Bug type
Regression (worked before, now fails)
Beta release blocker
No
Summary
Environment
Node v22.22.0
OpenClaw 2026.4.29 (a448042)
Installed via npm globally: /opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/openclaw
Symptoms
Telegram and Discord channels crash immediately on every gateway start with:
Cannot find package 'json5' imported from
/Users/simon/.openclaw/plugin-runtime-deps/openclaw-2026.4.29-da6bdffc3d96/dist/frontmatter-Cc-V8aI2.js
Did you mean to import "json5/lib/index.js"?
Root cause
On every gateway start, the file-transfer plugin runs a pnpm install into ~/.openclaw/plugin-runtime-deps/openclaw-2026.4.29-da6bdffc3d96/. The installed json5@2.2.3 package lacks an exports field in its package.json, which Node's ESM resolver requires for bare import 'json5' statements. The bundled channel code uses ESM imports, so resolution fails.
Manual fixes (adding exports field, reinstalling via npm/pnpm, symlinking) are overwritten on every restart because the file-transfer plugin re-runs pnpm install each time.
Steps to reproduce
Steps to reproduce
Fresh install of openclaw@2026.4.29
Run openclaw gateway start
Observe Telegram and Discord channels immediately exit with the json5 error
Expected behavior
Telegram and Discord channels should start successfully.
Actual behavior
None found. The runtime deps folder is re-extracted and reinstalled on every gateway restart, overwriting any manual fixes.
OpenClaw version
2026.4.29
Operating system
macOS 26.3.1 (arm64)
Install method
npm
Model
gpt-5.4
Provider / routing chain
openai-codex
Additional provider/model setup details
No response
Logs, screenshots, and evidence
Impact and severity
Observe Telegram and Discord channels immediately exit with the json5 error. No work around found.
Additional information
No response
Bug type
Regression (worked before, now fails)
Beta release blocker
No
Summary
Environment
Node v22.22.0
OpenClaw 2026.4.29 (a448042)
Installed via npm globally: /opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/openclaw
Symptoms
Telegram and Discord channels crash immediately on every gateway start with:
Cannot find package 'json5' imported from
/Users/simon/.openclaw/plugin-runtime-deps/openclaw-2026.4.29-da6bdffc3d96/dist/frontmatter-Cc-V8aI2.js
Did you mean to import "json5/lib/index.js"?
Root cause
On every gateway start, the file-transfer plugin runs a pnpm install into ~/.openclaw/plugin-runtime-deps/openclaw-2026.4.29-da6bdffc3d96/. The installed json5@2.2.3 package lacks an exports field in its package.json, which Node's ESM resolver requires for bare import 'json5' statements. The bundled channel code uses ESM imports, so resolution fails.
Manual fixes (adding exports field, reinstalling via npm/pnpm, symlinking) are overwritten on every restart because the file-transfer plugin re-runs pnpm install each time.
Steps to reproduce
Steps to reproduce
Fresh install of openclaw@2026.4.29
Run openclaw gateway start
Observe Telegram and Discord channels immediately exit with the json5 error
Expected behavior
Telegram and Discord channels should start successfully.
Actual behavior
None found. The runtime deps folder is re-extracted and reinstalled on every gateway restart, overwriting any manual fixes.
OpenClaw version
2026.4.29
Operating system
macOS 26.3.1 (arm64)
Install method
npm
Model
gpt-5.4
Provider / routing chain
openai-codex
Additional provider/model setup details
No response
Logs, screenshots, and evidence
Impact and severity
Observe Telegram and Discord channels immediately exit with the json5 error. No work around found.
Additional information
No response