diff --git a/src/auto-reply/reply/session-fork.runtime.test.ts b/src/auto-reply/reply/session-fork.runtime.test.ts
index 8de70911d75..6989dd96594 100644
--- a/src/auto-reply/reply/session-fork.runtime.test.ts
+++ b/src/auto-reply/reply/session-fork.runtime.test.ts
@@ -319,16 +319,14 @@ describe("forkSessionFromParentRuntime", () => {
     if (fork === null) {
       throw new Error("Expected forked session");
     }
-    const agentSessionsDir = path.join(root, "agents", "main", "sessions");
     expect(fork.sessionFile).toBe(fork.sessionId);
     expect(fork.sessionId).not.toBe(parentSessionId);
     const forkedEntries = readTranscript("main", fork.sessionId) as Array<Record<string, unknown>>;
-    const resolvedParentSessionFile = path.join(agentSessionsDir, `${parentSessionId}.jsonl`);
     expect(forkedEntries[0]).toMatchObject({
       type: "session",
       id: fork.sessionId,
       cwd,
-      parentSession: resolvedParentSessionFile,
+      parentSession: path.resolve(parentSessionFile),
     });
     expect(forkedEntries.map((entry) => entry.type)).toEqual([
       "session",
@@ -377,17 +375,10 @@ describe("forkSessionFromParentRuntime", () => {
     }
     const entries = readTranscript("main", fork.sessionId) as Array<Record<string, unknown>>;
     expect(entries).toHaveLength(1);
-    const resolvedParentSessionFile = path.join(
-      root,
-      "agents",
-      "main",
-      "sessions",
-      `${parentSessionId}.jsonl`,
-    );
     expect(entries[0]).toMatchObject({
       type: "session",
       id: fork.sessionId,
-      parentSession: resolvedParentSessionFile,
+      parentSession: path.resolve(parentSessionFile),
     });
   });
 });
diff --git a/src/auto-reply/reply/session-fork.runtime.ts b/src/auto-reply/reply/session-fork.runtime.ts
index d256075fb0e..a9628c8c3e1 100644
--- a/src/auto-reply/reply/session-fork.runtime.ts
+++ b/src/auto-reply/reply/session-fork.runtime.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import crypto from "node:crypto";
+import path from "node:path";
 import {
   CURRENT_SESSION_VERSION,
   migrateSessionEntries,
@@ -54,11 +55,7 @@ async function estimateParentTranscriptTokensFromSqlite(params: {
   agentId: string;
 }): Promise<number | undefined> {
   try {
-    const filePath = resolveSessionFilePath(
-      params.parentEntry.sessionId,
-      params.parentEntry,
-      resolveSessionFilePathOptions({ agentId: params.agentId }),
-    );
+    const filePath = resolveForkParentSessionFile(params.parentEntry, params.agentId);
     const scope = resolveSqliteSessionTranscriptScope({
       agentId: params.agentId,
       sessionId: params.parentEntry.sessionId,
@@ -77,6 +74,18 @@ async function estimateParentTranscriptTokensFromSqlite(params: {
   }
 }
 
+function resolveForkParentSessionFile(parentEntry: StoreSessionEntry, agentId: string): string {
+  const sessionFile = parentEntry.sessionFile?.trim();
+  if (sessionFile && path.isAbsolute(sessionFile)) {
+    return path.resolve(sessionFile);
+  }
+  return resolveSessionFilePath(
+    parentEntry.sessionId,
+    parentEntry,
+    resolveSessionFilePathOptions({ agentId }),
+  );
+}
+
 export async function resolveParentForkTokenCountRuntime(params: {
   parentEntry: StoreSessionEntry;
   agentId: string;
@@ -298,11 +307,7 @@ export async function forkSessionFromParentRuntime(params: {
   parentEntry: StoreSessionEntry;
   agentId: string;
 }): Promise<{ sessionId: string; sessionFile: string } | null> {
-  const parentSessionFile = resolveSessionFilePath(
-    params.parentEntry.sessionId,
-    params.parentEntry,
-    { agentId: params.agentId },
-  );
+  const parentSessionFile = resolveForkParentSessionFile(params.parentEntry, params.agentId);
   if (!parentSessionFile) {
     return null;
   }
diff --git a/src/auto-reply/reply/session.test.ts b/src/auto-reply/reply/session.test.ts
index 5bd874aab5c..7678f3dda8f 100644
--- a/src/auto-reply/reply/session.test.ts
+++ b/src/auto-reply/reply/session.test.ts
@@ -119,9 +119,7 @@ afterAll(async () => {
 async function makeCaseDir(prefix: string): Promise<string> {
   const stateDir = path.join(suiteRoot, `${prefix}${++suiteCase}`);
   vi.stubEnv("OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR", stateDir);
-  const sessionsDir = path.join(stateDir, "agents", "main", "sessions");
-  await fs.mkdir(sessionsDir, { recursive: true });
-  return sessionsDir;
+  return path.join(stateDir, "transcript-fixtures", "main");
 }
 
