openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix [Bug]: CLI Local Commands Hang Indefinitely in OpenClaw 4.5 [1 participants]

TL;DR

The most likely fix is to address the issue with child processes failing to close active handles in the OpenClaw 2026.4.5 version.

Guidance

• Investigate the changes made between OpenClaw versions 2026.4.4 and 2026.4.5 to identify the cause of the child process handle closure issue.
• Verify that the problem is indeed related to the child process (openclaw-skills) by checking the process tree and active handles using commands like ps aux | grep openclaw and node -e "console.log(process._getActiveHandles().length)".
• Consider downgrading to version 2026.4.4 as a temporary workaround, given that it is identified as the last known good version.
• Review the Node.js event loop documentation to understand how active handles can prevent the process from exiting and explore potential solutions to close these handles properly.

Example

No specific code example can be provided without more details on the OpenClaw codebase, but ensuring that all child processes and sockets are properly closed after use is crucial. For instance, in a typical Node.js context, you might use childProcess.kill() or socket.destroy() to close resources, but the exact implementation depends on the OpenClaw code.

Notes

The issue seems to be specific to the OpenClaw 2026.4.5 version on Linux/WSL2, and the root cause is identified as the failure of child processes to close active handles. However, without access to the OpenClaw codebase, providing a precise fix is challenging.

Recommendation

Apply the workaround by using the Gateway Web UI or RPC-based commands until a fix for the child process handle closure issue in OpenClaw 2026.4.5 is available, as this version causes significant resource exhaustion and blocks CLI functionality.