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openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix Plugin discovery crash-loop: validator rejects config when /app/extensions and /app/dist/extensions coexist (2026.4.5) [1 comments, 2 participants]

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openclaw/openclaw#61544•Fetched 2026-04-08 02:57:32
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After building 2026.4.5, gateway crash-loops on startup:

Config invalid
- plugins: plugin: plugin manifest not found: /app/extensions/openclaw.plugin.json

openclaw.json is unchanged. doctor --fix does not resolve it.

Root Cause

resolveBundledPluginsDir lands on /app/extensions and treats the directory itself as a plugin root (in addition to iterating its children). It looks for /app/extensions/openclaw.plugin.json which doesn't exist. 51 plugins still load fine -- the issue is purely the root-dir validation step.

Fix Action

Workaround

Set OPENCLAW_BUNDLED_PLUGINS_DIR=/app/dist/extensions on both services. Pins discovery to the compiled dir only. Verified working.

Code Example

Config invalid
- plugins: plugin: plugin manifest not found: /app/extensions/openclaw.plugin.json
RAW_BUFFERClick to expand / collapse

Summary

After building 2026.4.5, gateway crash-loops on startup:

Config invalid
- plugins: plugin: plugin manifest not found: /app/extensions/openclaw.plugin.json

openclaw.json is unchanged. doctor --fix does not resolve it.

Root cause

resolveBundledPluginsDir lands on /app/extensions and treats the directory itself as a plugin root (in addition to iterating its children). It looks for /app/extensions/openclaw.plugin.json which doesn't exist. 51 plugins still load fine -- the issue is purely the root-dir validation step.

Repro

Any build where /app/extensions and /app/dist/extensions coexist in the image.

Workaround

Set OPENCLAW_BUNDLED_PLUGINS_DIR=/app/dist/extensions on both services. Pins discovery to the compiled dir only. Verified working.

Notes

  • doctor --fix cannot repair this -- don't send users down that path for this symptom
  • Workaround is harmless if the bug is fixed upstream

extent analysis

TL;DR

Set the OPENCLAW_BUNDLED_PLUGINS_DIR environment variable to /app/dist/extensions to prevent the gateway from crash-looping on startup.

Guidance

  • The issue is caused by the resolveBundledPluginsDir function treating the /app/extensions directory as a plugin root, leading to a validation error.
  • To verify the fix, check that the gateway starts up successfully after setting the OPENCLAW_BUNDLED_PLUGINS_DIR environment variable.
  • The workaround is harmless even if the bug is fixed upstream, making it a safe temporary solution.
  • Ensure that the OPENCLAW_BUNDLED_PLUGINS_DIR environment variable is set on both services to maintain consistency.

Notes

The provided workaround is a safe and effective solution to the issue, and it does not rely on any specific version or configuration beyond what is described in the issue.

Recommendation

Apply the workaround by setting OPENCLAW_BUNDLED_PLUGINS_DIR=/app/dist/extensions on both services, as it is a harmless and effective solution to prevent the gateway crash-looping on startup.

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#cache error#pipeline error#runtime error#dependency conflict#environment setup

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openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix Plugin discovery crash-loop: validator rejects config when /app/extensions and /app/dist/extensions coexist (2026.4.5) [1 comments, 2 participants]