-tool.ts

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { Type } from "@sinclair/typebox";
 import path from "node:path";
 import type { AnyAgentTool } from "./common.js";
 import { loadConfig } from "../../config/config.js";
+import { resolveSessionFilePath } from "../../config/sessions.js";
 import { callGateway } from "../../gateway/call.js";
 import { isSubagentSessionKey, resolveAgentIdFromSessionKey } from "../../routing/session-key.js";
 import { jsonResult, readStringArrayParam } from "./common.js";
@@ -152,10 +153,20 @@ export function createSessionsListTool(opts?: {
         });
 
         const sessionId = typeof entry.sessionId === "string" ? entry.sessionId : undefined;
-        const transcriptPath =
+        const sessionFileRaw = (entry as { sessionFile?: unknown }).sessionFile;
-          sessionId && storePath
+        const sessionFile = typeof sessionFileRaw === "string" ? sessionFileRaw : undefined;
-            ? path.join(path.dirname(storePath), `${sessionId}.jsonl`)
+        let transcriptPath: string | undefined;
-            : undefined;
+        if (sessionId && storePath) {
+          try {
+            transcriptPath = resolveSessionFilePath(
+              sessionId,
+              sessionFile ? { sessionFile } : undefined,
+              { sessionsDir: path.dirname(storePath) },
+            );
+          } catch {
+            transcriptPath = undefined;
+          }
+        }
 
         const row: SessionListRow = {
           key: displayKey,

src/auto-reply/reply/session.ts

@@ -55,10 +55,12 @@ export type SessionInitResult = {
 
 function forkSessionFromParent(params: {
   parentEntry: SessionEntry;
+  sessionsDir: string;
 }): { sessionId: string; sessionFile: string } | null {
   const parentSessionFile = resolveSessionFilePath(
     params.parentEntry.sessionId,
     params.parentEntry,
+    { sessionsDir: params.sessionsDir },
   );
   if (!parentSessionFile || !fs.existsSync(parentSessionFile)) {
     return null;
@@ -320,6 +322,7 @@ export async function initSessionState(params: {
     );
     const forked = forkSessionFromParent({
       parentEntry: sessionStore[parentSessionKey],
+      sessionsDir: path.dirname(storePath),
     });
     if (forked) {
       sessionId = forked.sessionId;

src/config/sessions/paths.test.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,12 @@
 import path from "node:path";
 import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
-import { resolveStorePath } from "./paths.js";
+import {
+  resolveSessionFilePath,
+  resolveSessionTranscriptPath,
+  resolveSessionTranscriptPathInDir,
+  resolveStorePath,
+  validateSessionId,
+} from "./paths.js";
 
 describe("resolveStorePath", () => {
   afterEach(() => {
@@ -20,3 +26,53 @@ describe("resolveStorePath", () => {
     );
   });
 });
+
+describe("session path safety", () => {
+  it("validates safe session IDs", () => {
+    expect(validateSessionId("sess-1")).toBe("sess-1");
+    expect(validateSessionId("ABC_123.hello")).toBe("ABC_123.hello");
+  });
+
+  it("rejects unsafe session IDs", () => {
+    expect(() => validateSessionId("../etc/passwd")).toThrow(/Invalid session ID/);
+    expect(() => validateSessionId("a/b")).toThrow(/Invalid session ID/);
+    expect(() => validateSessionId("a\\b")).toThrow(/Invalid session ID/);
+    expect(() => validateSessionId("/abs")).toThrow(/Invalid session ID/);
+  });
+
+  it("resolves transcript path inside an explicit sessions dir", () => {
+    const sessionsDir = "/tmp/openclaw/agents/main/sessions";
+    const resolved = resolveSessionTranscriptPathInDir("sess-1", sessionsDir, "topic/a+b");
+
+    expect(resolved).toBe(path.resolve(sessionsDir, "sess-1-topic-topic%2Fa%2Bb.jsonl"));
+  });
+
+  it("rejects unsafe sessionFile candidates that escape the sessions dir", () => {
+    const sessionsDir = "/tmp/openclaw/agents/main/sessions";
+
+    expect(() =>
+      resolveSessionFilePath("sess-1", { sessionFile: "../../etc/passwd" }, { sessionsDir }),
+    ).toThrow(/within sessions directory/);
+
+    expect(() =>
+      resolveSessionFilePath("sess-1", { sessionFile: "/etc/passwd" }, { sessionsDir }),
+    ).toThrow(/within sessions directory/);
+  });
+
+  it("accepts sessionFile candidates within the sessions dir", () => {
+    const sessionsDir = "/tmp/openclaw/agents/main/sessions";
+
+    const resolved = resolveSessionFilePath(
+      "sess-1",
+      { sessionFile: "subdir/threaded-session.jsonl" },
+      { sessionsDir },
+    );
+
+    expect(resolved).toBe(path.resolve(sessionsDir, "subdir/threaded-session.jsonl"));
+  });
+
+  it("uses agent sessions dir fallback for transcript path", () => {
+    const resolved = resolveSessionTranscriptPath("sess-1", "main");
+    expect(resolved.endsWith(path.join("agents", "main", "sessions", "sess-1.jsonl"))).toBe(true);
+  });
+});

