Bug type
Regression (worked before, now fails)
Summary
Summary
After upgrading from OpenClaw 2026.3.7 to 2026.3.8, agent responses intermittently fail.
Observed failure signatures include:
• stopReason=stop with empty payload
• stopReason=length with empty payload
• stopReason=error with "LLM request timed out."
• gateway websocket abnormal closure (1006)
This occurs with minimal prompts and with thinking disabled.
Rollback to OpenClaw 2026.3.7 restores normal behavior.
Build tested:
OpenClaw 2026.3.8 (3caab92)
Environment
OS
Linux (Parrot OS based environment)
Installation method
npm global install
npm install -g openclaw
Gateway
systemd user service
openclaw-gateway.service
Custom local LLM provider
LM Studio
Endpoint (local OpenAI-compatible API)
http://localhost:1234/v1
Available models
qwen3-8b
text-embedding-nomic-embed-text-v1.5
Sandbox mode
off
Agents involved
seer
admin
whois
Expected Behavior
Minimal agent prompt should return a response.
Command
openclaw agent --agent seer --thinking off --json --message "Reply with exactly OK"
Expected output
OK
Actual Behavior
Agent responses intermittently fail with empty payloads or timeouts.
Example outputs
Case 1
stopReason = stop
payload = ""
Case 2
stopReason = length
payload = ""
Case 3
stopReason = error
payload = "LLM request timed out."
Gateway logs during failing turns show:
gateway closed (1006 abnormal closure)
No reply from agent
Question
Is there a known regression in OpenClaw 2026.3.8 affecting:
• gateway websocket transport
• agent reply dispatch
• session routing
• embedded fallback execution
when running with OpenAI-compatible local providers such as LM Studio?
Steps to reproduce
Minimal Reproduction
Install OpenClaw 2026.3.8
npm install -g openclaw@2026.3.8
Restart gateway
systemctl --user restart openclaw-gateway.service
Run minimal test
openclaw agent
--agent seer
--thinking off
--json
--message "Reply with exactly OK"
Observed result
stopReason = stop
payload = ""
Gateway Behavior
During failing turns the gateway logs show:
gateway closed (1006 abnormal closure)
No reply from agent
Later fallback may produce
LLM request timed out
The failure pattern was observed for both
seer
admin
Backend Verification
Direct LM Studio requests succeed.
Example test
curl http://localhost:1234/v1/chat/completions
Payload
{
"model":"qwen3-8b",
"messages":[{"role":"user","content":"Reply with exactly BACKEND_OK"}],
"temperature":0
}
Response
BACKEND_OK
This indicates the LLM backend itself is reachable and responding correctly.
Regression Confirmation
Rollback procedure
npm install -g openclaw@2026.3.7
systemctl --user restart openclaw-gateway.service
Running the same test command
openclaw agent --agent seer --thinking off --json --message "Reply with exactly OK"
Returns
OK
This confirms the behavior appears only after upgrading to 2026.3.8.
Workspace Delegation Context
This installation includes a small runtime patch modifying workspace inheritance for spawned agents.
Patch locations
dist/reply-.js
dist/compact-.js
Purpose
Ensure spawned agents inherit their own workspace directory rather than the caller workspace.
This patch was used successfully with OpenClaw 2026.3.7 and delegation behavior continued to work during the 3.8 test before the agent liveness failures occurred.
Workspace isolation does not appear to be the cause of the regression.
Diagnostic Clue From Logs
During failing runs the gateway repeatedly logs:
gateway closed (1006 abnormal closure)
followed by
No reply from agent
and eventually
LLM request timed out
This suggests the agent reply pipeline may be losing the websocket transport before the LLM response is delivered.
Evidence Bundle
A full diagnostic bundle was captured during testing.
Artifacts include
commands.sh
openclaw-version-3.8.txt
openclaw-config-validate-3.8.txt
openclaw-doctor-3.8.txt
openclaw-health-3.8.json
gateway-status-3.8.txt
journal-gateway-window.txt
seer-main.json
seer-fresh.json
admin-phase2.json
lmstudio-direct-success.json
openclaw-model-provider-summary-sanitized.json
session-id-note.txt
Rollback confirmation artifacts
post-rollback-version.txt
post-rollback-gateway.txt
post-rollback-config-validate.txt
Selected artifacts are attached to this issue.
Workaround
Remain pinned to OpenClaw 2026.3.7.
