Bug type

Regression (worked before, now fails)

Beta release blocker

No

Summary

npm install -g openclaw@latest crashes with unreachable code / RepresentationChangerError during official install script in WSL2 Ubuntu 24.04.

Steps to reproduce

1. Open WSL2 terminal (Ubuntu 24.04.4)
2. Run: curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash
3. Installer installs Node.js v22.22.2
4. npm install -g openclaw@latest crashes with V8 Fatal error
5. Installer retries, crashes again with different V8 error

Expected behavior

OpenClaw installs successfully and the onboarding wizard starts.

Actual behavior

npm install -g openclaw@latest fails with V8 Fatal error. Installer retries once, then fails again. Two crash dumps with different stack traces are produced.

OpenClaw version

2026.4.26

Operating system

WSL2 Ubuntu 24.04.4 on Windows 10 22H2 (64-bit)

Install method

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash

Model

ollama/mistral:7b-32k

Provider / routing chain

local ollama (not yet configured due to install failure)

Additional provider/model setup details

N/A

Logs, screenshots, and evidence

Full crash logs attached as crash-logs.txt

Impact and severity

• Affected users: Anyone attempting to install OpenClaw on WSL2 Ubuntu 24.04 with Node v22.22.2 via official script
• Severity: Critical (blocks installation completely)
• Frequency: 2/2 attempts
• Consequence: Cannot install or run OpenClaw

Additional information

Ollama and curl work fine on the same machine. Only the npm install of OpenClaw crashes.