openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix [bug] launchd-submitted self-update script fails with "env: node: No such file or directory" (npm exit 127) on macOS Homebrew installs [1 comments, 2 participants]

Summary

On macOS where Node is installed via Homebrew, the launchctl submit-based self-update path (e.g. triggered from the Discord channel: "update to 2026.4.27") fails repeatedly with env: node: No such file or directory and npm exit: 127. The submitted job retries forever (I observed runs = 59 before manual intervention), keeps spawning the gateway in a crash loop, and the user is left unable to upgrade.

Environment

• OpenClaw: 2026.4.26 → trying to upgrade to 2026.4.27
• macOS: 26.4.1 (arm64)
• Node: v25.4.0 at /opt/homebrew/bin/node
• npm: /opt/homebrew/bin/npm
• Install: global npm (/opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/openclaw)

Repro

1. Have OpenClaw running under the standard LaunchAgent setup on a Homebrew Mac.
2. Trigger an update via the Discord channel (or anything that goes through the launchctl submit-based updater path).
3. Observe ~/.openclaw/workspace/tmp/update_openclaw_<ver>_launchd.log and launchctl print gui/\$UID/openclaw-update-<ver>.

Root cause

launchctl print gui/\$UID/openclaw-update-2026-4-27 showed: ``` default environment = { PATH => /usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin } ``` The submitted job inherits launchd's minimal default PATH. The script calls /opt/homebrew/bin/npm by absolute path, but npm itself is a Node shim whose shebang resolves Node via env node — which fails because /opt/homebrew/bin (and /opt/homebrew/opt/node/bin) are not in PATH.

Resulting log loop (every ~17s, 59 retries observed): ``` Installing [email protected] via npm... env: node: No such file or directory npm exit: 127 ```

Meanwhile the watchdog kept kickstarting the gateway each iteration, producing a separate crash loop on port 18789.

Suggested fix

In the launchd update script template (update_openclaw_<ver>_launchd.sh), explicitly set PATH at the top, e.g.: ```sh export PATH="/opt/homebrew/bin:/opt/homebrew/opt/node/bin:/usr/local/bin:$PATH" ``` Or invoke node directly: /opt/homebrew/opt/node/bin/node /opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/npm/bin/npm-cli.js install -g openclaw@<ver>.

Either avoids the env node resolution under launchd's minimal PATH. The gateway plist itself is fine — it already pins /opt/homebrew/opt/node/bin/node as ProgramArguments[0]. Only the updater script regressed.

Workaround

Manual upgrade in an interactive shell (where Homebrew PATH is present): ```bash launchctl remove openclaw-update-<ver> # stop the failed loop launchctl bootout gui/$UID/com.openclaw.watchdog # stop the kickstart fight launchctl bootout gui/$UID/ai.openclaw.gateway pkill -9 -f openclaw npm install -g openclaw@latest openclaw doctor --repair --non-interactive launchctl bootstrap gui/$UID ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.openclaw.watchdog.plist launchctl bootstrap gui/$UID ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ai.openclaw.gateway.plist launchctl kickstart -k gui/$UID/ai.openclaw.gateway ```