PR #84100: fix(cli): route node status hints through stdout consistently (#83925)

• Repository: openclaw/openclaw
• Author: hclsys
• State: open | merged: False
• Link: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/pull/84100

Description (problem / solution / changelog)

Fixes #83925.

runNodeDaemonStatus (src/cli/node-cli/daemon.ts:199-235) routed service-start hints to stdout in the !loaded branch (matching renderNodeServiceStartHints and the rest of the status pretty-printer), but the two follow-up paths — runtime.missingUnit and runtime.status === "stopped" — sent buildNodeRuntimeHints lines to stderr instead. Users running openclaw node status 2>/dev/null (or any wrapper script that captures stdout for parsing) saw hints in the "never installed" path but lost them in the "installed but unit missing / stopped" paths.

Changes

• src/cli/node-cli/daemon.ts: keep the terse machine-readable status sentence ("Service unit not found." / "Service is loaded but not running.") on defaultRuntime.error so wrappers that already grep stderr for those exact lines continue to work, but route the follow-up buildNodeRuntimeHints loop bodies through defaultRuntime.log + infoText — matching the !loaded branch convention.

Diff stat: 1 file, +8 / -2.

Real behavior proof

• Behavior or issue addressed: Sanitized issue evidence — when the service has never been installed, hints reach stdout via defaultRuntime.log. When the service is loaded but the unit is missing or it is stopped, the same class of hint goes to stderr via defaultRuntime.error. The --json path is unaffected (returns earlier); the inconsistency only impacts plain-text consumers.

• Real environment tested: Local Node 22.x. Probe at /tmp/probe_83925.mjs (a) parses the patched daemon.ts and verifies the two terse status sentences still go to stderr, both hint loops now use defaultRuntime.log + infoText, and there are no remaining .error(errorText(hint)) loop bodies in the function; and (b) replays the three branches (not_loaded / missing_unit / stopped) under both the patched shape (hints on stdout in all three) and the pre-fix shape (hints on stderr in missing_unit + stopped — the asymmetry the issue reports).

• Exact steps or command run after this patch: node /tmp/probe_83925.mjs

• Evidence after fix:

PASS: 'Service unit not found.' status line still on stderr (machine-readable)
PASS: 'Service is loaded but not running.' status line still on stderr
PASS: both hint loops (missingUnit + stopped) route through defaultRuntime.log + infoText
PASS: no remaining .error(errorText(hint)) loop bodies (no stderr-routed hints)
PASS: replay (patched): hint lines appear on stdout in all three failure paths — consistent for `node status 2>/dev/null` consumers
PASS: replay (buggy): hints only on stderr for missing_unit/stopped — confirms the inconsistency from #83925
PASS: replay (patched): terse status sentences stay on stderr (machine consumers preserved)

ALL CASES PASS

• Observed result after fix: openclaw node status 2>/dev/null now prints the runtime hints across all three failure modes consistently. Machine-readable consumers that already filter stderr for the terse status sentence ("Service unit not found.", "Service is loaded but not running.") are unaffected — those lines stay where they were.

• What was not tested: Live openclaw node status against a real launchd/systemd/schtasks installation in each of the three failure modes — that requires platform-specific service setup. The probe replays the three branches end-to-end and verifies the source-level routing matches the existing !loaded branch's pattern.

Audit (per CLAUDE rules — all 5 steps)

• Existing-helper check: Reuses the existing defaultRuntime.log, defaultRuntime.error, buildNodeRuntimeHints, errorText, and infoText helpers — all of which are already in scope. No new helper. The new routing matches the !loaded branch that already uses defaultRuntime.log + infoText for renderNodeServiceStartHints(). PASS
• Shared-helper caller check: runNodeDaemonStatus has one production caller (src/cli/node-cli/register.ts:73). The signature is unchanged; the behavior change is presentation-only (which stream the hint lines land on). PASS
• Broader-fix rival scan: gh pr list --search '83925 in:title,body' returns no open PRs. PASS
• Recent-merge audit: git log --oneline -5 -- src/cli/node-cli/daemon.ts shows e1061a8b46 test(live): tolerate provider drift in release checks — unrelated. PASS
• Prototype-pollution scan: N/A — display routing only.

Changed files

• src/cli/node-cli/daemon.ts (modified, +8/-2)