openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix [Data loss] 2026.5.19 update/backup flow removed ~/.openclaw/workspace and left plugin/npm state inconsistent

Summary

During the OpenClaw 2026.5.19 update/backup procedure started around 2026-05-21 11:30 JST, the local user workspace directory was removed:

~/.openclaw/workspace

This directory contained active user-owned operational data and local customizations, including:

• memory files
• workspace scripts
• local skills
• local plugins
• a configured plugin path referenced by ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

The workspace was restored manually from Time Machine. After that, the Gateway became usable again, but the system was left with plugin/npm registry inconsistencies.

This should be treated as a data-loss class bug. The update/backup/rollback flow should never delete ~/.openclaw/workspace.

Environment

• OS: macOS 26.5 arm64
• Node: 25.8.1
• OpenClaw channel: stable
• Version before/after manual rollback: OpenClaw 2026.5.12 (f066dd2)
• Update target shown as available: 2026.5.19
• Gateway: LaunchAgent, port 18789
• Config path: ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
• Workspace path: ~/.openclaw/workspace
• Managed npm plugin path: ~/.openclaw/npm/node_modules

Timeline

• Around 2026-05-21 11:30 JST: started the 2026.5.19 update/backup flow.
• After the update/backup process, ~/.openclaw/workspace was missing.
• Because the config referenced a local plugin under ~/.openclaw/workspace/plugins/..., Gateway config validation failed.
• The workspace was manually restored from Time Machine.
• After restoration and rollback to 2026.5.12, Gateway and Nextcloud Talk became usable again.
• Remaining inconsistency: openclaw doctor still reports missing managed npm host peer links.

Expected behavior

The update/backup/rollback flow must not remove the active user workspace.

Expected safeguards:

• Never delete ~/.openclaw/workspace during update, backup, restore, rollback, cleanup, or uninstall-adjacent flows unless the user explicitly confirms deletion.
• If any code path might affect workspace data, create a full backup first.
• Validate configured plugins.load.paths before and after update.
• Abort safely if a configured local plugin path would become missing.
• Keep managed npm plugin install records, installed package versions, and peer links consistent after update/rollback.
• If peer links are broken, doctor or update logic should repair them deterministically.

Actual behavior

The workspace disappeared and Gateway startup/config validation failed because a configured plugin path no longer existed.

Observed error:

Invalid config at /Users/shoichi/.openclaw/openclaw.json:
- plugins.load.paths: plugin: plugin path not found:
/Users/shoichi/.openclaw/workspace/plugins/ai03-nextcloud-talk-router

Gateway aborted: config is invalid.
plugins.load.paths: plugin: plugin path not found:
/Users/shoichi/.openclaw/workspace/plugins/ai03-nextcloud-talk-router

After restoring ~/.openclaw/workspace from Time Machine and rolling back to 2026.5.12, openclaw doctor --non-interactive still reports:

Managed npm OpenClaw host peer links need repair:
- @openclaw/codex: missing
  /Users/shoichi/.openclaw/npm/node_modules/@openclaw/codex/node_modules/openclaw
- @openclaw/nextcloud-talk: missing
  /Users/shoichi/.openclaw/npm/node_modules/@openclaw/nextcloud-talk/node_modules/openclaw

Repair with openclaw doctor --fix to relink managed npm plugin packages.

Runtime/plugin mismatch symptoms were also observed:

[plugins] nextcloud-talk failed to load setup entry ...
TypeError: (0 , _setupRuntime.createSetupTranslator) is not a function

Cannot find package 'openclaw' imported from
/Users/shoichi/.openclaw/npm/node_modules/@openclaw/codex/dist/client-iRf11BEu.js

Current state after manual recovery

After Time Machine restore and rollback:

• Gateway is running again on 2026.5.12
• openclaw health: OK
• openclaw channels status --probe: Nextcloud Talk works
• ~/.openclaw/workspace has been restored
• SQLite integrity checks for local OpenClaw sqlite files passed
• Remaining issue: managed npm plugin peer links / plugin registry consistency still need repair

Duplicate / related issue check

I searched existing GitHub issues and did not find an exact duplicate for:

• 2026.5.19
• ~/.openclaw/workspace
• workspace deletion during update/backup
• Time Machine restore after workspace deletion

However, several related issues appear to describe adjacent failure modes:

• #75052: Uninstall deletes workspace inside .openclaw even when "delete workspace" is unchecked https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/issues/75052
• #14526: Proposal: safer self-update with pre-update backup + health check + auto-rollback/restore https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/issues/14526
• #83964: @openclaw/codex 2026.5.18 can fail with ERR_MODULE_NOT_FOUND for package 'openclaw' https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/issues/83964
• #84715: @openclaw/codex peer link failure reproduced on 2026.5.19 after update https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/issues/84715
• #58626: Upgrade after plugin path not updated, gateway startup fails https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/issues/58626
• #83968: 2026.5.18 gateway crash / rollback to 2026.5.12 stabilizes https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/issues/83968

This issue appears distinct because it involves actual deletion of the active ~/.openclaw/workspace directory during the 2026.5.19 update/backup flow, not only plugin path drift or npm peer-link drift.

Why this is severe

~/.openclaw/workspace is not disposable runtime cache. It can contain user-authored operational files, memory, skills, scripts, local plugins, and business-specific automation.

Deleting it can cause:

• user data loss
• Gateway startup failure
• plugin path failure
• local automation loss
• assistant memory/personality loss
• local recovery requiring Time Machine or external backup

Request

Please investigate the 2026.5.19 update/backup/rollback implementation for any code path that can delete, replace, clean, or move ~/.openclaw/workspace.

Please also consider adding regression coverage for:

1. Update from 2026.5.12 to 2026.5.19 with existing ~/.openclaw/workspace
2. Config containing plugins.load.paths pointing into ~/.openclaw/workspace/plugins/...
3. Managed npm plugins installed under ~/.openclaw/npm/node_modules
4. Rollback from 2026.5.19 to 2026.5.12
5. Verification that:
   • workspace still exists,
   • configured local plugin paths still exist,
   • openclaw doctor --non-interactive does not report missing peer links,
   • Gateway can start without config validation errors.

Additional note

The exact internal code path that deleted ~/.openclaw/workspace has not yet been isolated. The user-visible fact is that the workspace disappeared during the 2026.5.19 update/backup flow and had to be restored from Time Machine.