TencentCloud/TencentDB-Agent-Memory · error

Unable to resolve OpenClaw root. Set OPENCLAW_ROOT or run `p

Error message

Unable to resolve OpenClaw root. Set OPENCLAW_ROOT or run `pnpm build`.

What it means

resolveOpenClawRoot locates the openclaw package root by walking up from well-known starting points (and OPENCLAW_ROOT). If no candidate directory contains the openclaw package, the runner cannot locate dist/extensionAPI.js and throws, telling you to set OPENCLAW_ROOT explicitly or build the package with `pnpm build`.

Source

Thrown at MemoryCore/src/utils/clean-context-runner.ts:130

    dir = parent;
  }
}

function resolveOpenClawRoot(): string {
  if (_rootCache) return _rootCache;
  const override = getEnv("OPENCLAW_ROOT")?.trim();
  if (override) { _rootCache = override; return override; }

  const candidates = new Set<string>();
  if (process.argv[1]) candidates.add(path.dirname(process.argv[1]));
  candidates.add(process.cwd());
  try { candidates.add(path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url))); } catch { /* ignore */ }

  for (const start of candidates) {
    const found = findPackageRoot(start, "openclaw");
    if (found) { _rootCache = found; return found; }
  }
  throw new Error("Unable to resolve OpenClaw root. Set OPENCLAW_ROOT or run `pnpm build`.");
}

let _loadPromise: Promise<RunEmbeddedPiAgentFn> | null = null;

function loadRunEmbeddedPiAgent(logger?: RunnerLogger): Promise<RunEmbeddedPiAgentFn> {
  if (_loadPromise) return _loadPromise;

  _loadPromise = (async () => {
    const t0 = Date.now();
    const distPath = path.join(resolveOpenClawRoot(), "dist", "extensionAPI.js");
    if (!fsSync.existsSync(distPath)) {
      throw new Error(`Missing core module at ${distPath}. Run \`pnpm build\` or install the official package.`);
    }
    const mod = await import(pathToFileURL(distPath).href);
    if (typeof mod.runEmbeddedPiAgent !== "function") {
      throw new Error("runEmbeddedPiAgent not exported from dist/extensionAPI.js");
    }
    logger?.info(`${TAG} loadRunEmbeddedPiAgent: dist/ import OK (${Date.now() - t0}ms)`);

View on GitHub (pinned to 3efcd317b8)

Solutions

1. Run `pnpm build` in the openclaw package so the package root with dist/ exists
2. Set OPENCLAW_ROOT to the absolute path of the openclaw package root
3. Install the official openclaw package if it is missing from node_modules
4. Verify findPackageRoot's candidate start dirs include your runtime location (e.g. when bundled)

Example fix

// before
OPENCLAW_ROOT=./openclaw/src
// after
OPENCLAW_ROOT=/abs/path/to/openclaw  # dir containing package.json with name "openclaw"

const root = process.env.OPENCLAW_ROOT ?? path.resolve('node_modules/openclaw');
if (!fsSync.existsSync(path.join(root, 'package.json'))) { logger.error('openclaw root missing; run pnpm build or set OPENCLAW_ROOT'); }

try { const run = await loadRunEmbeddedPiAgent(logger); } catch (e) { if (/Unable to resolve OpenClaw root/.test(e.message)) { logger.error('Set OPENCLAW_ROOT or run pnpm build'); process.exitCode = 1; } else throw e; }

When it happens

Trigger: Calling the clean-context runner (directly or via loadRunEmbeddedPiAgent/distPath) when the openclaw package is not installed, is installed but unbuilt, or OPENCLAW_ROOT points to the wrong directory.

Common situations: Fresh checkout without running `pnpm build`; running from a bundled/standalone context where import.meta.url candidates don't resolve into the package; monorepo layout changes moving the package root; OPENCLAW_ROOT set to src instead of the package dir.

Related errors

• Missing core module at ${distPath}. Run `pnpm build` or inst

AI-assisted analysis of TencentCloud/TencentDB-Agent-Memory@3efcd317b8 (2026-09-01). Data as JSON: /api/errors/9e144523188b8152. Report an issue: GitHub.