openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix [Bug]: bundled plugin runtime-deps don't link openclaw, so Discord/Telegram/etc. crash on 2026.4.22 with 'Cannot find package openclaw' [1 comments, 1 participants]

Bug type

Regression (worked before, now fails)

Beta release blocker

No — workaround below.

Summary

After upgrading to 2026.4.22, bundled channel plugins (Discord, probably others that have moved to external openclaw/plugin-sdk/* imports in this release) crash at startup with:

Cannot find package 'openclaw' imported from
/home/<user>/.openclaw/plugin-runtime-deps/openclaw-2026.4.22-<hash>/dist/extensions/discord/token-D-w3Rigl.js

…and enter auto-restart crashloop (1/10, 2/10, … 10/10).

This is distinct from #70436 / #70462 which fix third-party openclaw plugins install <pkg> flows. The failing codepath here is src/plugins/bundled-runtime-deps.ts (bundled extensions shipped inside the openclaw package itself).

Steps to reproduce

1. Install openclaw 2026.4.22 globally / from AUR / from source, with /usr/lib/openclaw (or equivalent package root) not writable by the service user.
2. Have a Discord channel configured (any other bundled plugin whose bundled .js now does import … from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/…" should reproduce too — Telegram, WhatsApp, Signal have similar patterns in the dist/extensions/*/ output).
3. Start the gateway.
4. Gateway boots but Discord enters crashloop; logs show the Cannot find package 'openclaw' error above.

[discord] [default] starting provider
[discord] [default] channel exited: Cannot find package 'openclaw' imported from .openclaw/plugin-runtime-deps/openclaw-2026.4.22-<hash>/dist/extensions/discord/token-D-w3Rigl.js
[discord] [default] auto-restart attempt 5/10 in 82s

Root cause

src/plugins/bundled-runtime-deps.ts → installBundledRuntimeDeps runs npm install <specs> at an external installRoot (under ~/.openclaw/plugin-runtime-deps/openclaw-<version>-<hash>/). The specs come from collectRuntimeDeps(packageJson) which reads the plugin's package.json (dist/extensions/discord/package.json).

The Discord plugin's package.json does not declare openclaw as a dependency (it's implicit — the plugin ships inside openclaw). But the bundled output files (e.g. token-D-w3Rigl.js, accounts-zcI4mtzH.js, agent-components.runtime-Bu_xCRPb.js) now contain bare external imports from the openclaw/plugin-sdk/* subpath exports (likely introduced as part of the shared helpers consolidation in 2026.4.22).

Result: installRoot/node_modules/ contains all declared deps (@discordjs/voice, @buape/carbon, etc.) but no openclaw entry, so Node.js module resolution fails.

The exact same fix pattern proposed in #70462 applies here too, just in a different file: after the bundled install completes, symlink {installRoot}/node_modules/openclaw → the packageRoot computed by resolveBundledPluginPackageRoot(pluginRoot). resolveExternalBundledRuntimeDepsInstallRoot already computes packageRoot at line 324, so it's already in scope.

Expected behavior

Bundled plugins keep loading after openclaw upgrades without manual intervention.

Actual behavior

Bundled plugin whose bundle references openclaw/plugin-sdk/* crashes on every gateway start until the user manually symlinks.

Workaround (confirmed fixes Discord on 2026.4.22)

ln -s /usr/lib/openclaw \
  ~/.openclaw/plugin-runtime-deps/openclaw-2026.4.22-<hash>/node_modules/openclaw
openclaw gateway restart

The symlink survives until the next openclaw upgrade (new <version>-<hash> directory → empty node_modules again), so it's a temporary unblock, not a fix.

Happy to open a PR

The change is small and localised in ensureBundledPluginRuntimeDeps (or right after installBundledRuntimeDeps returns): after install(...), if installRoot !== packageRoot, ensure {installRoot}/node_modules/openclaw symlinks to packageRoot. Would be good to mirror the test in #70462 but for bundled-runtime-deps.test.ts.

Happy to send a PR if no one else is already on it — just drop a note.

Environment

• OpenClaw 2026.4.22 (commit 00bd2cf)
• Arch Linux, systemd user service, openclaw installed to /usr/lib/openclaw (non-writable by user)
• Node.js 22
• Affected plugin: @openclaw/discord 2026.4.20 (bundled)