Bug type

Regression (worked before, now fails)

Beta release blocker

No

Summary

I was originally on version 3.31. When upgrading to 4.2, I got this warning:

C:\WINDOWS\system32>openclaw gateway install --force
Config warnings:
- plugins.entries.browser: plugin not found: browser (stale config entry ignored; remove it from plugins config)
Config was last written by a newer OpenClaw (2026.4.5); current version is 2026.3.11

So I simply uninstalled the old version and reinstalled it.

Steps to reproduce

C:\WINDOWS\system32>npm install -g openclaw@latest
npm warn deprecated node-domexception@1.0.0: Use your platform's native DOMException instead

added 482 packages in 4m

87 packages are looking for funding
run npm fund for details

C:\WINDOWS\system32>openclaw onboard --install-daemon

🦞 OpenClaw 2026.4.5 (3e72c03) — Powered by open source, sustained by spite and good documentation.

Windows detected - OpenClaw runs great on WSL2!
Native Windows might be trickier.
Quick setup: wsl --install (one command, one reboot)
Guide: https://docs.openclaw.ai/windows
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🦞 OPENCLAW 🦞

T OpenClaw setup
|
o Security ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| Security warning — please read. |
| |
| OpenClaw is a hobby project and still in beta. Expect sharp edges. |
| By default, OpenClaw is a personal agent: one trusted operator boundary. |
| This bot can read files and run actions if tools are enabled. |
| A bad prompt can trick it into doing unsafe things. |
| |
| OpenClaw is not a hostile multi-tenant boundary by default. |
| If multiple users can message one tool-enabled agent, they share that delegated tool |
| authority. |
| |
| If you’re not comfortable with security hardening and access control, don’t run |
| OpenClaw. |
| Ask someone experienced to help before enabling tools or exposing it to the internet. |
| |
| Recommended baseline: |
| - Pairing/allowlists + mention gating. |
| - Multi-user/shared inbox: split trust boundaries (separate gateway/credentials, ideally |
| separate OS users/hosts). |
| - Sandbox + least-privilege tools. |
| - Shared inboxes: isolate DM sessions (session.dmScope: per-channel-peer) and keep |
| tool access minimal. |
| - Keep secrets out of the agent’s reachable filesystem. |
| - Use the strongest available model for any bot with tools or untrusted inboxes. |
| |
| Run regularly: |
| openclaw security audit --deep |
| openclaw security audit --fix |
| |
| Must read: https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/security |
| |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|
o I understand this is personal-by-default and shared/multi-user use requires lock-down. Continue?
| Yes
|
o Setup mode
| QuickStart
|
o QuickStart -------------------------+
| |
| Gateway port: 18789 |
| Gateway bind: Loopback (127.0.0.1) |
| Gateway auth: Token (default) |
| Tailscale exposure: Off |
| Direct to chat channels. |
| |
+--------------------------------------+
|
o Model/auth provider
| Custom Provider
|
o API Base URL
| http://127.0.0.1:1234/v1
|
o How do you want to provide this API key?
| Paste API key now
|
o API Key (leave blank if not required)
| lmstudio
|
o Endpoint compatibility
| OpenAI-compatible
|
o Model ID
| qwen3.5-35b-a3b
|
o Verification successful.
|
o Endpoint ID
| lm-studio
|
o Model alias (optional)
| qwen3.5-35b-a3b
Configured custom provider: lm-studio/qwen3.5-35b-a3b
Error [ERR_UNSUPPORTED_ESM_URL_SCHEME]: Only URLs with a scheme in: file, data, and node are supported by the default ESM loader. On Windows, absolute paths must be valid file:// URLs. Received protocol 'c:'

C:\WINDOWS\system32>

Expected behavior

I hope future version upgrades won't be so troublesome; I end up struggling for a day or two every time I update.

Actual behavior

OpenClaw version

OpenClaw 2026.4.5

Operating system

Win10

Install method

npm install -g openclaw@latest

Model

lm-studio/qwen3.5-35b-a3b

Provider / routing chain

http://127.0.0.1:1234/v1

Additional provider/model setup details

No response

Logs, screenshots, and evidence

Impact and severity

No response

Additional information

2026.3.31 is the last working version on my machine. All versions from 2026.4.1 onwards are broken.