openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix subagent_ended hook does not fire for runs created via api.runtime.subagent.run() [1 participants]

Summary

api.on("subagent_ended", handler) never fires for subagent sessions created via api.runtime.subagent.run(). The hook only fires for runs created through the internal sessions_spawn tool path.

Root Cause

Two execution paths diverge:

When a plugin calls api.runtime.subagent.run(params):

1. server-plugins.ts:328 dispatches to the gateway "agent" method
2. server-methods/agent.ts:264 calls agentCommandFromIngress() directly
3. No call to registerSubagentRun() — the run is never tracked in the subagent registry
4. When the agent finishes, no SubagentRunRecord exists, so emitSubagentEndedHookOnce() is never called
5. The plugin's api.on("subagent_ended", handler) never fires

Impact

Any plugin that uses api.runtime.subagent.run() to spawn workers and api.on("subagent_ended") to handle completion will never receive the completion event. These two APIs are documented as companion features but are not wired together.

Workaround

Workers can self-report completion by calling a plugin-registered tool (e.g. tasks.handoff) before their run ends. The plugin handles completion in the tool's execute handler instead of the hook.

Suggested Fix

The gateway's "agent" handler (server-methods/agent.ts) should call registerSubagentRun() for runs dispatched via the plugin SDK, so they participate in the normal subagent completion lifecycle and emit subagent_ended when done.

Reproduction

1. Create a plugin that registers a tool and a subagent_ended hook
2. Call api.runtime.subagent.run({ sessionKey: "test:key", message: "hello" })
3. Wait for the run to complete
4. Observe: the subagent_ended handler is never called

Environment

• OpenClaw version: latest (as of 2026-03-31)
• Affected files: src/gateway/server-plugins.ts, src/gateway/server-methods/agent.ts, src/agents/subagent-registry.ts