Rollback restores stable operation.
Expected behavior
Minimal agent prompt should return a response.
Command
openclaw agent --agent seer --thinking off --json --message "Reply with exactly OK"
Expected output
OK
Actual behavior
Actual Behavior
Agent responses intermittently fail with empty payloads or timeouts.
Example outputs
Case 1
stopReason = stop
payload = ""
Case 2
stopReason = length
payload = ""
Case 3
stopReason = error
payload = "LLM request timed out."
Gateway logs during failing turns show:
gateway closed (1006 abnormal closure)
No reply from agent
OpenClaw version
2026.3.8
Operating system
Parrot OS
Install method
npm install -g openclaw@2026.3.8
Model
LMStudio/qwen3-8b
Provider / routing chain
CLI request → OpenClaw gateway (systemd user service: openclaw-gateway.service) → OpenAI-compatible local provider endpoint (LM Studio) → model qwen3-8b
Config file / key location
/home/linc/.openclaw/openclaw.json
Additional provider/model setup details
Notes:
- Provider endpoint is local
- Sandbox mode is off
- Failures occur in the OpenClaw gateway/agent reply path even though direct LM Studio calls succeed
- Observed failure pattern on 2026.3.8: websocket 1006 abnormal closure → "No reply from agent" → occasional fallback timeout
Relevant areas:
- provider/model configuration in openclaw.json
- gateway managed by user systemd unit:
/home/linc/.config/systemd/user/openclaw-gateway.service
- gateway override:
/home/linc/.config/systemd/user/openclaw-gateway.service.d/override.conf
Custom runtime context:
- local runtime patch applied in OpenClaw dist bundle to preserve per-agent workspace inheritance
- patch locations:
dist/reply-.js
dist/compact-.js
Important:
- redact any tokens, secrets, or auth material before attaching config excerpts
- this patch was already working on 2026.3.7 and delegation still worked on 2026.3.8, so it does not appear to be the direct trigger of the regression
Logs, screenshots, and evidence
Impact and severity
Openclaw with agents does not function.
Additional information
session-id-note.txt
seer-main.json
seer-fresh.json
post-rollback-version.txt
post-rollback-gateway.txt
post-rollback-config-validate.txt
openclaw-version-3.8.txt
openclaw-model-provider-summary-sanitized.json
openclaw-health-3.8.json
openclaw-doctor-3.8.txt
openclaw-config-validate-3.8.txt
lmstudio-direct-success.json
gateway-status-3.8.txt
commands.sh
admin-phase2.json
Bug type
Regression (worked before, now fails)
Summary
Summary
After upgrading from OpenClaw 2026.3.7 to 2026.3.8, agent responses intermittently fail.
Observed failure signatures include:
• stopReason=stop with empty payload
• stopReason=length with empty payload
• stopReason=error with "LLM request timed out."
• gateway websocket abnormal closure (1006)
This occurs with minimal prompts and with thinking disabled.
Rollback to OpenClaw 2026.3.7 restores normal behavior.
Build tested:
OpenClaw 2026.3.8 (3caab92)
Environment
OS
Linux (Parrot OS based environment)
Installation method
npm global install
npm install -g openclaw
Gateway
systemd user service
openclaw-gateway.service
Custom local LLM provider
LM Studio
Endpoint (local OpenAI-compatible API)
http://localhost:1234/v1
Available models
qwen3-8b
text-embedding-nomic-embed-text-v1.5
Sandbox mode
off
Agents involved
seer
admin
whois
Expected Behavior
Minimal agent prompt should return a response.
Command
openclaw agent --agent seer --thinking off --json --message "Reply with exactly OK"
Expected output
OK
Actual Behavior
Agent responses intermittently fail with empty payloads or timeouts.
Example outputs
Case 1
stopReason = stop
payload = ""
Case 2
stopReason = length
payload = ""
Case 3
stopReason = error
payload = "LLM request timed out."
Gateway logs during failing turns show:
gateway closed (1006 abnormal closure)
No reply from agent
Question
Is there a known regression in OpenClaw 2026.3.8 affecting:
• gateway websocket transport
• agent reply dispatch
• session routing
• embedded fallback execution
when running with OpenAI-compatible local providers such as LM Studio?
