PR #52839: fix(packaging): add Control UI build verification to prevent broken releases (#52808)

• Repository: openclaw/openclaw
• Author: Linux2010
• State: open | merged: False
• Link: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/pull/52839

Description (problem / solution / changelog)

Summary

Adds build verification to prevent npm releases without Control UI assets. Fixes #52808, #52817, #52820.

Problem

v2026.3.22 was published without dist/control-ui/ directory, causing:

• ❌ 503 error: "Control UI assets not found"
• ❌ Web dashboard completely inaccessible
• ❌ 100% reproducible for all npm install users

Root Cause

prepack hook ran pnpm ui:build but didn't verify success before publishing. If ui:build failed silently or was skipped, broken package was published.

Solution

Add verification script that runs after ui:build:

"prepack": "pnpm build && pnpm ui:build && node scripts/verify-ui-build.js"

Verification checks:

1. ✅ dist/control-ui/ directory exists
2. ✅ index.html is present
3. ✅ assets/ directory exists with files
4. ❌ Fails build with helpful error message if missing

Changes

• scripts/verify-ui-build.js: New verification script (80 lines)
• package.json: Add verification to prepack hook
• CHANGELOG.md: Document the fix

Testing

Run manually:

node scripts/verify-ui-build.js

Expected output:

🔍 Verifying Control UI build...
✅ Control UI directory exists: /path/to/dist/control-ui
✅ Required file present: index.html
✅ Required directory present: assets/ (X files)
✅ Control UI verification PASSED

If UI not built:

❌ Control UI directory not found: /path/to/dist/control-ui
This usually means the UI build failed or was skipped.

Impact

• ✅ Prevents future broken releases
• ✅ Fails fast with helpful error message
• ✅ Zero runtime impact (build-time only)
• ✅ Backward compatible

Related Issues

• Fixes #52808 - Bug: dist/control-ui/ missing from npm package in 2026.3.22
• Fixes #52817 - Control UI missing in npm package v2026.3.22
• Fixes #52820 - 2026/3/23 最新版的更新之后 UI 界面不见了，报错了

Workaround for Affected Users

Until v2026.3.23 is released:

# Option 1: Copy from 2026.3.13
npm pack [email protected]
tar -xzf openclaw-2026.3.13.tgz
cp -r package/dist/control-ui/ $(npm root -g)/openclaw/dist/
openclaw gateway restart

# Option 2: Manual build
cd $(npm root -g)/openclaw
pnpm ui:build
openclaw gateway restart

Changed files

• package.json (modified, +2/-1)
• scripts/verify-ui-build.js (added, +93/-0)
• src/infra/fs-safe.test.ts (modified, +48/-0)
• src/infra/fs-safe.ts (modified, +3/-0)