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openclaw - ✅(Solved) Fix [Bug]: Terminal flickering on Windows due to Bonjour arp -a polling (missing windowsHide) [2 pull requests, 1 comments, 2 participants]

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openclaw/openclaw#71492•Fetched 2026-04-26 05:12:12
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"Since a few updates ago, OpenClaw causes a command prompt window to rapidly flicker on the screen on Windows. A process trace caught it executing: cmd.exe /d /s /c "arp -a | findstr /C:"---"". It appears the bonjour local network discovery module is polling the network but missing the windowsHide: true flag in its child_process spawn/exec options, causing the terminal to physically pop up every time it checks the routing table. Workaround: Setting "discovery": { "bonjour": false } in the gateway config successfully stops the flickering."

this is what openclaw told me to put in the bug report after i told it to go after the cause and it finally solved it.

Root Cause

"Since a few updates ago, OpenClaw causes a command prompt window to rapidly flicker on the screen on Windows. A process trace caught it executing: cmd.exe /d /s /c "arp -a | findstr /C:"---"". It appears the bonjour local network discovery module is polling the network but missing the windowsHide: true flag in its child_process spawn/exec options, causing the terminal to physically pop up every time it checks the routing table. Workaround: Setting "discovery": { "bonjour": false } in the gateway config successfully stops the flickering."

this is what openclaw told me to put in the bug report after i told it to go after the cause and it finally solved it.

Fix Action

Fix / Workaround

"Since a few updates ago, OpenClaw causes a command prompt window to rapidly flicker on the screen on Windows. A process trace caught it executing: cmd.exe /d /s /c "arp -a | findstr /C:"---"". It appears the bonjour local network discovery module is polling the network but missing the windowsHide: true flag in its child_process spawn/exec options, causing the terminal to physically pop up every time it checks the routing table. Workaround: Setting "discovery": { "bonjour": false } in the gateway config successfully stops the flickering."

PR fix notes

PR #71505: fix(infra): suppress Bonjour arp poll console window on Windows

Description (problem / solution / changelog)

Fixes #71492.

Root cause: @homebridge/ciao's getWindowsNetworkInterfaces() calls child_process.exec("arp -a | findstr ...") on Windows without windowsHide: true, causing a command prompt window to flash visible every time Bonjour polls the network routing table.

Fix: pnpm patch adding { windowsHide: true } to the one Windows-specific exec() call in @homebridge/[email protected] lib/NetworkManager.js:428.

Verification:

  • Patch file: patches/@[email protected] — one-line change, getWindowsNetworkInterfaces() only.
  • Workaround (setting "discovery": { "bonjour": false }) is no longer needed.
  • Non-Windows paths are unaffected; windowsHide is ignored on Linux/macOS.

Thanks @71492 reporter for the exact process trace.

Changed files

  • .gitignore (modified, +1/-0)
  • package.json (modified, +3/-0)
  • patches/@[email protected] (added, +13/-0)
  • pnpm-lock.yaml (modified, +8/-3)
  • tasks/contributor-status.md (added, +61/-0)
  • tasks/evening-report.md (added, +90/-0)
  • tasks/midday-check.md (added, +38/-0)
  • tasks/pr-monitor-report.md (added, +138/-0)

PR #71633: fix(bonjour): suppress Windows arp-poll console flash via windowsHide

Description (problem / solution / changelog)

Problem

On Windows, @homebridge/ciao polls for network interfaces by calling arp -a | findstr /C:"---" every few seconds. Because child_process.exec defaults to windowsHide: false, each poll spawns a brief visible cmd.exe window, causing a distracting console flash for users running OpenClaw in the background.

Fix

Pass { windowsHide: true } to the exec call in NetworkManager.getWindowsNetworkInterfaces() via a pnpm patch. This is the standard Node.js option to suppress the console window for spawned processes on Windows.

Patch: patches/@[email protected] — one-line change, no logic touched.

Related issue: #71492

Changed files

  • package.json (modified, +2/-1)
  • patches/@[email protected] (added, +13/-0)
  • pnpm-lock.yaml (modified, +5/-2)
RAW_BUFFERClick to expand / collapse

Bug type

Regression (worked before, now fails)

Beta release blocker

No

Summary

"Since a few updates ago, OpenClaw causes a command prompt window to rapidly flicker on the screen on Windows. A process trace caught it executing: cmd.exe /d /s /c "arp -a | findstr /C:"---"". It appears the bonjour local network discovery module is polling the network but missing the windowsHide: true flag in its child_process spawn/exec options, causing the terminal to physically pop up every time it checks the routing table. Workaround: Setting "discovery": { "bonjour": false } in the gateway config successfully stops the flickering."

this is what openclaw told me to put in the bug report after i told it to go after the cause and it finally solved it.

Steps to reproduce

not sure but started 2 releases ago i think after doing openclaw update it happens

Expected behavior

no terminal popping up and closing constantly.

Actual behavior

constant terminal pop up.

OpenClaw version

2026.4.23

Operating system

windows 11

Install method

npm global

Model

gemini 3.1

Provider / routing chain

google studio

Additional provider/model setup details

No response

Logs, screenshots, and evidence

Impact and severity

No response

Additional information

No response

extent analysis

TL;DR

Setting "discovery": { "bonjour": false } in the gateway config may resolve the issue of the command prompt window rapidly flickering on Windows.

Guidance

  • The bonjour local network discovery module is likely causing the issue by polling the network without the windowsHide: true flag, leading to the terminal popping up every time it checks the routing table.
  • To verify, check if the flickering stops after setting "discovery": { "bonjour": false } in the gateway config.
  • If the workaround resolves the issue, it may indicate that the problem is indeed related to the bonjour module and its interaction with Windows.
  • Further investigation into the OpenClaw updates from the past two releases may be necessary to identify the root cause and implement a permanent fix.

Example

No code snippet is provided as the issue does not require a code-level fix, but rather a configuration change.

Notes

The provided workaround may have implications for the functionality of the bonjour local network discovery module, and its impact on the overall system should be considered before implementing it as a permanent solution.

Recommendation

Apply workaround: Setting "discovery": { "bonjour": false } in the gateway config, as it has been reported to successfully stop the flickering, although it may have unintended consequences on the network discovery functionality.

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FAQ

Expected behavior

no terminal popping up and closing constantly.

#api#network issue#logging issue#authentication issue#prompt issue

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openclaw - ✅(Solved) Fix [Bug]: Terminal flickering on Windows due to Bonjour arp -a polling (missing windowsHide) [2 pull requests, 1 comments, 2 participants]