openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix Config changes reverted by `openclaw doctor --non-interactive` on gateway restart [1 comments, 2 participants]

Summary

Configuration changes made to ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json are being silently reverted when the gateway restarts. The openclaw doctor --non-interactive command runs automatically on restart and overwrites user-configured model assignments.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Edit ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json to change agent model assignments (e.g., agents.list[1].model)
2. Save the file
3. Restart the gateway (e.g., via MCP gateway restart tool or process restart)
4. Check the config - changes have been reverted to previous values

Expected Behavior

User configuration changes should persist across restarts. The doctor command should not modify config without explicit user consent.

Actual Behavior

• openclaw doctor --non-interactive runs automatically on restart
• It reverts model assignments back to defaults or previous values
• No warning or log message indicates changes were made
• User must manually reapply config changes after every restart

Impact

Critical for usability:

• Requires dedicated agent to fix configuration "3 times a day"
• Model tree configurations (28+ models) get gutted to minimal set (4 models)
• Cron jobs fail with "model not in allowlist" errors after restart
• Users lose trust that their configuration will persist

Environment

• OpenClaw Version: 2026.4.x (current)
• Platform: macOS
• Config path: ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

Suggested Fix

1. doctor --non-interactive should never modify config without explicit --fix flag
2. If doctor must run on restart, it should only validate, not modify
3. Add a config lockfile or hash to detect and warn about unexpected changes
4. Add --preserve-config flag to gateway restart

Workaround

Currently the only workaround is to have an agent or script reapply config changes after every restart, which is not sustainable.