openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix [Bug] active-memory plugin causes severe event loop blocking (6853ms max delay) [1 comments, 2 participants]

Bug Description

The active-memory plugin causes severe event loop blocking in OpenClaw, leading to:

• Event loop delays up to 6853ms (max) / 430ms (P99)
• Plugin timeout after 8000ms (before_prompt_build handler from active-memory failed: timed out after 8000ms)
• Model calls triggering failover to backup due to blocked event loop

Environment

• OpenClaw version: v2026.5.4-beta.1
• Node.js version: v25.9.0
• OS: Windows_NT 10.0.26200 (x64)
• RAM: 32GB
• Model: MiniMax-M2.7-highspeed

Symptoms

19:51:34 [diagnostic] liveness warning: reasons=event_loop_delay interval=31s eventLoopDelayP99Ms=430.7 eventLoopDelayMaxMs=6853.5 eventLoopUtilization=0.495 cpuCoreRatio=0.516
19:51:45 [plugins] [hooks] before_prompt_build handler from active-memory failed: timed out after 8000ms
19:51:46 [agent/embedded] embedded run failover decision: runId=active-memory-moskikil-d87cd36f stage=assistant decision=surface_error reason=timeout from=minimax-portal/MiniMax-M2.7-highspeed

Expected Behavior

The event loop should remain responsive (< 100ms delay). The active-memory plugin should complete within its configured timeout without blocking the entire event loop.

Possible Root Cause

The active-memory plugin appears to perform synchronous/blocking operations that prevent the Node.js event loop from processing other tasks. This causes:

1. All async operations to queue up behind the blocked event loop
2. Plugin hooks to timeout
3. Model calls to fail or trigger failover

Impact

• Usability degradation: Commands and responses delayed by 7+ seconds
• Plugin failures: active-memory times out every time it tries to run
• Model failover: Regular triggering of backup models due to blocked primary

Workaround

Disabling the active-memory plugin resolves the issue immediately.