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openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix [Bug]: TUI enters infinite CPU loop immediately on launch (v2026.4.29) [1 comments, 2 participants]

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openclaw/openclaw#76154•Fetched 2026-05-03 04:41:44
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pedrof123-uipedrof123-ui
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clawsweeper[bot]clawsweeper[bot]pedrof123-uipedrof123-ui
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Error Message

Gateway logs show normal WebSocket activity. The TUI process does not log errors before entering the loop. Earlier in the session, there was a SIGHUP crash:

Error: TUI exited from signal SIGHUP

But on subsequent launches the process just spins without crashing.

Fix Action

Fix / Workaround

Impact

  • Cannot use terminal UI at all
  • Workaround: webchat dashboard works fine

Code Example

openclaw tui
   openclaw chat
   openclaw chat --local
   TERM=xterm-256color openclaw chat --local

---

Error: TUI exited from signal SIGHUP

---

load average: 2.16, 1.99, 1.90
Mem: 15Gi total, TUI process alone consumes ~1GB+
RAW_BUFFERClick to expand / collapse

Bug Summary

openclaw tui (and aliases chat, terminal) enter an infinite CPU busy-loop immediately upon launch. The TUI process never becomes interactive and consumes 100-115% CPU within seconds.

Impact

  • Cannot use terminal UI at all
  • Workaround: webchat dashboard works fine

Environment

ItemValue
OpenClaw2026.4.29 (latest on npm)
OSLinux 6.17.0-22-generic (x64)
System Nodev22.22.2 (/usr/bin/node)
NVM Nodev24.15.0 (also tested, same bug)
Gatewayws://127.0.0.1:18789, local mode, token auth
TERMdumb (also tested xterm-256color, same bug)

Reproduction Steps

  1. Install OpenClaw 2026.4.29 via npm
  2. Gateway is running via systemd (openclaw-gateway.service)
  3. Run any of these commands: 
    openclaw tui
openclaw chat
openclaw chat --local
TERM=xterm-256color openclaw chat --local
  4. Observe openclaw-tui process in top/ps — hits 100%+ CPU immediately
  5. TUI never renders an input prompt; must kill -9 to terminate

What I've Tried

TestResult
openclaw tui (gateway mode)❌ 100%+ CPU loop
openclaw chat --local❌ 100%+ CPU loop
TERM=xterm-256color❌ 100%+ CPU loop
Webchat / dashboard✅ Works perfectly
Gateway itself✅ Healthy (17% CPU, responsive)

Logs

Gateway logs show normal WebSocket activity. The TUI process does not log errors before entering the loop. Earlier in the session, there was a SIGHUP crash:

Error: TUI exited from signal SIGHUP

But on subsequent launches the process just spins without crashing.

System Load (for reference)

load average: 2.16, 1.99, 1.90
Mem: 15Gi total, TUI process alone consumes ~1GB+

Expected Behavior

TUI should open, connect to gateway (or local runtime), and present an interactive prompt.

Actual Behavior

Process becomes unresponsive at 100%+ CPU usage immediately after printing the TUI header.

extent analysis

TL;DR

The issue can likely be mitigated by investigating and fixing the cause of the SIGHUP crash and the subsequent infinite CPU busy-loop in the openclaw-tui process.

Guidance

  • Investigate the SIGHUP crash error and its relation to the CPU busy-loop, as it might be a contributing factor to the issue.
  • Verify that the openclaw-gateway.service is running correctly and not causing any issues with the TUI process.
  • Check for any resource-intensive operations or infinite loops in the TUI process code that could be causing the high CPU usage.
  • Consider adding logging or debugging statements to the TUI process to gather more information about what's happening before it enters the busy-loop.

Example

No specific code snippet can be provided without more information about the openclaw-tui process code.

Notes

The issue seems to be specific to the openclaw-tui process and not related to the gateway or webchat dashboard, which work fine. The high CPU usage and lack of logging errors suggest a potential issue with the process's internal logic.

Recommendation

Apply workaround: Use the webchat dashboard until the issue with the openclaw-tui process is resolved, as it is the only available alternative that works fine.

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openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix [Bug]: TUI enters infinite CPU loop immediately on launch (v2026.4.29) [1 comments, 2 participants]