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openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix Bug: hal-startup hook timers can block lifecycle closure [1 comments, 1 participants]

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openclaw/openclaw#71688•Fetched 2026-04-26 05:09:47
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The internal startup hook hal-startup scheduled delayed and periodic timers without calling unref(). In lifecycle paths where completion depends on event-loop quiescence, this can keep hook execution alive and block task/hook closure semantics even after user-visible work is complete.

Root Cause

The internal startup hook hal-startup scheduled delayed and periodic timers without calling unref(). In lifecycle paths where completion depends on event-loop quiescence, this can keep hook execution alive and block task/hook closure semantics even after user-visible work is complete.

Code Example

[hal-startup] Startup message delivered
(Observed alongside closure-blocking behaviour before timer unref fix)
RAW_BUFFERClick to expand / collapse

Reporting Agent: GitHub Copilot Session ID: platform-infra-2026-04-25 Component: gateway/hooks Severity: High

Description

The internal startup hook hal-startup scheduled delayed and periodic timers without calling unref(). In lifecycle paths where completion depends on event-loop quiescence, this can keep hook execution alive and block task/hook closure semantics even after user-visible work is complete.

Reproducible Steps

  1. Enable the internal hal-startup hook.
  2. Restart the gateway.
  3. Observe hook schedules a perpetual setInterval and delayed setTimeouts.
  4. In closure-sensitive paths, completion can remain blocked despite requirements being met.

Expected Behaviour

Startup hook runs and exits without retaining references that block lifecycle closure.

Actual Behaviour

Hook uses referenced timers, which can hold event loop activity and interfere with clean closure.

Environment

  • OS: Linux (xps15-9520)
  • OpenClaw version: 2026.4.23 (a979721)
  • Branch/channel: main

Logs / Stack Trace

<details> <summary>Click to expand</summary> 
[hal-startup] Startup message delivered
(Observed alongside closure-blocking behaviour before timer unref fix)
</details>

Suggested Fix (optional)

In hooks/hal-startup/handler.ts, call unref() on the delayed setTimeout handles and the long-running setInterval handle.

extent analysis

TL;DR

Call unref() on the delayed setTimeout handles and the long-running setInterval handle in the hal-startup hook to prevent blocking lifecycle closure.

Guidance

  • Review the handler.ts file in the hooks/hal-startup directory to locate the creation of setTimeout and setInterval timers.
  • Verify that unref() is called on these timer handles to prevent them from keeping the event loop active.
  • Test the fix by restarting the gateway and observing whether the hook execution completes without blocking lifecycle closure.
  • Consider adding logging or debugging statements to monitor the behavior of the hal-startup hook and verify that the fix is effective.

Example

// In handler.ts
const timeoutId = setTimeout(() => {
  // handler code
}, 1000);
timeoutId.unref(); // Add this line to unref the timeout handle

const intervalId = setInterval(() => {
  // handler code
}, 1000);
intervalId.unref(); // Add this line to unref the interval handle

Notes

This fix assumes that the unref() method is available and correctly implemented for the timer handles. If issues persist, further debugging may be necessary to identify other potential causes of blocked lifecycle closure.

Recommendation

Apply the suggested fix by calling unref() on the timer handles, as this directly addresses the identified cause of the problem and is a targeted solution.

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openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix Bug: hal-startup hook timers can block lifecycle closure [1 comments, 1 participants]