openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix [Bug]: `models status --json` can emit auth-profile logs to stdout before JSON in route-first mode [1 comments, 2 participants]

Summary

On OpenClaw 2026.4.25, openclaw models status --json can emit a subsystem log line to stdout before the JSON payload. That makes stdout invalid JSON for automation that expects --json output to be parseable from byte 1.

Observed stdout shape:

[agents/auth-profiles] read anthropic credentials from claude cli keychain
{
  "configPath": "...",
  "agentId": "...",
  ...
}

Environment

• OpenClaw: 2026.4.25
• OS: macOS
• Install kind: global package install
• Relevant local auth shape: Claude CLI credentials are available via macOS keychain.

Reproduction

Run a JSON status command for an agent in a config that has Claude CLI auth/profile state:

openclaw models status --agent <agent-id> --json > status.json
jq . status.json

Actual Result

The command writes this non-JSON line to stdout before the JSON:

[agents/auth-profiles] read anthropic credentials from claude cli keychain

Then the JSON object follows. Tools such as JSON.parse(...) or jq fail when reading stdout directly because stdout does not start with { or [.

Expected Result

When --json is set, stdout should contain only the JSON payload. Informational logs should either be suppressed or routed to stderr.

Diagnostics

The emitted line appears to come from src/agents/cli-credentials.ts:

log.info("read anthropic credentials from claude cli keychain", {
  type: keychainCreds.type,
});

The likely route-first issue is in src/cli/route.ts. It calls applyCliExecutionStartupPresentation(...) with:

routeLogsToStderrOnSuppress: false

For non-routed commands, JSON mode normally calls routeLogsToStderr() so stdout stays clean. In the route-first path, that protection appears to be disabled, so info logs can leak to stdout before route handlers print JSON.

This is source-inspection-based inference plus local reproduction, not a confirmed maintainer diagnosis.

Verified Workarounds

Both of these produced stdout that starts with parseable JSON locally:

OPENCLAW_LOG_LEVEL=silent openclaw models status --agent <agent-id> --json

OPENCLAW_DISABLE_ROUTE_FIRST=1 openclaw models status --agent <agent-id> --json

Suggested Fix

For route-first commands, keep the same stdout-clean behavior as the normal commander/preaction path when JSON output mode is active. Concretely, either:

• let applyCliExecutionStartupPresentation(...) call routeLogsToStderr() for routed --json commands, or
• otherwise suppress/reroute subsystem logs before a routed JSON command prints its payload.

Suggested regression coverage:

• routed models status --json emits parseable JSON from stdout byte 1,
• routed JSON commands route non-payload logs to stderr,
• routed non-JSON commands keep their current console behavior.