openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix [Bug]: 2026.5.27 npm install calls itself pnpm [1 pull requests]

Bug type

Behavior bug

Beta release blocker

No

Summary

On a Raspberry Pi global npm install, openclaw status reports Update as pnpm and checks for a missing pnpm lockfile.

Steps to reproduce

1. Install OpenClaw 2026.5.27 globally with npm under a user prefix.
2. Confirm the CLI comes from that npm global prefix.
3. Run:

openclaw status

1. Run:

openclaw status --json | jq '.update'

Expected behavior

The status output should report the install as npm, or at least avoid checking the npm package install against a missing pnpm lockfile.

Actual behavior

The install is under the npm global package root and includes npm-shrinkwrap.json, but openclaw status reports Update as pnpm and looks for pnpm-lock.yaml.

OpenClaw version

2026.5.27 (27ae826)

Operating system

Debian GNU/Linux 13 (trixie), Linux 6.18.29+rpt-rpi-2712 arm64, Node v22.22.2

Install method

Global npm install under ~/.npm-global, with the Gateway running as a systemd user service.

Model

No model call is involved in this repro. The live Pi default agent model is zai/glm-5-turbo.

Provider / routing chain

No provider request is made. The repro is status-only:

global npm openclaw package -> openclaw status

Additional provider/model setup details

The status bug is independent of model routing. The Pi uses Z.AI for Pi agent turns. OpenRouter is only used for OpenAI-compatible memory embeddings on this install.

Logs, screenshots, and evidence

Version, host, and CLI path:

$ hostname
<pi-host>

$ lsb_release -ds
Debian GNU/Linux 13 (trixie)

$ node -v
v22.22.2

$ command -v openclaw
~/.npm-global/bin/openclaw

$ openclaw --version
OpenClaw 2026.5.27 (27ae826)

openclaw status shows Update as pnpm:

OpenClaw status

Overview
Item    Value
OS      linux 6.18.29+rpt-rpi-2712 (arm64) / node 22.22.2
Update  pnpm
Gateway systemd user installed / enabled / running

The JSON status points at the npm package root but still selects pnpm:

{
  "root": "~/.npm-global/lib/node_modules/openclaw",
  "installKind": "package",
  "packageManager": "pnpm",
  "deps": {
    "manager": "pnpm",
    "status": "unknown",
    "lockfilePath": "~/.npm-global/lib/node_modules/openclaw/pnpm-lock.yaml",
    "markerPath": "~/.npm-global/lib/node_modules/openclaw/node_modules/.modules.yaml",
    "reason": "lockfile missing"
  },
  "registry": {
    "latestVersion": "2026.5.27",
    "tag": "latest"
  }
}

The install evidence points to npm:

$ npm prefix -g
~/.npm-global

$ npm root -g
~/.npm-global/lib/node_modules

$ readlink -f ~/.npm-global/bin/openclaw
~/.npm-global/lib/node_modules/openclaw/openclaw.mjs

$ ls ~/.npm-global/lib/node_modules/openclaw/npm-shrinkwrap.json
~/.npm-global/lib/node_modules/openclaw/npm-shrinkwrap.json

$ test -f ~/.npm-global/lib/node_modules/openclaw/pnpm-lock.yaml && echo yes || echo no
no

The published package also carries a build-time package-manager field:

$ node -e 'const p=require(process.env.HOME+"/.npm-global/lib/node_modules/openclaw/package.json"); console.log(p.packageManager);'
[email protected]+sha512.36e6621fad506178936455e70247b8808ef4ec25797a9f437a93281a020484e2607f6a469a22e982987c3dbb8866e3071514ab10a4a1749e06edcd1ec118436f

Impact and severity

Low for runtime behavior, medium for operations. The service is running, but the status output points operators at the wrong package manager and a missing lockfile that should not exist on this npm install.

Additional information

This looks like an OpenClaw bug rather than a local deployment issue because the command path, package root, and package lockfile all point to npm while OpenClaw reports pnpm.