src/config/sessions/paths.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 import os from "node:os";
 import path from "node:path";
-import type { SessionEntry } from "./types.js";
 import { expandHomePrefix, resolveRequiredHomeDir } from "../../infra/home-dir.js";
 import { DEFAULT_AGENT_ID, normalizeAgentId } from "../../routing/session-key.js";
 import { resolveStateDir } from "../paths.js";
@@ -34,11 +33,44 @@ export function resolveDefaultSessionStorePath(agentId?: string): string {
   return path.join(resolveAgentSessionsDir(agentId), "sessions.json");
 }
 
-export function resolveSessionTranscriptPath(
+export const SAFE_SESSION_ID_RE = /^[a-z0-9][a-z0-9._-]{0,127}$/i;
+
+export function validateSessionId(sessionId: string): string {
+  const trimmed = sessionId.trim();
+  if (!SAFE_SESSION_ID_RE.test(trimmed)) {
+    throw new Error(`Invalid session ID: ${sessionId}`);
+  }
+  return trimmed;
+}
+
+function resolveSessionsDir(opts?: { agentId?: string; sessionsDir?: string }): string {
+  const sessionsDir = opts?.sessionsDir?.trim();
+  if (sessionsDir) {
+    return path.resolve(sessionsDir);
+  }
+  return resolveAgentSessionsDir(opts?.agentId);
+}
+
+function resolvePathWithinSessionsDir(sessionsDir: string, candidate: string): string {
+  const trimmed = candidate.trim();
+  if (!trimmed) {
+    throw new Error("Session file path must not be empty");
+  }
+  const resolvedBase = path.resolve(sessionsDir);
+  const resolvedCandidate = path.resolve(resolvedBase, trimmed);
+  const relative = path.relative(resolvedBase, resolvedCandidate);
+  if (relative.startsWith("..") || path.isAbsolute(relative)) {
+    throw new Error("Session file path must be within sessions directory");
+  }
+  return resolvedCandidate;
+}
+
+export function resolveSessionTranscriptPathInDir(
   sessionId: string,
-  agentId?: string,
+  sessionsDir: string,
   topicId?: string | number,
 ): string {
+  const safeSessionId = validateSessionId(sessionId);
   const safeTopicId =
     typeof topicId === "string"
       ? encodeURIComponent(topicId)
@@ -46,17 +78,31 @@ export function resolveSessionTranscriptPath(
         ? String(topicId)
         : undefined;
   const fileName =
-    safeTopicId !== undefined ? `${sessionId}-topic-${safeTopicId}.jsonl` : `${sessionId}.jsonl`;
+    safeTopicId !== undefined
-  return path.join(resolveAgentSessionsDir(agentId), fileName);
+      ? `${safeSessionId}-topic-${safeTopicId}.jsonl`
+      : `${safeSessionId}.jsonl`;
+  return resolvePathWithinSessionsDir(sessionsDir, fileName);
+}
+
+export function resolveSessionTranscriptPath(
+  sessionId: string,
+  agentId?: string,
+  topicId?: string | number,
+): string {
+  return resolveSessionTranscriptPathInDir(sessionId, resolveAgentSessionsDir(agentId), topicId);
 }
 
