openclaw/.cursor/plans/bootstrap_dev_testing_0b5817e5.plan.md

name	overview	todos	isProject
Bootstrap dev testing	Remove local OpenClaw paths from the web app, always use global `openclaw` binary, rename dev scripts to `denchclaw`, and verify bootstrap works standalone.	id content status remove-local-openclaw-agent-runner Remove resolvePackageRoot, resolveOpenClawLaunch, DENCHCLAW_USE_LOCAL_OPENCLAW from agent-runner.ts; spawn global `openclaw` directly completed id content status remove-local-openclaw-subagent-runs Remove local script paths from subagent-runs.ts (sendGatewayAbortForSubagent, spawnSubagentMessage); use global `openclaw` instead completed id content status rename-pnpm-scripts Rename `pnpm openclaw` to `pnpm denchclaw` and `openclaw:rpc` to `denchclaw:rpc` in package.json completed id content status update-agent-runner-tests Update agent-runner.test.ts: remove resolvePackageRoot tests, DENCHCLAW_USE_LOCAL_OPENCLAW, update spawn assertions completed id content status verify-builds-pass Verify pnpm build, pnpm web:build, and workspace tests pass after changes completed	false

DenchClaw Bootstrap: Clean Separation and Dev Testing

Architecture

DenchClaw is a frontend/UI/skills layer. OpenClaw is a separate, globally-installed runtime. DenchClaw should NEVER bundle or run a local copy of OpenClaw.

flowchart TD
    npx["npx denchclaw (or denchclaw)"] --> entry["openclaw.mjs → dist/entry.js"]
    entry --> runMain["run-main.ts: bare denchclaw → bootstrap"]
    runMain --> delegate{"primary == bootstrap?"}
    delegate -->|yes, keep local| bootstrap["bootstrapCommand()"]
    delegate -->|no, delegate| globalOC["spawn openclaw ...args"]
    bootstrap --> checkOC{"openclaw on PATH?"}
    checkOC -->|yes| onboard
    checkOC -->|no| prompt["Prompt: install openclaw globally?"]
    prompt -->|yes| npmInstall["npm install -g openclaw"]
    npmInstall --> onboard
    onboard["openclaw onboard --install-daemon"] --> gatewayStart["Gateway starts + spawns web app"]
    gatewayStart --> probe["waitForWebAppPort(3100)"]
    probe --> openBrowser["Open http://localhost:3100"]

The bootstrap flow is correctly wired:

• Bare denchclaw rewrites to denchclaw bootstrap
• bootstrap is never delegated to global openclaw
• bootstrapCommand calls ensureOpenClawCliAvailable which prompts to install
• Onboarding sets gateway.webApp.enabled: true
• Gateway starts the Next.js standalone server on port 3100
• Bootstrap probes and opens the browser

Problem 1: Local OpenClaw paths in web app (must remove)

[apps/web/lib/agent-runner.ts](apps/web/lib/agent-runner.ts) has resolveOpenClawLaunch which, when DENCHCLAW_USE_LOCAL_OPENCLAW=1, resolves a local scripts/run-node.mjs or openclaw.mjs and spawns it with node. This contradicts the architecture: DenchClaw should always spawn the global openclaw binary.

The same pattern exists in [apps/web/lib/subagent-runs.ts](apps/web/lib/subagent-runs.ts) where sendGatewayAbortForSubagent and spawnSubagentMessage hardcode node <local-script> paths.

Fix:

• Remove DENCHCLAW_USE_LOCAL_OPENCLAW, resolveOpenClawLaunch, resolvePackageRoot, and OpenClawLaunch type from agent-runner.ts
• All spawn calls become spawn("openclaw", [...args], { env, stdio })
• In subagent-runs.ts: replace node <scriptPath> gateway call ... with openclaw gateway call ...
• Remove resolvePackageRoot import from subagent-runs.ts

Problem 2: pnpm openclaw script name is wrong

package.json has "openclaw": "node scripts/run-node.mjs". This repo IS DenchClaw, not OpenClaw.

Fix: Rename to "denchclaw": "node scripts/run-node.mjs". Also "openclaw:rpc" to "denchclaw:rpc".

Dev workflow (after fixes)

# Prerequisite: install OpenClaw globally (one-time)
npm install -g openclaw

# Run DenchClaw bootstrap (installs/configures everything, opens UI)
pnpm denchclaw

# Or for web UI dev only:
openclaw --profile denchclaw gateway --port 18789   # Terminal 1
pnpm web:dev                                        # Terminal 2

Implementation details

1. Simplify agent-runner.ts spawning

Remove ~40 lines (resolvePackageRoot, OpenClawLaunch, resolveOpenClawLaunch). Both spawnLegacyAgentProcess and spawnLegacyAgentSubscribeProcess become:

function spawnLegacyAgentProcess(message: string, agentSessionId?: string) {
  const args = ["agent", "--agent", "main", "--message", message, "--stream-json"];
  if (agentSessionId) {
    const sessionKey = `agent:main:web:${agentSessionId}`;
    args.push("--session-key", sessionKey, "--lane", "web", "--channel", "webchat");
  }
  const profile = getEffectiveProfile();
  const workspace = resolveWorkspaceRoot();
  return spawn("openclaw", args, {
    env: {
      ...process.env,
      ...(profile ? { OPENCLAW_PROFILE: profile } : {}),
      ...(workspace ? { OPENCLAW_WORKSPACE: workspace } : {}),
    },
    stdio: ["ignore", "pipe", "pipe"],
  });
}

2. Simplify subagent-runs.ts spawning

sendGatewayAbortForSubagent and spawnSubagentMessage both have this pattern:

const root = resolvePackageRoot();
const devScript = join(root, "scripts", "run-node.mjs");
const prodScript = join(root, "openclaw.mjs");
const scriptPath = existsSync(devScript) ? devScript : prodScript;
spawn("node", [scriptPath, "gateway", "call", ...], { cwd: root, ... });

Replace with:

spawn("openclaw", ["gateway", "call", ...], { env: process.env, ... });

3. Update agent-runner.test.ts

• Remove process.env.DENCHCLAW_USE_LOCAL_OPENCLAW = "1" from beforeEach
• Remove entire resolvePackageRoot describe block (~5 tests)
• The "uses global openclaw by default" test becomes the only spawn behavior test
• Update mock assertions: command is always "openclaw", no prefixArgs

4. Rename package.json scripts

-    "openclaw": "node scripts/run-node.mjs",
-    "openclaw:rpc": "node scripts/run-node.mjs agent --mode rpc --json",
+    "denchclaw": "node scripts/run-node.mjs",
+    "denchclaw:rpc": "node scripts/run-node.mjs agent --mode rpc --json",