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openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix CLI crashes with ERR_INTERNAL_ASSERTION at loadChannelConfigSurfaceModuleSync in v2026.4.5 [1 comments, 2 participants]

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openclaw/openclaw#61958•Fetched 2026-04-08 03:10:43
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hiroshiyoneyama-gramnhiroshiyoneyama-gramn
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ColdestStarColdestStarhiroshiyoneyama-gramnhiroshiyoneyama-gramn
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All CLI commands (e.g. openclaw message react) crash immediately with ERR_INTERNAL_ASSERTION in v2026.4.5. The Gateway itself works fine (conversations, Slack DM, cron jobs all work). Only CLI-dependent features are broken (reactions, file attachment downloads).

Error Message

[openclaw] Failed to start CLI: Error [ERR_INTERNAL_ASSERTION]
  at assert (node:internal/assert:11:11)
  at loadCJSModuleWithModuleLoad (node:internal/modules/esm/translators)
  at jitiRequire (/app/node_modules/jiti/dist/jiti.cjs:1:150097)
  at loadChannelConfigSurfaceModuleSync (/app/dist/zod-schema-C3jh3SvI.js:492:57)
  at collectBundledChannelConfigs
  at collectBundledPluginMetadataForPackageRoot
  at listBundledPluginMetadata
  at getDirectChannelRuntimeSchemas
  at normalizeBundledChannelConfigs

Root Cause

Root Cause (analysis)

Fix Action

Fix / Workaround

Workarounds attempted

Code Example

[openclaw] Failed to start CLI: Error [ERR_INTERNAL_ASSERTION]
  at assert (node:internal/assert:11:11)
  at loadCJSModuleWithModuleLoad (node:internal/modules/esm/translators)
  at jitiRequire (/app/node_modules/jiti/dist/jiti.cjs:1:150097)
  at loadChannelConfigSurfaceModuleSync (/app/dist/zod-schema-C3jh3SvI.js:492:57)
  at collectBundledChannelConfigs
  at collectBundledPluginMetadataForPackageRoot
  at listBundledPluginMetadata
  at getDirectChannelRuntimeSchemas
  at normalizeBundledChannelConfigs
RAW_BUFFERClick to expand / collapse

Summary

All CLI commands (e.g. openclaw message react) crash immediately with ERR_INTERNAL_ASSERTION in v2026.4.5. The Gateway itself works fine (conversations, Slack DM, cron jobs all work). Only CLI-dependent features are broken (reactions, file attachment downloads).

Environment

  • OpenClaw: v2026.4.5
  • Node.js: v22.22.2 and v24.14.0 (both tested, same error)
  • OS: Linux (ARM64, Docker container)
  • Channel: Slack (socket mode)

Error

[openclaw] Failed to start CLI: Error [ERR_INTERNAL_ASSERTION]
  at assert (node:internal/assert:11:11)
  at loadCJSModuleWithModuleLoad (node:internal/modules/esm/translators)
  at jitiRequire (/app/node_modules/jiti/dist/jiti.cjs:1:150097)
  at loadChannelConfigSurfaceModuleSync (/app/dist/zod-schema-C3jh3SvI.js:492:57)
  at collectBundledChannelConfigs
  at collectBundledPluginMetadataForPackageRoot
  at listBundledPluginMetadata
  at getDirectChannelRuntimeSchemas
  at normalizeBundledChannelConfigs

Root Cause (analysis)

collectBundledChannelConfigs attempts to synchronously require() channel plugin schema modules via jiti. In v2026.4.5, one or more of the newly bundled channel/plugin modules (video, music, ComfyUI, etc. added in this release) appears to be written as ESM, causing loadESMFromCJS to fail with an internal assertion.

This is a build/bundle issue introduced in v2026.4.5, not a Node.js version issue.

Workarounds attempted

  • NODE_OPTIONS=--experimental-require-module → no effect (Gateway does not pass it to CLI child processes)
  • Node.js v22 LTS (downgrade from v24) → same error
  • jiti is already v2.6.1 (latest) → no fix

Impact

  • ✅ Gateway: working
  • ✅ Conversations / Slack DM: working
  • ✅ Cron jobs: working
  • ❌ openclaw message react: crashes
  • ❌ File attachment downloads: crashes
  • ❌ Any CLI command: crashes

extent analysis

TL;DR

Downgrade OpenClaw to a version prior to v2026.4.5 to avoid the build/bundle issue causing ERR_INTERNAL_ASSERTION in CLI commands.

Guidance

  • Verify that the issue is indeed caused by the introduction of ESM modules in v2026.4.5 by checking the release notes or changelog for any mentions of new channel/plugin modules.
  • Attempt to identify which specific module is causing the issue by analyzing the stacktrace and searching for any ESM-related errors.
  • Consider reaching out to the OpenClaw community or maintainers for a patch or fix, as downgrading may not be a viable long-term solution.
  • If downgrading is not feasible, explore alternative workarounds, such as using a different version of jiti or modifying the collectBundledChannelConfigs function to handle ESM modules correctly.

Example

No code snippet is provided, as the issue is related to a build/bundle problem and not a specific code error.

Notes

The provided analysis suggests that the issue is specific to v2026.4.5 and is not related to the Node.js version. However, it is essential to verify this assumption and explore other potential causes before applying any fixes.

Recommendation

Apply workaround: Downgrade OpenClaw to a version prior to v2026.4.5, as this is the most straightforward solution to avoid the ERR_INTERNAL_ASSERTION error in CLI commands. This recommendation is based on the analysis provided, which suggests that the issue is caused by a build/bundle problem introduced in v2026.4.5.

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