 export function resolveSessionFilePath(
   sessionId: string,
-  entry?: SessionEntry,
+  entry?: { sessionFile?: string },
-  opts?: { agentId?: string },
+  opts?: { agentId?: string; sessionsDir?: string },
 ): string {
+  const sessionsDir = resolveSessionsDir(opts);
   const candidate = entry?.sessionFile?.trim();
-  return candidate ? candidate : resolveSessionTranscriptPath(sessionId, opts?.agentId);
+  if (candidate) {
+    return resolvePathWithinSessionsDir(sessionsDir, candidate);
+  }
+  return resolveSessionTranscriptPathInDir(sessionId, sessionsDir);
 }
 
 export function resolveStorePath(store?: string, opts?: { agentId?: string }) {

src/config/sessions/transcript.ts

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import fs from "node:fs";
 import path from "node:path";
 import type { SessionEntry } from "./types.js";
 import { emitSessionTranscriptUpdate } from "../../sessions/transcript-events.js";
-import { resolveDefaultSessionStorePath, resolveSessionTranscriptPath } from "./paths.js";
+import { resolveDefaultSessionStorePath, resolveSessionFilePath } from "./paths.js";
 import { loadSessionStore, updateSessionStore } from "./store.js";
 
 function stripQuery(value: string): string {
@@ -103,8 +103,17 @@ export async function appendAssistantMessageToSessionTranscript(params: {
     return { ok: false, reason: `unknown sessionKey: ${sessionKey}` };
   }
 
-  const sessionFile =
+  let sessionFile: string;
-    entry.sessionFile?.trim() || resolveSessionTranscriptPath(entry.sessionId, params.agentId);
+  try {
+    sessionFile = resolveSessionFilePath(entry.sessionId, entry, {
+      sessionsDir: path.dirname(storePath),
+    });
+  } catch (err) {
+    return {
+      ok: false,
+      reason: err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err),
+    };
+  }
 
   await ensureSessionHeader({ sessionFile, sessionId: entry.sessionId });
 

src/gateway/server-methods/chat.inject.parentid.test.ts

@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ describe("gateway chat.inject transcript writes", () => {
       return {
         ...original,
         loadSessionEntry: () => ({
-          storePath: "/tmp/store.json",
+          storePath: path.join(dir, "sessions.json"),
           entry: {
             sessionId: "sess-1",
             sessionFile: transcriptPath,

src/gateway/server-methods/chat.ts

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import { resolveAgentTimeoutMs } from "../../agents/timeout.js";
 import { dispatchInboundMessage } from "../../auto-reply/dispatch.js";
 import { createReplyDispatcher } from "../../auto-reply/reply/reply-dispatcher.js";
 import { createReplyPrefixOptions } from "../../channels/reply-prefix.js";
+import { resolveSessionFilePath } from "../../config/sessions.js";
 import { resolveSendPolicy } from "../../sessions/send-policy.js";
 import { INTERNAL_MESSAGE_CHANNEL } from "../../utils/message-channel.js";
 import {
@@ -54,13 +55,19 @@ function resolveTranscriptPath(params: {
   sessionFile?: string;
 }): string | null {
   const { sessionId, storePath, sessionFile } = params;
-  if (sessionFile) {
+  if (!storePath && !sessionFile) {
-    return sessionFile;
+    return null;
-  }
+  }
-  if (!storePath) {
+  try {
+    const sessionsDir = storePath ? path.dirname(storePath) : undefined;
+    return resolveSessionFilePath(
+      sessionId,
+      sessionFile ? { sessionFile } : undefined,
+      sessionsDir ? { sessionsDir } : undefined,
+    );
+  } catch {
     return null;
   }
-  return path.join(path.dirname(storePath), `${sessionId}.jsonl`);
 }
 
