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openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix [Bug]: ERR_UNSUPPORTED_ESM_URL_SCHEME on Windows non-C drives (E:, D:, etc.) [1 participants]

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openclaw/openclaw#62502•Fetched 2026-04-08 03:03:26
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Dynamic import fails with ERR_UNSUPPORTED_ESM_URL_SCHEME when the project is installed on a non-system drive (e.g., E:)

Error Message

  1. Observe the crash with error: Error [ERR_UNSUPPORTED_ESM_URL_SCHEME]: Only URLs with a scheme in: file, data, and node are supported. Received protocol 'e:' The process fails with Error [ERR_UNSUPPORTED_ESM_URL_SCHEME]: Only URLs with a scheme in: file, data, and node are supported. The console output specifically cites: Received protocol 'e:'. Severity: Critical / Workflow Blocker. The application cannot initialize. It is not a cosmetic or minor issue; it is a fatal error that prevents the CLI from executing its core functions. Frequency: Always. The crash is deterministic. Every time a command requiring dynamic module loading (like onboard) is executed from a non-C drive, the protocol error occurs without exception.

Root Cause

Dynamic import fails with ERR_UNSUPPORTED_ESM_URL_SCHEME when the project is installed on a non-system drive (e.g., E:)

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Bug type

Regression (worked before, now fails)

Beta release blocker

No

Summary

Dynamic import fails with ERR_UNSUPPORTED_ESM_URL_SCHEME when the project is installed on a non-system drive (e.g., E:)

Steps to reproduce

  1. Install openclaw on a non-system drive (e.g., E:). npm install -g openclaw@@latest [email protected]
  2. Run npx openclaw onboard. openclaw onboard --install-daemon
  3. Observe the crash with error: Error [ERR_UNSUPPORTED_ESM_URL_SCHEME]: Only URLs with a scheme in: file, data, and node are supported. Received protocol 'e:'

Expected behavior

In 2026.4.5, the onboard process should complete successfully, as it did in previous versions (for example 2026.4.2) that handled absolute Windows paths correctly.

Actual behavior

The process fails with Error [ERR_UNSUPPORTED_ESM_URL_SCHEME]: Only URLs with a scheme in: file, data, and node are supported. The console output specifically cites: Received protocol 'e:'.

OpenClaw version

2026.4.5

Operating system

Windows 11

Install method

npm/pnpm global(non-C drives)

Model

OpenClaw (Latest [email protected])

Provider / routing chain

CLI Input -> Node.js ESM Loader -> Dynamic import() call -> Windows Local File System (E:...)

Additional provider/model setup details

No response

Logs, screenshots, and evidence

Impact and severity

Affected users/systems/channels: Windows users who have installed Node.js or the openclaw package on any non-system drive (e.g., D:, E:, F:). This specifically affects the Node.js ESM Loader environment on the Windows platform. Severity: Critical / Workflow Blocker. The application cannot initialize. It is not a cosmetic or minor issue; it is a fatal error that prevents the CLI from executing its core functions. Frequency: Always. The crash is deterministic. Every time a command requiring dynamic module loading (like onboard) is executed from a non-C drive, the protocol error occurs without exception. Consequence: Failed onboarding and total service unavailability. Users are unable to complete the initial setup, rendering the tool completely unusable for the affected demographic. This results in significant time loss for users attempting to troubleshoot environment-level path issues.

Additional information

Last known good version is 2026.4.5

extent analysis

TL;DR

The most likely fix is to update the dynamic import URL scheme to handle absolute Windows paths correctly, specifically for non-system drives.

Guidance

  • Verify that the issue is indeed caused by the ERR_UNSUPPORTED_ESM_URL_SCHEME error when running the openclaw onboard command from a non-system drive.
  • Check if the openclaw package is using the correct URL scheme for dynamic imports, and consider updating the package to handle absolute Windows paths.
  • Consider using a workaround, such as installing the openclaw package on the system drive (e.g., C:) or using a different package version that handles non-system drives correctly.
  • Investigate the Node.js ESM Loader configuration to see if there are any settings that can be adjusted to handle non-system drives.

Example

No code snippet is provided as the issue does not contain enough information to create a specific example.

Notes

The issue seems to be specific to the openclaw package version 2026.4.5 and Windows 11, and may not affect other versions or operating systems.

Recommendation

Apply workaround: Install the openclaw package on the system drive (e.g., C:) until a fixed version is available, as this is a critical and deterministic issue that prevents the application from initializing.

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FAQ

Expected behavior

In 2026.4.5, the onboard process should complete successfully, as it did in previous versions (for example 2026.4.2) that handled absolute Windows paths correctly.

#GPU compatibility#latency issue#model loading#dependency error#configuration error

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openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix [Bug]: ERR_UNSUPPORTED_ESM_URL_SCHEME on Windows non-C drives (E:, D:, etc.) [1 participants]