Steps to reproduce
Minimal Reproduction
Install OpenClaw 2026.3.8
npm install -g openclaw@2026.3.8
Restart gateway
systemctl --user restart openclaw-gateway.service
Run minimal test
openclaw agent
--agent seer
--thinking off
--json
--message "Reply with exactly OK"
Observed result
stopReason = stop
payload = ""
Gateway Behavior
During failing turns the gateway logs show:
gateway closed (1006 abnormal closure)
No reply from agent
Later fallback may produce
LLM request timed out
The failure pattern was observed for both
seer
admin
Backend Verification
Direct LM Studio requests succeed.
Example test
curl http://localhost:1234/v1/chat/completions
Payload
{
"model":"qwen3-8b",
"messages":[{"role":"user","content":"Reply with exactly BACKEND_OK"}],
"temperature":0
}
Response
BACKEND_OK
This indicates the LLM backend itself is reachable and responding correctly.
Regression Confirmation
Rollback procedure
npm install -g openclaw@2026.3.7
systemctl --user restart openclaw-gateway.service
Running the same test command
openclaw agent --agent seer --thinking off --json --message "Reply with exactly OK"
Returns
OK
This confirms the behavior appears only after upgrading to 2026.3.8.
Workspace Delegation Context
This installation includes a small runtime patch modifying workspace inheritance for spawned agents.
Patch locations
dist/reply-.js
dist/compact-.js
Purpose
Ensure spawned agents inherit their own workspace directory rather than the caller workspace.
This patch was used successfully with OpenClaw 2026.3.7 and delegation behavior continued to work during the 3.8 test before the agent liveness failures occurred.
Workspace isolation does not appear to be the cause of the regression.
Diagnostic Clue From Logs
During failing runs the gateway repeatedly logs:
gateway closed (1006 abnormal closure)
followed by
No reply from agent
and eventually
LLM request timed out
This suggests the agent reply pipeline may be losing the websocket transport before the LLM response is delivered.
Evidence Bundle
A full diagnostic bundle was captured during testing.
Artifacts include
commands.sh
openclaw-version-3.8.txt
openclaw-config-validate-3.8.txt
openclaw-doctor-3.8.txt
openclaw-health-3.8.json
gateway-status-3.8.txt
journal-gateway-window.txt
seer-main.json
seer-fresh.json
admin-phase2.json
lmstudio-direct-success.json
openclaw-model-provider-summary-sanitized.json
session-id-note.txt
Rollback confirmation artifacts
post-rollback-version.txt
post-rollback-gateway.txt
post-rollback-config-validate.txt
Selected artifacts are attached to this issue.
Workaround
Remain pinned to OpenClaw 2026.3.7.
Rollback restores stable operation.
Expected behavior
Minimal agent prompt should return a response.
Command
openclaw agent --agent seer --thinking off --json --message "Reply with exactly OK"
Expected output
OK
Actual behavior
Actual Behavior
Agent responses intermittently fail with empty payloads or timeouts.
Example outputs
Case 1
stopReason = stop
payload = ""
Case 2
stopReason = length
payload = ""
Case 3
stopReason = error
payload = "LLM request timed out."
Gateway logs during failing turns show:
gateway closed (1006 abnormal closure)
No reply from agent
OpenClaw version
2026.3.8
Operating system
Parrot OS
Install method
npm install -g openclaw@2026.3.8
Model
LMStudio/qwen3-8b
Provider / routing chain
CLI request → OpenClaw gateway (systemd user service: openclaw-gateway.service) → OpenAI-compatible local provider endpoint (LM Studio) → model qwen3-8b
Config file / key location
/home/linc/.openclaw/openclaw.json
Additional provider/model setup details
Notes:
Relevant areas:
/home/linc/.config/systemd/user/openclaw-gateway.service
/home/linc/.config/systemd/user/openclaw-gateway.service.d/override.conf
Custom runtime context:
dist/reply-.js
dist/compact-.js
Important:
Logs, screenshots, and evidence
Impact and severity
Openclaw with agents does not function.
Additional information
session-id-note.txt
seer-main.json
seer-fresh.json
post-rollback-version.txt
post-rollback-gateway.txt
post-rollback-config-validate.txt
openclaw-version-3.8.txt
openclaw-model-provider-summary-sanitized.json
openclaw-health-3.8.json
openclaw-doctor-3.8.txt
openclaw-config-validate-3.8.txt
lmstudio-direct-success.json
gateway-status-3.8.txt
commands.sh
admin-phase2.json