 type TestSessionRowsTarget = {
@@ -353,11 +351,10 @@ describe("initSessionState thread forking", () => {
   it("forks a new session from the parent session file", async () => {
     const warn = vi.spyOn(console, "warn").mockImplementation(() => {});
     const root = await makeCaseDir("openclaw-thread-session-");
-    const sessionsDir = path.join(root, "sessions");
-    await fs.mkdir(sessionsDir);
+    const transcriptDir = path.join(root, "thread-transcripts");
 
     const parentSessionId = "parent-session";
-    const parentSessionFile = path.join(sessionsDir, "parent.jsonl");
+    const parentSessionFile = path.join(transcriptDir, "parent.jsonl");
     const header = {
       type: "session",
       version: 3,
@@ -438,11 +435,10 @@ describe("initSessionState thread forking", () => {
   it("forks from parent when thread session key already exists but was not forked yet", async () => {
     const warn = vi.spyOn(console, "warn").mockImplementation(() => {});
     const root = await makeCaseDir("openclaw-thread-session-existing-");
-    const sessionsDir = path.join(root, "sessions");
-    await fs.mkdir(sessionsDir);
+    const transcriptDir = path.join(root, "thread-transcripts");
 
     const parentSessionId = "parent-session";
-    const parentSessionFile = path.join(sessionsDir, "parent.jsonl");
+    const parentSessionFile = path.join(transcriptDir, "parent.jsonl");
     const header = {
       type: "session",
       version: 3,
@@ -520,11 +516,10 @@ describe("initSessionState thread forking", () => {
 
   it("skips fork and creates fresh session when parent tokens exceed threshold", async () => {
     const root = await makeCaseDir("openclaw-thread-session-overflow-");
-    const sessionsDir = path.join(root, "sessions");
-    await fs.mkdir(sessionsDir);
+    const transcriptDir = path.join(root, "thread-transcripts");
 
     const parentSessionId = "parent-overflow";
-    const parentSessionFile = path.join(sessionsDir, "parent.jsonl");
+    const parentSessionFile = path.join(transcriptDir, "parent.jsonl");
     const header = {
       type: "session",
       version: 3,
@@ -590,11 +585,10 @@ describe("initSessionState thread forking", () => {
 
   it("skips fork when resolved parent token estimate exceeds threshold", async () => {
     const root = await makeCaseDir("openclaw-thread-session-overflow-estimated-");
-    const sessionsDir = path.join(root, "sessions");
-    await fs.mkdir(sessionsDir);
+    const transcriptDir = path.join(root, "thread-transcripts");
 
     const parentSessionId = "parent-overflow-estimated";
-    const parentSessionFile = path.join(sessionsDir, "parent.jsonl");
+    const parentSessionFile = path.join(transcriptDir, "parent.jsonl");
     replaceSqliteSessionTranscriptEvents({
       agentId: "main",
       sessionId: parentSessionId,
@@ -1244,15 +1238,13 @@ describe("initSessionState RawBody", () => {
 
   it("uses the default per-agent sessions store when config store is unset", async () => {
     const root = await makeCaseDir("openclaw-session-store-default-");
-    const stateDir = path.join(root, ".openclaw");
+    const stateDir = path.dirname(path.dirname(root));
     const agentId = "worker1";
     const sessionKey = `agent:${agentId}:telegram:12345`;
     const sessionId = "sess-worker-1";
-    const sessionFile = path.join(stateDir, "agents", agentId, "sessions", `${sessionId}.jsonl`);
-    const sessionRowsTarget = createSessionRowsTargetFromSessionsDir(
-      path.join(stateDir, "agents", agentId, "sessions"),
-      agentId,
-    );
+    const transcriptDir = path.join(stateDir, "transcript-fixtures", agentId);
+    const sessionFile = path.join(transcriptDir, `${sessionId}.jsonl`);
+    const sessionRowsTarget = createSessionRowsTargetFromSessionsDir(transcriptDir, agentId);
 
     vi.stubEnv("OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR", stateDir);
     try {
diff --git a/src/config/sessions/session-file.ts b/src/config/sessions/session-file.ts
index 1ae682c93aa..d630579bae5 100644
--- a/src/config/sessions/session-file.ts
+++ b/src/config/sessions/session-file.ts
@@ -33,13 +33,16 @@ export async function resolveAndPersistSessionFile(params: {
     : !baseEntry.sessionFile && fallbackSessionFile
       ? { ...baseEntry, sessionFile: fallbackSessionFile }
       : baseEntry;
+  const entrySessionFile = entryForResolve.sessionFile?.trim();
   const sessionFile =
-    fallbackSessionFile && !params.sessionsDir
-      ? path.resolve(fallbackSessionFile)
-      : resolveSessionFilePath(sessionId, entryForResolve, {
-          agentId: params.agentId,
-          sessionsDir: params.sessionsDir,
-        });
+    !params.sessionsDir && entrySessionFile && path.isAbsolute(entrySessionFile)
+      ? path.resolve(entrySessionFile)
+      : fallbackSessionFile && !params.sessionsDir
+        ? path.resolve(fallbackSessionFile)
+        : resolveSessionFilePath(sessionId, entryForResolve, {
+            agentId: params.agentId,
+            sessionsDir: params.sessionsDir,
+          });
   const persistedEntry: SessionEntry = {
     ...baseEntry,
     sessionId,