openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix [Bug]: Tool calls not executing after upgrade to 2026.4.1 - displayed as plain text instead [5 comments, 4 participants]

Bug type

Regression (worked before, now fails)

Beta release blocker

No

Summary

After upgrading to OpenClaw 2026.4.1, all tool calls are displayed as plain text in responses instead of being executed by the system.

Steps to reproduce

1. Upgrade OpenClaw to version 2026.4.1
2. Start any agent session
3. Attempt to call any tool (exec, read, web_search, etc.)
4. Observe tool call syntax displayed as plain text in response, e.g.:

[tool_use id=toolu1a2b3c4d5e6f7a8b9c0d1e2f name=exec]
{"command": "hostname", "timeout": "10"}

1. Tool does not execute, no result returned

Expected behavior

Tool calls should be parsed by the OpenClaw system and executed, returning tool results to the agent for processing.

Actual behavior

Tool calls are displayed as plain text in the assistant's response. Multiple tool types affected (exec, read, web_search). Verified tool configuration is correct: exec.security="full", exec.host="gateway", exec.ask="off".

OpenClaw version

2026.4.1

Operating system

Ubuntu 24.04 (Linux 5.15.0-171-generic x64)

Install method

npm global

Model

bailian-coding-plan/qwen3.5-plus

Provider / routing chain

openclaw -> bailian-coding-plan -> qwen3.5-plus

Additional provider/model setup details

Default model is bailian-coding-plan/qwen3.5-plus. Tool configuration profile is set to "coding". agentToAgent is enabled with multiple agents allowed. This issue affects all tool types regardless of model or routing.

Logs, screenshots, and evidence

Tool call output displayed as text:
[tool_use id=toolu1a2b3c4d5e6f7a8b9c0d1e2f name=exec]
{"command": "hostname", "timeout": "10"}

Tool configuration (verified):
{
  "profile": "coding",
  "sessions": {"visibility": "all"},
  "agentToAgent": {"enabled": true},
  "exec": {"security": "full", "host": "gateway", "ask": "off"},
  "fs": {"workspaceOnly": false}
}

Impact and severity

No response

Additional information

No response