 function ensureTranscriptFile(params: { transcriptPath: string; sessionId: string }): {

src/gateway/server-methods/usage.sessions-usage.test.ts

@@ -107,40 +107,73 @@ describe("sessions.usage", () => {
 
   it("resolves store entries by sessionId when queried via discovered agent-prefixed key", async () => {
     const storeKey = "agent:opus:slack:dm:u123";
-    const tempDir = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "openclaw-usage-test-"));
+    const stateDir = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "openclaw-usage-test-"));
-    const sessionFile = path.join(tempDir, "s-opus.jsonl");
+    const previousStateDir = process.env.OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR;
-    fs.writeFileSync(sessionFile, "", "utf-8");
+    process.env.OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR = stateDir;
+
+    try {
+      const agentSessionsDir = path.join(stateDir, "agents", "opus", "sessions");
+      fs.mkdirSync(agentSessionsDir, { recursive: true });
+      const sessionFile = path.join(agentSessionsDir, "s-opus.jsonl");
+      fs.writeFileSync(sessionFile, "", "utf-8");
+      const respond = vi.fn();
+
+      // Swap the store mock for this test: the canonical key differs from the discovered key
+      // but points at the same sessionId.
+      vi.mocked(loadCombinedSessionStoreForGateway).mockReturnValue({
+        storePath: "(multiple)",
+        store: {
+          [storeKey]: {
+            sessionId: "s-opus",
+            sessionFile: "s-opus.jsonl",
+            label: "Named session",
+            updatedAt: 999,
+          },
+        },
+      });
+
+      // Query via discovered key: agent:<id>:<sessionId>
+      await usageHandlers["sessions.usage"]({
+        respond,
+        params: {
+          startDate: "2026-02-01",
+          endDate: "2026-02-02",
+          key: "agent:opus:s-opus",
+          limit: 10,
+        },
+      } as unknown as Parameters<(typeof usageHandlers)["sessions.usage"]>[0]);
+
+      expect(respond).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+      expect(respond.mock.calls[0]?.[0]).toBe(true);
+      const result = respond.mock.calls[0]?.[1] as unknown as { sessions: Array<{ key: string }> };
+      expect(result.sessions).toHaveLength(1);
+      expect(result.sessions[0]?.key).toBe(storeKey);
+    } finally {
+      if (previousStateDir === undefined) {
+        delete process.env.OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR;
+      } else {
+        process.env.OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR = previousStateDir;
+      }
+      fs.rmSync(stateDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("rejects traversal-style keys in specific session usage lookups", async () => {
     const respond = vi.fn();
 
-    // Swap the store mock for this test: the canonical key differs from the discovered key
-    // but points at the same sessionId.
-    vi.mocked(loadCombinedSessionStoreForGateway).mockReturnValue({
-      storePath: "(multiple)",
-      store: {
-        [storeKey]: {
-          sessionId: "s-opus",
-          sessionFile,
-          label: "Named session",
-          updatedAt: 999,
-        },
-      },
-    });
-
-    // Query via discovered key: agent:<id>:<sessionId>
     await usageHandlers["sessions.usage"]({
       respond,
       params: {
         startDate: "2026-02-01",
         endDate: "2026-02-02",
-        key: "agent:opus:s-opus",
+        key: "agent:opus:../../etc/passwd",
         limit: 10,
       },
     } as unknown as Parameters<(typeof usageHandlers)["sessions.usage"]>[0]);
 
