diff --git a/integrations/openclaw/__tests__/e2e/test_sessionCapture.ts b/integrations/openclaw/__tests__/e2e/test_sessionCapture.ts
index 21911c17..454916f6 100644
--- a/integrations/openclaw/__tests__/e2e/test_sessionCapture.ts
+++ b/integrations/openclaw/__tests__/e2e/test_sessionCapture.ts
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ function resetMockImplementations(): void {
 
 type HookHandler = (event: unknown, ctx: unknown) => Promise<unknown> | unknown;
 
-function createApi() {
+function createApi(pluginConfig: Record<string, unknown> = {}) {
   const handlers = new Map<string, HookHandler[]>();
   const api = {
     id: "cognee-openclaw",
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ function createApi() {
       enableSessions: true,
       captureSession: true,
       datasetName: "testds",
+      ...pluginConfig,
     },
     runtime: {},
     logger: { info: jest.fn(), warn: jest.fn(), debug: jest.fn() },
@@ -189,6 +190,26 @@ describe("session capture (traces + QA)", () => {
 });
 
 describe("session_end final chain", () => {
+  it("does not persist clean or crashed sessions when persistence is disabled", async () => {
+    const { emit } = createApi({ persistSessionsAfterEnd: false });
+
+    await emit("gateway_start", { port: 1 }, {});
+    await flush();
+    await emit("before_prompt_build", { prompt: "hello there" }, { agentId: "will", sessionId: "s1" });
+    await flush();
+
+    expect(spawnExitWatcher).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.objectContaining({
+      datasetName: undefined,
+      cogneeSessionId: undefined,
+    }));
+
+    await emit("session_end", { sessionId: "s1", messageCount: 1 }, { agentId: "will", sessionId: "s1" });
+    await flush(30);
+
+    expect(mockImprove).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(mockUnregisterAgent).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ agentSessionName: "s1-will" });
+  });
+
   it("improves before unregistering and returns without blocking", async () => {
     const { emit } = createApi();
 
diff --git a/integrations/openclaw/src/plugin.ts b/integrations/openclaw/src/plugin.ts
index e12f207a..99f31509 100644
--- a/integrations/openclaw/src/plugin.ts
+++ b/integrations/openclaw/src/plugin.ts
@@ -1474,11 +1474,11 @@ const memoryCogneePlugin = {
               baseUrl: cfg.baseUrl,
               apiKey: resolvedApiKey || cfg.apiKey,
               pidfilePath: exitWatcherPidfilePath(agentSessionName),
-              // On unclean gateway death, bridge this session's cache into the
-              // graph before unregistering. The gateway anchor watcher has no
-              // session and stays unregister-only.
-              datasetName: captureDatasetName(ctx.agentId),
-              cogneeSessionId: cogneeSessionId(ctx.sessionId),
+              // On unclean gateway death, bridge this session's cache only when
+              // session persistence is enabled. The gateway anchor watcher has
+              // no session and stays unregister-only.
+              datasetName: cfg.persistSessionsAfterEnd ? captureDatasetName(ctx.agentId) : undefined,
+              cogneeSessionId: cfg.persistSessionsAfterEnd ? cogneeSessionId(ctx.sessionId) : undefined,
               logger: api.logger,
             }).catch(() => {});
           } catch (e: unknown) {
@@ -1985,7 +1985,7 @@ const memoryCogneePlugin = {
         // into THIS session's agent dataset. Must complete BEFORE unregister:
         // unregister can drop activeAgents to 0 and, in COGNEE_AGENT_MODE,
         // shut the server down mid-pipeline.
-        if (cfg.improveOnSessionEnd && endSessionId) {
+        if (cfg.persistSessionsAfterEnd && cfg.improveOnSessionEnd && endSessionId) {
           // Let this session's in-flight capture writes land first; improve
           // only bridges what is already in the session cache.
           await awaitPendingStores(endSessionId);