different-ai/openwork · error

app.error_compact_empty

Error message

app.error_compact_empty

What it means

createSessionActionsStore's compact action refuses to run session compaction when the current visible message list is empty. Compaction summarizes conversation history, so there is nothing to summarize with zero visible messages. The localized message 'app.error_compact_empty' is thrown before any performance logging or server call is made.

Source

Thrown at apps/app/src/react-app/domains/session/sync/actions-store.ts:652

      parts: [{ type: "text", text }],
      attachments: [],
    });
  }

  async function compactCurrentSession(sessionIdOverride?: string) {
    const c = options.client();
    if (!c) {
      throw new Error(t("app.error_not_connected"));
    }

    const sessionID = (sessionIdOverride ?? options.selectedSessionId() ?? "").trim();
    if (!sessionID) {
      throw new Error(t("app.error_compact_no_session_id"));
    }

    const visible = options.messages();
    if (!visible.length) {
      throw new Error(t("app.error_compact_empty"));
    }

    const model = options.selectedSessionModel();
    const startedAt = perfNow();
    const modelLabel = `${model.providerID}/${model.modelID}`;
    recordPerfLog(options.developerMode(), "session.compact", "start", {
      sessionID,
      messageCount: visible.length,
      model: modelLabel,
      variant: options.sanitizeModelVariantForRef(model, options.modelVariant()) ?? null,
    });

    try {
      await compactSessionTyped(c, sessionID, model, {
        directory: options.runtimeWorkspaceRoot().trim() || options.selectedWorkspaceRoot().trim() || undefined,
      });
      finishPerf(options.developerMode(), "session.compact", "done", startedAt, {
        sessionID,

View on GitHub (pinned to 2b7df46e8a)

Solutions

1. Ensure at least one visible message exists before invoking compact; disable the compact UI affordance when messages().length === 0.
2. Check the messages() selector — visibility filters may be hiding messages that actually exist; fix the filter or session id.
3. Wrap the compact call in try/catch and surface the localized message to the user instead of crashing.

Example fix

// before: await actions.compactSession(sessionID) | // after: if (actions.messages().length > 0) { await actions.compactSession(sessionID) }

const visible = actions.messages(); if (visible.length === 0) { return; } await actions.compactSession(sessionID);

try { await actions.compactSession(sessionID); } catch (e) { if (e.message.includes('compact')) { showToast(t('app.error_compact_empty')); } else { throw e; } }

When it happens

Trigger: Calling the compact session action (via createSessionActionsStore) while options.messages() returns an empty array — e.g. compacting a brand-new session before the first message is sent, or after all messages were filtered out as invisible.

Common situations: A UI compact button enabled on a fresh/empty chat; messages cleared or pruned by a filter but compact invoked from a stale menu; automated scripts compacting a session id that resolved to no visible messages.

Related errors

• Cannot create a task without a selected workspace.
• app.error_not_connected
• app.error_compact_no_session_id
• invalid_session_payload
• Unknown error

AI-assisted analysis of different-ai/openwork@2b7df46e8a (2026-09-01). Data as JSON: /api/errors/c321a32b5612cd9b. Report an issue: GitHub.