diff --git a/internal/agent/loop_compact.go b/internal/agent/loop_compact.go
index 108a00d3..489ceba7 100644
--- a/internal/agent/loop_compact.go
+++ b/internal/agent/loop_compact.go
@@ -10,6 +10,30 @@ import (
 	"github.com/nextlevelbuilder/goclaw/internal/providers"
 )
 
+// compactionSummaryPrompt is the structured summarization instruction used by both
+// mid-loop compaction and background summarization. Matching OpenClaw TS compaction.ts
+// MERGE_SUMMARIES_INSTRUCTIONS + IDENTIFIER_PRESERVATION_INSTRUCTIONS.
+const compactionSummaryPrompt = `Summarize this conversation concisely for the AI agent to resume work.
+
+MUST PRESERVE:
+- Active tasks and their current status (in-progress, blocked, pending)
+- Batch operation progress (e.g., "5/17 items completed")
+- The last thing the user requested and what was being done about it
+- Decisions made and their rationale
+- TODOs, open questions, and constraints
+- Any commitments or follow-ups promised
+
+IDENTIFIER PRESERVATION:
+Preserve all opaque identifiers exactly as written (no shortening or reconstruction),
+including UUIDs, hashes, IDs, tokens, API keys, hostnames, IPs, ports, URLs, and file names.
+
+PRIORITIZE recent context over older history. The agent needs to know
+what it was doing, not just what was discussed.
+
+Conversation to summarize:
+
+`
+
 // compactMessagesInPlace summarizes the first ~70% of messages into a condensed
 // summary, keeping the last ~30% intact. Operates purely on the local messages
 // slice — no session state touched, no locks needed.
@@ -63,7 +87,7 @@ func (l *Loop) compactMessagesInPlace(ctx context.Context, messages []providers.
 	resp, err := l.provider.Chat(sctx, providers.ChatRequest{
 		Messages: []providers.Message{{
 			Role:    "user",
-			Content: "Provide a concise summary of this conversation, preserving key findings, data, and context:\n\n" + sb.String(),
+			Content: compactionSummaryPrompt + sb.String(),
 		}},
 		Model:   l.model,
 		Options: map[string]any{"max_tokens": 1024, "temperature": 0.3},
diff --git a/internal/agent/loop_history.go b/internal/agent/loop_history.go
index 76391540..97629531 100644
--- a/internal/agent/loop_history.go
+++ b/internal/agent/loop_history.go
@@ -617,14 +617,14 @@ func (l *Loop) maybeSummarize(ctx context.Context, sessionKey string) {
 		}
 
 		var prompt strings.Builder
-		prompt.WriteString("Provide a concise summary of this conversation, preserving key context:\n")
+		prompt.WriteString(compactionSummaryPrompt)
 		if len(mediaKinds) > 0 {
 			// Deduplicate and count media types for a compact note.
 			counts := make(map[string]int)
 			for _, k := range mediaKinds {
 				counts[k]++
 			}
-			prompt.WriteString("\nNote: user shared media files (")
+			prompt.WriteString("Note: user shared media files (")
 			first := true
 			for k, n := range counts {
 				if !first {
@@ -633,12 +633,12 @@ func (l *Loop) maybeSummarize(ctx context.Context, sessionKey string) {
 				prompt.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("%d %s(s)", n, k))
 				first = false
 			}
-			prompt.WriteString(") which are no longer in context. Mention briefly if relevant.\n")
+			prompt.WriteString(") which are no longer in context. Mention briefly if relevant.\n\n")
 		}
 		if summary != "" {
-			prompt.WriteString("Existing context: " + summary + "\n")
+			prompt.WriteString("Existing context: " + summary + "\n\n")
 		}
-		prompt.WriteString("\n" + sb.String())
+		prompt.WriteString(sb.String())
 
 		resp, err := l.provider.Chat(sctx, providers.ChatRequest{
 			Messages: []providers.Message{{Role: "user", Content: prompt.String()}},