Bug type

Incorrect behavior without a crash

Summary

On a global npm install on macOS, openclaw doctor --fix does not converge the bundled runtime-deps repair for plugin-sdk.

If ~/.openclaw/plugin-runtime-deps/<version>/dist/extensions/node_modules/openclaw/plugin-sdk is moved aside before the repair, doctor --fix recreates that path as a populated directory again instead of a symlink. The gateway can come back up, but the staged runtime-dependency exposure mechanism is still broken.

On Alfred, the gateway only remains operational because @anthropic-ai/vertex-sdk is also manually present in the global package tree under /opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/openclaw/node_modules/.

Steps to reproduce

1. Install OpenClaw as a global npm package on macOS.
2. Confirm this path is a real directory, not a symlink:
   • ~/.openclaw/plugin-runtime-deps/openclaw-2026.4.26-da6bdffc3d96/dist/extensions/node_modules/openclaw/plugin-sdk
3. Stop the gateway:
   • PATH=/opt/homebrew/opt/node/bin:/opt/homebrew/bin:$PATH /opt/homebrew/bin/openclaw gateway stop
4. Move the directory aside:
   • mv ~/.openclaw/plugin-runtime-deps/openclaw-2026.4.26-da6bdffc3d96/dist/extensions/node_modules/openclaw/plugin-sdk ~/.openclaw/plugin-runtime-deps/openclaw-2026.4.26-da6bdffc3d96/dist/extensions/node_modules/openclaw/plugin-sdk.pre-test
5. Run:
   • PATH=/opt/homebrew/opt/node/bin:/opt/homebrew/bin:$PATH /opt/homebrew/bin/openclaw doctor --fix
6. Inspect the same path again.

Expected behavior

One of these should happen:

1. doctor --fix repairs the path to the intended symlink shape, or
2. doctor --fix fails loudly and reports the repair could not be completed.

Actual behavior

doctor --fix completes, repairs/reloads the LaunchAgent, and restarts the gateway, but the same plugin-sdk path is recreated as a populated directory again.

Observed post-repair state on Alfred:

path /Users/alfred/.openclaw/plugin-runtime-deps/openclaw-2026.4.26-da6bdffc3d96/dist/extensions/node_modules/openclaw/plugin-sdk
exists True
is_symlink False
is_dir True
entry_count 316

The gateway is reachable afterward, but the runtime-deps path remains in the wrong shape.

OpenClaw version

2026.4.26

Operating system

macOS

Install method

npm global

Model

anthropic-vertex/claude-sonnet-4-6

Provider / routing chain

anthropic-vertex primary; global npm package plus staged plugin-runtime-deps

Additional provider/model setup details

The install also has a manual workaround for @anthropic-ai/vertex-sdk:

PATH=/opt/homebrew/opt/node/bin:/opt/homebrew/bin:$PATH \
  npm install --prefix /opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/openclaw \
  @anthropic-ai/[email protected]

After the failed repair attempt, these imports still succeed:

cd /opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/openclaw
/opt/homebrew/opt/node/bin/node -e 'import("@anthropic-ai/vertex-sdk").then(() => console.log("vertex_sdk_import_ok"))'
/opt/homebrew/opt/node/bin/node -e 'import("./dist/extensions/anthropic-vertex/stream-runtime.js").then(() => console.log("stream_runtime_import_ok"))'

That suggests the gateway is surviving because the global workaround remains in place, not because the staged runtime-deps path was actually repaired.

Logs, screenshots, and evidence

Gateway stayed healthy after restart:

Runtime: running (pid 62828, state active)
Connectivity probe: ok
Capability: admin-capable

But the post-repair directory shape still failed the intended invariant:

exists True
is_symlink False
is_dir True
entry_count 316

Historical related symptom on the same host before the workaround:

Error [ERR_MODULE_NOT_FOUND]: Cannot find package '@anthropic-ai/vertex-sdk'
imported from /opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/openclaw/dist/extensions/anthropic-vertex/stream-runtime.js

Impact and severity

The repair path does not converge on this install shape. That means:

• the plugin-runtime-deps / plugin-sdk exposure mechanism remains broken after doctor --fix
• operators may think the repair succeeded when it did not
• provider/runtime dependency issues can reappear on future upgrades if the global workaround is not reapplied

Additional information

Environment details from Alfred:

• Global package root: /opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/openclaw
• Node: v25.9.0
• OpenClaw CLI/service command uses /opt/homebrew/opt/node/bin/node

I did not capture the literal ENOTEMPTY line during this latest run. The issue here is the stronger end-state evidence: even after manually clearing the blocking path and running doctor --fix, the path is recreated as a directory rather than the expected symlink.