Bug type

Behavior bug

Summary

openclaw backup create --verify fails with Error: Archive contains duplicate entry path when the workspace directory contains symbolic links pointing to paths already included in the backup.

Steps to reproduce

1. Create a symlink inside the workspace: ln -s /some/path ~/.openclaw/workspace/linkname
2. Run openclaw backup create --verify
3. Observe error

Expected behavior

Backup should handle symlinks correctly (either dereference or exclude duplicate paths), and --verify should pass.

Actual behavior

tar archives both the symlink target and its canonical path, producing duplicate entries. Verify fails with:

Error: Archive contains duplicate entry path: 2026-03-30T05-34-18.705Z-openclaw-backup/payload/posix/home/openclaw/.openclaw/workspace

OpenClaw version

2026.3.28 (f9b1079)

Operating system

Ubuntu 24.04 on WSL2 (Windows 11)

Install method

npm global

Model

zai/glm-5

Provider / routing chain

openclaw -> zai

Logs, screenshots, and evidence

$ openclaw backup create --verify

🦞 OpenClaw 2026.3.28 (f9b1079)

Error: Archive contains duplicate entry path: 2026-03-30T05-34-18.705Z-openclaw-backup/payload/posix/home/openclaw/.openclaw/workspace

Symlink in question:

$ ls -la ~/.openclaw/workspace/screenshots/xiaolong
lrwxrwxrwx 1 openclaw openclaw 64 Mar 24 17:39 /home/openclaw/.openclaw/workspace/screenshots/xiaolong -> /home/openclaw/projects/xiaolong-data-collector/data/screenshots

Impact and severity

• Affected: All users with symlinks inside ~/.openclaw/workspace/
• Severity: Medium — blocks --verify, making automated L2 backups unusable in cron
• Frequency: Always reproducible when workspace contains symlinks
• Workaround: Remove symlinks from workspace, or skip --verify

Additional information

Related issues: #54242 (hardlink target in backup), #44361 (Windows tar path mismatch)