     expect(respond).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
-    expect(respond.mock.calls[0]?.[0]).toBe(true);
+    expect(respond.mock.calls[0]?.[0]).toBe(false);
-    const result = respond.mock.calls[0]?.[1] as unknown as { sessions: Array<{ key: string }> };
+    const error = respond.mock.calls[0]?.[2] as { message?: string } | undefined;
-    expect(result.sessions).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(error?.message).toContain("Invalid session reference");
-    expect(result.sessions[0]?.key).toBe(storeKey);
   });
 });

src/gateway/server-methods/usage.ts

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import fs from "node:fs";
+import path from "node:path";
 import type { SessionEntry, SessionSystemPromptReport } from "../../config/sessions/types.js";
 import type {
   CostUsageSummary,
@@ -291,7 +292,7 @@ export const usageHandlers: GatewayRequestHandlers = {
     const specificKey = typeof p.key === "string" ? p.key.trim() : null;
 
     // Load session store for named sessions
-    const { store } = loadCombinedSessionStoreForGateway(config);
+    const { storePath, store } = loadCombinedSessionStoreForGateway(config);
     const now = Date.now();
 
     // Merge discovered sessions with store entries
@@ -331,9 +332,21 @@ export const usageHandlers: GatewayRequestHandlers = {
       const sessionId = storeEntry?.sessionId ?? keyRest;
 
       // Resolve the session file path
-      const sessionFile = resolveSessionFilePath(sessionId, storeEntry, {
+      let sessionFile: string;
-        agentId: agentIdFromKey,
+      try {
-      });
+        const pathOpts =
+          storePath && storePath !== "(multiple)"
+            ? { sessionsDir: path.dirname(storePath) }
+            : { agentId: agentIdFromKey };
+        sessionFile = resolveSessionFilePath(sessionId, storeEntry, pathOpts);
+      } catch {
+        respond(
+          false,
+          undefined,
+          errorShape(ErrorCodes.INVALID_REQUEST, `Invalid session reference: ${specificKey}`),
+        );
+        return;
+      }
 
       try {
         const stats = fs.statSync(sessionFile);
@@ -756,15 +769,25 @@ export const usageHandlers: GatewayRequestHandlers = {
     }
 
     const config = loadConfig();
-    const { entry } = loadSessionEntry(key);
+    const { entry, storePath } = loadSessionEntry(key);
 
     // For discovered sessions (not in store), try using key as sessionId directly
     const parsed = parseAgentSessionKey(key);
     const agentId = parsed?.agentId;
     const rawSessionId = parsed?.rest ?? key;
     const sessionId = entry?.sessionId ?? rawSessionId;
-    const sessionFile =
+    let sessionFile: string;
-      entry?.sessionFile ?? resolveSessionFilePath(rawSessionId, entry, { agentId });
+    try {
+      const pathOpts = storePath ? { sessionsDir: path.dirname(storePath) } : { agentId };
+      sessionFile = resolveSessionFilePath(sessionId, entry, pathOpts);
+    } catch {
+      respond(
+        false,
+        undefined,
+        errorShape(ErrorCodes.INVALID_REQUEST, `Invalid session key: ${key}`),
+      );
+      return;
+    }
 
     const timeseries = await loadSessionUsageTimeSeries({
       sessionId,
@@ -798,15 +821,25 @@ export const usageHandlers: GatewayRequestHandlers = {
         : 200;
 
     const config = loadConfig();
-    const { entry } = loadSessionEntry(key);
+    const { entry, storePath } = loadSessionEntry(key);
 
     // For discovered sessions (not in store), try using key as sessionId directly
     const parsed = parseAgentSessionKey(key);
     const agentId = parsed?.agentId;
     const rawSessionId = parsed?.rest ?? key;
     const sessionId = entry?.sessionId ?? rawSessionId;
-    const sessionFile =
+    let sessionFile: string;
-      entry?.sessionFile ?? resolveSessionFilePath(rawSessionId, entry, { agentId });
+    try {
+      const pathOpts = storePath ? { sessionsDir: path.dirname(storePath) } : { agentId };
+      sessionFile = resolveSessionFilePath(sessionId, entry, pathOpts);
+    } catch {
+      respond(
+        false,
+        undefined,
+        errorShape(ErrorCodes.INVALID_REQUEST, `Invalid session key: ${key}`),
+      );
+      return;
+    }
 
