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openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix [Bug]: Slack channel crashes on startup — ws module missing from plugin-runtime-deps [3 comments, 3 participants]

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openclaw/openclaw#75952•Fetched 2026-05-03 04:43:59
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jamaspolijamaspoli
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clawsweeper[bot]clawsweeper[bot]jamaspolijamaspolisteipetesteipete
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On openclaw-2026.4.27, the Slack channel exits immediately on every startup attempt with Cannot find module ...ws/index.js because the ws package is absent from the plugin-runtime-deps directory, triggering a repeated auto-restart loop that ends in gateway crash.

Root Cause

On openclaw-2026.4.27, the Slack channel exits immediately on every startup attempt with Cannot find module ...ws/index.js because the ws package is absent from the plugin-runtime-deps directory, triggering a repeated auto-restart loop that ends in gateway crash.

Fix Action

Fix / Workaround

The gateway startup log lists only chokidar@^5.0.0 as the single missing dep across 8 install specs — ws is not included. The ws directory is absent from plugin-runtime-deps. No last-known-good version is available from the evidence. No workaround observed.

Code Example

14:29:46 [gateway] [plugins] staging bundled runtime deps before gateway startup (1 missing, 8 install specs):
  chokidar@^5.0.0
  14:30:19 [gateway] [plugins] installed bundled runtime deps before gateway startup in 33013ms: chokidar@^5.0.0
  14:30:38 [slack] [default] starting provider
  14:30:39 [slack] [default] channel exited: Cannot find module 'C:\Users\R.
  Edison\.openclaw\plugin-runtime-deps\openclaw-2026.4.27-303c9b6533c1\node_modules\ws\index.js'
  14:30:39 [slack] [default] auto-restart attempt 1/10 in 5s
  14:30:44 [slack] [default] starting provider
  14:30:44 [slack] [default] channel exited: Cannot find module 'C:\Users\R.
  Edison\.openclaw\plugin-runtime-deps\openclaw-2026.4.27-303c9b6533c1\node_modules\ws\index.js'
  14:30:44 [slack] [default] auto-restart attempt 2/10 in 11s
RAW_BUFFERClick to expand / collapse

Bug type

Crash (process/app exits or hangs)

Beta release blocker

No

Summary

On openclaw-2026.4.27, the Slack channel exits immediately on every startup attempt with Cannot find module ...ws/index.js because the ws package is absent from the plugin-runtime-deps directory, triggering a repeated auto-restart loop that ends in gateway crash.

Steps to reproduce

  1. Install openclaw-2026.4.27 on Windows 11.
  2. Configure a Slack channel with default provider.
  3. Start the gateway.
  4. Observe the Slack channel exit immediately on startup; observe auto-restart loop beginning at attempt 1/10.

Expected behavior

The Slack channel should start successfully. ws should be included in the bundled runtime dep install specs (as chokidar is) so it is present under plugin-runtime-deps before channels start.

Actual behavior

The Slack channel exits immediately with: Cannot find module 'C:\Users<user>.openclaw\plugin-runtime-deps\openclaw-2026.4.27-303c9b6533c1\node_modules\ws\index.js' The gateway log shows auto-restart attempts at increasing intervals (attempt 1/10 at 5s, attempt 2/10 at 11s, etc.). The gateway eventually crashes after retries are exhausted.

OpenClaw version

2026.4.27-303c9b6533c1

Operating system

Windows 11

Install method

No response

Model

anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6

Provider / routing chain

openclaw -> anthropic

Additional provider/model setup details

No response

Logs, screenshots, and evidence

14:29:46 [gateway] [plugins] staging bundled runtime deps before gateway startup (1 missing, 8 install specs):
  chokidar@^5.0.0
  14:30:19 [gateway] [plugins] installed bundled runtime deps before gateway startup in 33013ms: chokidar@^5.0.0
  14:30:38 [slack] [default] starting provider
  14:30:39 [slack] [default] channel exited: Cannot find module 'C:\Users\R.
  Edison\.openclaw\plugin-runtime-deps\openclaw-2026.4.27-303c9b6533c1\node_modules\ws\index.js'
  14:30:39 [slack] [default] auto-restart attempt 1/10 in 5s
  14:30:44 [slack] [default] starting provider
  14:30:44 [slack] [default] channel exited: Cannot find module 'C:\Users\R.
  Edison\.openclaw\plugin-runtime-deps\openclaw-2026.4.27-303c9b6533c1\node_modules\ws\index.js'
  14:30:44 [slack] [default] auto-restart attempt 2/10 in 11s

Impact and severity

  • Affected: Any user on openclaw-2026.4.27 with a Slack channel configured on Windows 11
  • Severity: Blocks workflow — Slack channel is completely non-functional
  • Frequency: Always (every startup attempt in the observed log)
  • Consequence: Slack channel unavailable; gateway eventually crashes after 10 failed restart attempts

Additional information

The gateway startup log lists only chokidar@^5.0.0 as the single missing dep across 8 install specs — ws is not included. The ws directory is absent from plugin-runtime-deps. No last-known-good version is available from the evidence. No workaround observed.

extent analysis

TL;DR

The most likely fix is to include the ws package in the bundled runtime dependencies for the Slack channel.

Guidance

  • Verify that the ws package is not included in the plugin-runtime-deps directory by checking the gateway startup log, which only lists chokidar@^5.0.0 as a missing dependency.
  • Check the install specs for the Slack channel to ensure that ws is included as a required package.
  • Consider adding ws to the list of bundled runtime dependencies, similar to how chokidar is included, to prevent the Cannot find module error.
  • Review the gateway log to confirm that the auto-restart loop is triggered by the absence of the ws package.

Example

No code snippet is provided as the issue is related to missing dependencies rather than code errors.

Notes

The issue seems to be specific to the openclaw-2026.4.27 version on Windows 11, and the absence of the ws package in the plugin-runtime-deps directory is the likely cause of the problem.

Recommendation

Apply a workaround by manually adding the ws package to the plugin-runtime-deps directory or by modifying the install specs to include ws as a required package, as the root cause is related to a missing dependency.

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FAQ

Expected behavior

The Slack channel should start successfully. ws should be included in the bundled runtime dep install specs (as chokidar is) so it is present under plugin-runtime-deps before channels start.

#latency issue#model loading#dependency error#configuration error#environment variable

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openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix [Bug]: Slack channel crashes on startup — ws module missing from plugin-runtime-deps [3 comments, 3 participants]