openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix Bug: `logging.file` config ignored — bundled require("../config/config.js") fails at runtime [2 comments, 3 participants]

openclaw2026-04-02 03:09:53

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openclaw/openclaw#59370•Fetched 2026-04-08 02:24:37

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The logging.file config option in openclaw.json is completely ignored. Logs are always written to the default /tmp/openclaw/openclaw-YYYY-MM-DD.log regardless of what logging.file is set to.

All other config options (models, channels, cron, etc.) load correctly — only logging is affected.

Error Message

$ node -e " const { createRequire } = require("module"); const req = createRequire("file:///.../openclaw/dist/logger-BCzP_yik.js"); req("../config/config.js"); " Error: MODULE_NOT_FOUND Cannot find module "../config/config.js"

Root Cause

In the bundled dist, the logger modules use require("../config/config.js") to load logging config:

// dist/logger-BCzP_yik.js (line 224-232)
const requireConfig$1 = resolveNodeRequireFromMeta(import.meta.url);

function readLoggingConfig() {
    const logging = ((requireConfig$1?.("../config/config.js"))?.loadConfig?.())?.logging;
    // ...
}

However, the Vite build outputs hashed filenames (e.g. dist/config-z_P7MACO.js), so ../config/config.js does not exist:

$ node -e "
  const { createRequire } = require(\"module\");
  const req = createRequire(\"file:///.../openclaw/dist/logger-BCzP_yik.js\");
  req(\"../config/config.js\");
"
Error: MODULE_NOT_FOUND Cannot find module "../config/config.js"

The optional chaining (?.) silently swallows the null return from resolveNodeRequireFromMeta when the require fails, so readLoggingConfig() returns undefined. Then resolveSettings() falls back:

file: cfg?.file ?? defaultRollingPathForToday()
// cfg is undefined → always uses /tmp/openclaw/

This appears to be a build/packaging issue — the config module exists but with a hashed filename that the require path does not account for.

Fix Action

Workaround

Use the default log path at /tmp/openclaw/. No config-based workaround exists since the config is never loaded.

Code Example

// dist/logger-BCzP_yik.js (line 224-232)
const requireConfig$1 = resolveNodeRequireFromMeta(import.meta.url);

function readLoggingConfig() {
    const logging = ((requireConfig$1?.("../config/config.js"))?.loadConfig?.())?.logging;
    // ...
}

---

$ node -e "
  const { createRequire } = require(\"module\");
  const req = createRequire(\"file:///.../openclaw/dist/logger-BCzP_yik.js\");
  req(\"../config/config.js\");
"
Error: MODULE_NOT_FOUND Cannot find module "../config/config.js"

---

file: cfg?.file ?? defaultRollingPathForToday()
// cfg is undefined → always uses /tmp/openclaw/

---

{ "logging": { "file": "/home/user/.openclaw/logs/gateway.log" } }

RAW_BUFFERClick to expand / collapse

Description

The logging.file config option in openclaw.json is completely ignored. Logs are always written to the default /tmp/openclaw/openclaw-YYYY-MM-DD.log regardless of what logging.file is set to.

All other config options (models, channels, cron, etc.) load correctly — only logging is affected.

Root Cause

In the bundled dist, the logger modules use require("../config/config.js") to load logging config:

// dist/logger-BCzP_yik.js (line 224-232)
const requireConfig$1 = resolveNodeRequireFromMeta(import.meta.url);

function readLoggingConfig() {
    const logging = ((requireConfig$1?.("../config/config.js"))?.loadConfig?.())?.logging;
    // ...
}

However, the Vite build outputs hashed filenames (e.g. dist/config-z_P7MACO.js), so ../config/config.js does not exist:

$ node -e "
  const { createRequire } = require(\"module\");
  const req = createRequire(\"file:///.../openclaw/dist/logger-BCzP_yik.js\");
  req(\"../config/config.js\");
"
Error: MODULE_NOT_FOUND Cannot find module "../config/config.js"

file: cfg?.file ?? defaultRollingPathForToday()
// cfg is undefined → always uses /tmp/openclaw/

This appears to be a build/packaging issue — the config module exists but with a hashed filename that the require path does not account for.

Steps to Reproduce

Set logging.file in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:

{ "logging": { "file": "/home/user/.openclaw/logs/gateway.log" } }

Restart gateway: openclaw gateway restart
Observe: logs go to /tmp/openclaw/, not the configured path
Verify: ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.log remains empty

Expected Behavior

Logs should be written to the path specified in logging.file.

Actual Behavior

Logs always go to /tmp/openclaw/openclaw-YYYY-MM-DD.log. The logging.file config is never read.

Environment

OpenClaw: 2026.4.1 (da64a97)
OS: WSL2 (Linux 6.6.87.2-microsoft-standard-WSL2, x64)
Node: v22.22.0
Install method: npm global (npm i -g openclaw)
Config location: ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

Workaround

Use the default log path at /tmp/openclaw/. No config-based workaround exists since the config is never loaded.

Notes

resolveSettings() also appears in logger-BGSZ8m40.js with the same issue — both logger bundles reference ../config/config.js which does not exist in the hashed dist output.
The same requireConfig pattern works elsewhere in the codebase (e.g. subsystem-*.js) but those modules may resolve through a different code path that does not depend on readLoggingConfig().

extent analysis

TL;DR

The issue can be fixed by updating the require path in the logger modules to account for the hashed filenames in the Vite build output.

Guidance

Verify that the config.js file is being generated with a hashed filename in the dist directory.
Update the require path in the logger modules to use a dynamic path that can resolve to the hashed config.js filename.
Consider using a consistent naming convention for the config.js file to avoid issues with hashed filenames.
Review the resolveNodeRequireFromMeta function to ensure it can handle hashed filenames correctly.

Example

// Update the require path to use a dynamic path
const configPath = '../config/config-' + hash + '.js';
const logging = ((requireConfig$1?.(configPath))?.loadConfig?.())?.logging;

Note: The hash variable should be replaced with the actual hash value used in the Vite build output.

Notes

The issue appears to be specific to the logger modules and may not affect other parts of the codebase.
The resolveSettings() function may need to be updated to handle the case where the logging.file config is not loaded correctly.

Recommendation

Apply a workaround by updating the require path in the logger modules to account for the hashed filenames, as this is a build/packaging issue that requires a code change to fix.

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openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix Bug: `logging.file` config ignored — bundled require("../config/config.js") fails at runtime [2 comments, 3 participants]

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openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix Bug: `logging.file` config ignored — bundled require("../config/config.js") fails at runtime [2 comments, 3 participants]

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