OpenClaw Developer Reports Context Compaction Issues During Driftwatch V3 Build
A developer working on the Driftwatch V3 build with OpenClaw's Bub agent completed three sprints in a single session but encountered significant issues with context management and delegation.
Build Progress and Issues
The developer started sprint 2 with $87 credits and finished in about 15 minutes, but noted an unexpected $10 cost for what was expected to be a quick session. The main problem identified was that Bub "still isn't delegating properly" and has been running everything on Opus 4.6.
During sprint 3, a major issue occurred when "context compaction wiped some of Bub's memory mid-session." After finishing sprint 3, the agent suddenly thought it was halfway through sprint 2 and would have restarted completed work if not caught by the developer.
Workarounds and Solutions
The developer's "end of sprint recaps in my spec template saved us" when compaction hit. By copying and pasting those recaps, the agent was able to get back on track. The developer noted this approach "saved us from possibly losing all the instructions during compaction."
Other debugging techniques mentioned include exporting Telegram chat history and running it through Opus to identify where conversations break down.
Current Status and Next Steps
All planned features for sprints 2-4 have been built, but the site now needs a layout redesign to accommodate new features. The developer plans to QA after layout changes and is sticking with a batch QA approach to reduce back-and-forth and cut costs.
Cost for this session was approximately $30 ($10 per sprint), bringing total spending to around $40 so far.
Key Learnings
- Opus doesn't seem reliable for delegating tasks to sub-agents
- Context compaction remains a problem despite protocols being in place
- Short end-of-sprint summaries built into project specs help recover from memory loss
- Keeping specs in accessible folders prevents instruction loss during compaction
- Bub is "okay with web design, but could be much better with some skills"
The developer expressed frustration with the compaction issue but is prioritizing completing V3 before fixing Bub's configuration problems.
📖 Read the full source: r/openclaw
👀 See Also
Claude Code Opus Fails with Rate Limit Error Despite Available Weekly Capacity
A Claude Max subscriber reports that Claude Code Opus returns 'API Error: Rate limit reached' even though their usage dashboard shows 97% of their weekly 'All models' capacity remains unused. The issue occurs specifically in Claude Code while Opus works normally on claude.ai from the same account.
CEOs Who Think AI Replaces Their Employees Are Just Bad CEOs
CEO Aaron Levie explains 'AI psychosis' — when leaders, detached from real work, see happy-path demos and overestimate agentic tools like Claude Code, ignoring the last mile of production.
Anthropic Claude User Reports Silent Feature Restriction on Paid Account
A paying Claude subscriber reports that shell/bash execution stopped working across all sessions without notification, with restrictions baked into the system prompt at deployment level. The user filed multiple support tickets and appeal forms but received no response while continuing to be billed.
Claude Code v2.1.122 Adds Bedrock Service Tier, Fixes MCP Tool Discovery and Bash Mode
Anthropic's Claude Code CLI v2.1.122 introduces Bedrock service tier selection via environment variable, fixes MCP tool discovery in nonblocking mode, resolves bash mode exit behavior, and patches several Vertex AI / Bedrock integration issues.