Problem
When running openclaw message send, plugin initialization logs ([plugins] lines) are printed to stdout instead of stderr. This contaminates any script that captures output via $(...) or pipes.
Evidence
$ openclaw message send --channel whatsapp --target "+31627894125" --message "test" --dry-run >/tmp/stdout.txt 2>/tmp/stderr.txt
$ cat /tmp/stdout.txt
[plugins] graphiti-kg: registered (url: http://127.0.0.1:8000, group: openclaw-main)
[plugins] memory-lancedb-pro@1.0.32: plugin registered (db: /home/braminator/.openclaw/memory/lancedb-pro, model: text-embedding-3-small)
[plugins] mdMirror: no agent workspaces found, writes will use fallback dir: /home/braminator/.openclaw/workspace/memory-md
[plugins] graphiti-knowledge-graph: loaded without install/load-path provenance; treat as untracked local code and pin trust via plugins.allow or install records (/home/braminator/.openclaw/extensions/graphiti-knowledge-graph/index.ts)
[plugins] memory-lancedb-pro: loaded without install/load-path provenance; treat as untracked local code and pin trust via plugins.allow or install records (/home/braminator/.openclaw/extensions/memory-lancedb-pro/index.ts)
[plugins] graphiti-kg: registered (url: http://127.0.0.1:8000, group: openclaw-main)
[plugins] memory-lancedb-pro@1.0.32: plugin registered (db: /home/braminator/.openclaw/memory/lancedb-pro, model: text-embedding-3-small)
[plugins] mdMirror: no agent workspaces found, writes will use fallback dir: /home/braminator/.openclaw/workspace/memory-md
The [plugins] lines above all appear on stdout (not stderr), mixed with the actual result.
Impact
Scripts that capture openclaw message send output to check for error conditions get polluted with plugin init noise:
probe=$(openclaw message send ... --dry-run 2>&1)
# $probe now contains [plugins] lines + actual result
Expected Behavior
Plugin initialization logs should go to stderr (or be suppressed entirely when --quiet / not a TTY). Stdout should only contain the actual command result.
Workaround
A filter wrapper is being used locally:
openclaw message send "$@" \
2> >(grep -v '^\[plugins\]' >&2) \
| grep -v '^\[plugins\]'
Affected Commands
openclaw message send- Likely all
openclaw subcommands that load plugins
Version
OpenClaw 2026.3.13 (61d171a)
Suggested Fix
In the plugin loader, check if stdout is a TTY or if a --quiet flag is set before emitting [plugins] init messages. Otherwise, route them to stderr unconditionally.
Problem
When running
openclaw message send, plugin initialization logs ([plugins]lines) are printed to stdout instead of stderr. This contaminates any script that captures output via$(...)or pipes.Evidence
The
[plugins]lines above all appear on stdout (not stderr), mixed with the actual result.Impact
Scripts that capture
openclaw message sendoutput to check for error conditions get polluted with plugin init noise:Expected Behavior
Plugin initialization logs should go to stderr (or be suppressed entirely when
--quiet/ not a TTY). Stdout should only contain the actual command result.Workaround
A filter wrapper is being used locally:
Affected Commands
openclaw message sendopenclawsubcommands that load pluginsVersion
Suggested Fix
In the plugin loader, check if stdout is a TTY or if a
--quietflag is set before emitting[plugins]init messages. Otherwise, route them to stderr unconditionally.