fix(sessions): pass task as a file, not a giant env var — unbreak the consolidator (v0.265.2)#463
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… consolidator + any large-prompt run (v0.265.2)
LocalSessionBackend inlines every launch env var onto the `tmux new-session`
command line, and tmux hard-caps that command at ~16KB ("command too long").
The consolidator embeds up to 40 episodes/lessons in its task (18–46KB); base64'd
into TASK_B64 it overflowed the cap, so new-session failed silently — no pane, no
transcript, no .log — and the liveness sweep flipped the never-launched row to
`crashed` (~11s, turns=null). Fleet-wide, every headless consolidator run crashed;
only the one small-task run had ever succeeded. Any chat/automation run with a
prompt over ~10KB hit the same wall.
Fix: the task rides as a file (TASK_FILE) like mcp.json/company.md already do, so
the command line stays tiny regardless of task size. claude-launch.sh reads
TASK_FILE and falls back to TASK_B64 for pre-existing resume envs. The uid-isolation
launcher writes the task into the member home and sets TASK_FILE too.
Verified: tmux new-session now succeeds with a 46KB task (previously failed >~16KB);
the real claude-launch.sh UNATTENDED lane reads a 20KB task from TASK_FILE and claude
launches + ingests it (transcript written). typecheck + build + 102/102 governance.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01JVfxDWBcQLbAqJPshB4Ha2
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The bug
The
consolidator(memory gardener) crashed at launch on every tenant — instapods, instawp, expresstech alike (5/5, 6/6, 4/4 over the last week). Each died ~11s in,turns=null, wrote its.company.md/.mcp.jsonbut no transcript and no.log. The consolidation half of the self-learning loop has been silently dead while the Insights UI still read "Reflect ran" (the watermark advances at kickoff).Root cause
LocalSessionBackend.spawnputs every launch env var on thetmux new-sessioncommand line, and tmux hard-caps that command at ~16KB — over it,new-sessionfails withcommand too long. The consolidator embeds up to 40 recent episodes/lessons in its task (18–46KB); base64'd intoTASK_B64it overflowed the cap, sonew-sessionfailed silently: no pane was ever created → no transcript, no.log→ the liveness sweep flipped the never-launchedrunningrow tocrashed.The one consolidator run that ever succeeded had an 8KB task. Confirmed empirically:
new-sessionsucceeds at an 8KB inline env, fails at ≥20KB (command too long). Any chat/automation run with a prompt over ~10KB hit the same wall.The uid-isolation launcher was never affected (it passes env via
systemd-run --setenv, a 1MB ARG_MAX), which is why this only bit the local-mode fleet.Fix
The task now rides as a file (
TASK_FILE) — exactly likemcp.json/company.mdalready do — instead of a giant inline env var, keeping thenew-sessioncommand line tiny regardless of task size:launchClaudeCodewritessession-<id>.task, setsTASK_FILE, and dropsTASK_B64from the launch env.claude-launch.shreadsTASK_FILE, falling back toTASK_B64for pre-existing resume envs.TASK_FILEtoo.Verification
tmux new-sessionnow succeeds with a 46KB task (old inline path failed >~16KB).claude-launch.shUNATTENDED lane reads a 20KB task fromTASK_FILE; claude launches and ingests the full prompt (transcript written) — previously no pane/transcript ever formed.npm run typecheck+npm run build+ 102/102 governance conformance.🤖 Generated with Claude Code