What causes "Codex CLI resume returned an invalid payload." in openclaw/openclaw?

Inspect the node-side resume logs to see why it returned ok !== true (the underlying error is usually there).

Codex CLI resume returned an invalid payload.

Error message

Codex CLI resume returned an invalid payload.

What it means

The resumeCodexCliSessionOnNode node invoke returned a payload that is not a record, or whose ok !== true, or whose text is not a string. resumeCodexCliSessionOnNode unwraps the node invoke result and requires a success envelope { ok: true, text: string, sessionId? }; any deviation is treated as a malformed remote response.

Source

Thrown at extensions/codex/src/node-cli-sessions.ts:172

  prompt: string;
  cwd?: string;
  timeoutMs?: number;
}): Promise<CodexCliSessionResumeResult> {
  const raw = await params.runtime.nodes.invoke({
    nodeId: params.nodeId,
    command: CODEX_CLI_SESSION_RESUME_COMMAND,
    params: {
      sessionId: params.sessionId,
      prompt: params.prompt,
      cwd: params.cwd,
      timeoutMs: params.timeoutMs,
    },
    timeoutMs: (params.timeoutMs ?? DEFAULT_RESUME_TIMEOUT_MS) + 5_000,
    scopes: ["operator.write"],
  });
  const payload = unwrapNodeInvokePayload(raw);
  if (!isRecord(payload) || payload.ok !== true || typeof payload.text !== "string") {
    throw new Error("Codex CLI resume returned an invalid payload.");
  }
  return {
    ok: true,
    sessionId: typeof payload.sessionId === "string" ? payload.sessionId : params.sessionId,
    text: payload.text,
  };
}

export function formatCodexCliSessions(params: {
  node: CodexCliSessionNodeInfo;
  result: CodexCliSessionsListResult;
}): string {
  if (params.result.sessions.length === 0) {
    return `No Codex CLI sessions returned from ${formatCodexDisplayText(formatNodeLabel(params.node))}.`;
  }
  return [
    `Codex CLI sessions on ${formatCodexDisplayText(formatNodeLabel(params.node))}:`,
    ...params.result.sessions.map((session) => {

View on GitHub (pinned to 01804a7531)

Solutions

Inspect the node-side resume logs to see why it returned ok !== true (the underlying error is usually there).
Confirm the node's resume handler emits { ok: true, text: string, sessionId? } on success.
Retry the resume once transient node errors are ruled out.
Update the node plugin so the resume handler returns the contract envelope.

Defensive patterns

Strategy: type-guard

Type guard

function isValidResumePayload(p: unknown): p is { ok: true; text: string; sessionId?: string } {
  return typeof p === 'object' && p !== null && (p as any).ok === true && typeof (p as any).text === 'string';
}

Try / catch

try {
  const raw = await runtime.nodes.invoke({ ... });
  const payload = unwrapNodeInvokePayload(raw);
  if (!isValidResumePayload(payload)) throw new Error('invalid resume payload');
} catch (e) {
  // inspect node-side resume logs for the real ok:false cause
  throw e;
}

Prevention

Ensure the node resume handler returns { ok: true, text, sessionId? } on success and a clear error on failure.
Version-match the invoking plugin with the node plugin's resume handler.
Log unwrapNodeInvokePayload output at debug level to catch envelope drift.

When it happens

Trigger: The remote node's resume handler returned an error object { ok: false, error }, a non-object, or a success object missing the text field. unwrapNodeInvokePayload + the record/ok/text guards at node-cli-sessions.ts:172 reject it.

Common situations: The remote codex exec resume failed and the node reported ok:false; a node-side serialization bug dropped the text field; version mismatch between the invoking plugin and the node's resume handler.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of openclaw/openclaw@01804a7531 (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/12a4cd47938a8b9b. Report an issue: GitHub.