     const { loadSessionLogs } = await import("../../infra/session-cost-usage.js");
     const logs = await loadSessionLogs({

src/gateway/session-utils.fs.test.ts

@@ -507,3 +507,26 @@ describe("resolveSessionTranscriptCandidates", () => {
     );
   });
 });
+
+describe("resolveSessionTranscriptCandidates safety", () => {
+  test("drops unsafe session IDs instead of producing traversal paths", () => {
+    const candidates = resolveSessionTranscriptCandidates(
+      "../etc/passwd",
+      "/tmp/openclaw/agents/main/sessions/sessions.json",
+    );
+
+    expect(candidates).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  test("drops unsafe sessionFile candidates and keeps safe fallbacks", () => {
+    const storePath = "/tmp/openclaw/agents/main/sessions/sessions.json";
+    const candidates = resolveSessionTranscriptCandidates(
+      "sess-safe",
+      storePath,
+      "../../etc/passwd",
+    );
+
+    expect(candidates.some((value) => value.includes("etc/passwd"))).toBe(false);
+    expect(candidates).toContain(path.join(path.dirname(storePath), "sess-safe.jsonl"));
+  });
+});

src/gateway/session-utils.fs.ts

@@ -2,7 +2,11 @@ import fs from "node:fs";
 import os from "node:os";
 import path from "node:path";
 import type { SessionPreviewItem } from "./session-utils.types.js";
-import { resolveSessionTranscriptPath } from "../config/sessions.js";
+import {
+  resolveSessionFilePath,
+  resolveSessionTranscriptPath,
+  resolveSessionTranscriptPathInDir,
+} from "../config/sessions.js";
 import { resolveRequiredHomeDir } from "../infra/home-dir.js";
 import { extractToolCallNames, hasToolCall } from "../utils/transcript-tools.js";
 import { stripEnvelope } from "./chat-sanitize.js";
@@ -61,19 +65,40 @@ export function resolveSessionTranscriptCandidates(
   agentId?: string,
 ): string[] {
   const candidates: string[] = [];
-  if (sessionFile) {
+  const pushCandidate = (resolve: () => string): void => {
-    candidates.push(sessionFile);
+    try {
-  }
+      candidates.push(resolve());
+    } catch {
+      // Ignore invalid paths/IDs and keep scanning other safe candidates.
+    }
+  };
+
   if (storePath) {
-    const dir = path.dirname(storePath);
+    const sessionsDir = path.dirname(storePath);
-    candidates.push(path.join(dir, `${sessionId}.jsonl`));
+    if (sessionFile) {
+      pushCandidate(() => resolveSessionFilePath(sessionId, { sessionFile }, { sessionsDir }));
+    }
+    pushCandidate(() => resolveSessionTranscriptPathInDir(sessionId, sessionsDir));
+  } else if (sessionFile) {
+    if (agentId) {
+      pushCandidate(() => resolveSessionFilePath(sessionId, { sessionFile }, { agentId }));
+    } else {
+      const trimmed = sessionFile.trim();
+      if (trimmed) {
+        candidates.push(path.resolve(trimmed));
+      }
+    }
   }
+
   if (agentId) {
-    candidates.push(resolveSessionTranscriptPath(sessionId, agentId));
+    pushCandidate(() => resolveSessionTranscriptPath(sessionId, agentId));
   }
+
   const home = resolveRequiredHomeDir(process.env, os.homedir);
-  candidates.push(path.join(home, ".openclaw", "sessions", `${sessionId}.jsonl`));
+  const legacyDir = path.join(home, ".openclaw", "sessions");
-  return candidates;
+  pushCandidate(() => resolveSessionTranscriptPathInDir(sessionId, legacyDir));
+
+  return Array.from(new Set(candidates));
 }
 
 export function archiveFileOnDisk(filePath: string, reason: string): string {