Bug Report

Description

Installation of the @vectorize-io/hindsight-openclaw plugin fails with a config validation error during the config write step. The installer generates malformed JSON that fails validation before being written to disk.

Error Message

[openclaw] Failed to start CLI: Error: Config validation failed: plugins: plugin: failed to parse plugin manifest: SyntaxError: Expected double-quoted property name in JSON at position 8912 (line 219 column 5)
    at Object.writeConfigFile (file:///opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/openclaw/dist/auth-profiles-B5ypC5S-.js:337628:10)
    at async writeConfigFile (file:///opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/openclaw/dist/auth-profiles-B5ypC5S-.js:337894:2)
    at async persistPluginInstall (file:///opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/openclaw/dist/plugins-install-persist-BssAFrNh.js:95:2)

Steps to Reproduce

1. Run: openclaw plugins install @vectorize-io/hindsight-openclaw
2. Plugin downloads and extracts successfully
3. Security warnings appear (expected - environment variables + shell execution for daemon)
4. Installation fails during config write with JSON syntax error

Environment

• OpenClaw Version: 2026.3.28
• OS: macOS (Homebrew installation)
• Node: (via Homebrew)
• Current config: 176 lines, valid JSON
• Plugin version attempted: @vectorize-io/hindsight-openclaw 0.5.0

Expected Behavior

Plugin should install successfully and add valid entries to openclaw.json.

Actual Behavior

Config validation fails with JSON syntax error at position 8912 (line 219), preventing installation. The error occurs in the generated config (which would be ~219 lines), not the existing 176-line config.

Impact

• ✅ Good news: Validation caught the error before corrupting existing config
• ✅ Config remains valid and untouched
• ❌ Cannot install Hindsight memory plugin

Related Issues

Similar plugin install config issues:

• plugins install fails for local plugins when plugins.allow already exists #41229 (plugins install fails with plugins.allow)
• [Bug]: Cognee plugin install can leave mismatched plugins.entries key (latent time-bomb) causing gateway shutdown on reload #24429 (plugin install config mismatches)
• v2026.2.26: bun global install fails with 'unsafe plugin manifest path' (hardlink rejection) #28404 (bun global install manifest validation)

Possible Cause

The plugin installer appears to be generating malformed JSON when adding the Hindsight plugin entry to the config, likely:

• Trailing comma
• Missing quote on property name
• Malformed nested object around line 219 of the proposed config

Workaround

None - plugin cannot be installed until config generation is fixed.

Additional Context

The Hindsight plugin integration is documented at https://hindsight.vectorize.io/blog/2026/03/06/adding-memory-to-openclaw-with-hindsight and appears to be an official integration, so this is likely affecting other users attempting to enhance OpenClaw memory capabilities.