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openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix Bundled runtime deps not declared in package.json — gateway auto-installs `chokidar`, `sqlite-vec` etc. on every boot [1 comments, 2 participants]

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openclaw/openclaw#76205•Fetched 2026-05-03 04:40:48
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intrix-devintrix-dev
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clawsweeper[bot]clawsweeper[bot]intrix-devintrix-dev
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closed ×1commented ×1

Fix Action

Fix / Workaround

Version: observed in 2026.4.27 (sqlite-vec failed import) and 2026.4.29 (auto-install path appears to be the workaround; deps are now installed but still via the runtime-fallback mechanism, not via package.json declarations)

Code Example

[memory] sqlite-vec unavailable: Cannot find package 'sqlite-vec' imported from
/Users/oc/.openclaw/plugin-runtime-deps/openclaw-2026.4.27-da6bdffc3d96/dist/engine-storage-CO3qFXo7.js
Did you mean to import "sqlite-vec/index.cjs"?
[memory] chunks_vec not updated — sqlite-vec unavailable: ... Vector recall degraded.

---

[plugins] runway staging bundled runtime deps (48 specs): ... chokidar@^5.0.0 ... sqlite-vec@0.1.9 ...
[plugins] runway installed bundled runtime deps in 6ms: ...
RAW_BUFFERClick to expand / collapse

Version: observed in 2026.4.27 (sqlite-vec failed import) and 2026.4.29 (auto-install path appears to be the workaround; deps are now installed but still via the runtime-fallback mechanism, not via package.json declarations)

Symptoms (2026.4.27):

[memory] sqlite-vec unavailable: Cannot find package 'sqlite-vec' imported from
/Users/oc/.openclaw/plugin-runtime-deps/openclaw-2026.4.27-da6bdffc3d96/dist/engine-storage-CO3qFXo7.js
Did you mean to import "sqlite-vec/index.cjs"?
[memory] chunks_vec not updated — sqlite-vec unavailable: ... Vector recall degraded.

Same pattern observed for chokidar@^5.0.0 24 hours later — gateway auto-installed it on the next boot.

What we observe in 2026.4.29:

[plugins] runway staging bundled runtime deps (48 specs): ... chokidar@^5.0.0 ... [email protected] ...
[plugins] runway installed bundled runtime deps in 6ms: ...

The runtime-deps install path runs at every gateway boot and adds 48 specs across multiple plugins. So the bug is "fixed" in the sense that the symptom no longer crashes memory storage, but the underlying invariant is broken: a runtime-required dep should be declared in the npm package, not installed by the host at boot.

Suggested fix: ensure all runtime-required deps are declared in package.json of the published openclaw package (or, if they're truly per-plugin, in each plugin's package.json). The runtime-deps fallback mechanism is fine as a safety net for genuinely optional plugins, but sqlite-vec (used by core memory storage) and chokidar (used in places where it's load-blocking) shouldn't be on that path.

Why it matters:

  • Cold-start failures if the auto-install fails (offline machine, lockfile contention, etc.)
  • 6ms overhead per boot times 48 specs is fine, but the attack surface (npm install at boot under a writable workspace) is non-trivial
  • "did you mean sqlite-vec/index.cjs" hints at a possibly separate ESM/CJS resolution bug worth examining

extent analysis

TL;DR

Ensure all runtime-required dependencies are declared in the package.json file of the published openclaw package to prevent auto-installation at boot time.

Guidance

  • Review the package.json file of the openclaw package to identify missing runtime-required dependencies, such as sqlite-vec and chokidar.
  • Declare these dependencies in the package.json file to ensure they are installed through npm, rather than relying on the runtime-deps fallback mechanism.
  • Verify that the dependencies are correctly installed by checking the node_modules directory after running npm install.
  • Consider examining the ESM/CJS resolution bug hinted at by the "did you mean sqlite-vec/index.cjs" error message.

Example

No code snippet is provided as it is not clearly supported by the issue.

Notes

The suggested fix assumes that the dependencies are required by the core openclaw package. If the dependencies are truly per-plugin, they should be declared in each plugin's package.json file instead.

Recommendation

Apply the workaround by declaring runtime-required dependencies in the package.json file, as this addresses the underlying issue and prevents potential cold-start failures and security risks.

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openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix Bundled runtime deps not declared in package.json — gateway auto-installs `chokidar`, `sqlite-vec` etc. on every boot [1 comments, 2 participants]