fix: allow detached respawn on Windows for /restart

samson1357924 · samson1357924 · commit 63e8e659af72 · 2026-06-20T02:59:06.000+08:00
restartGatewayProcessWithFreshPid() previously returned mode:disabled on
Windows when no Scheduled Task markers were detected, causing /restart to
fall back to in-process restart (HTTP server close+reopen) without actually
restarting the Node.js process. The PID and uptime remained unchanged.

The update restart path (respawnGatewayProcessForUpdate()) already attempts
detached spawn on Windows. Apply the same behavior to the normal restart
path so /restart works on unmanaged Windows installs.
diff --git a/src/infra/process-respawn.ts b/src/infra/process-respawn.ts
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ function spawnDetachedGatewayProcess(opts: GatewayRespawnOptions = {}): {
  * Attempt to restart this process with a fresh PID.
  * - supervised environments (launchd/systemd/schtasks): caller should exit and let supervisor restart
  * - OPENCLAW_NO_RESPAWN=1: caller should keep in-process restart behavior (tests/dev)
+ * - Windows (no supervisor): attempts detached respawn so /restart actually restarts
  * - unmanaged environments: caller should keep in-process restart behavior so
  *   custom supervisors keep tracking the same gateway PID
  */
@@ -87,12 +88,19 @@ export function restartGatewayProcessWithFreshPid(
     return { mode: "supervised" };
   }
   if (process.platform === "win32") {
-    // Detached respawn is unsafe on Windows without an identified Scheduled Task:
-    // the child becomes orphaned if the original process exits.
-    return {
-      mode: "disabled",
-      detail: "win32: detached respawn unsupported without Scheduled Task markers",
-    };
+    // Try detached respawn on Windows. Without a Scheduled Task supervisor the
+    // child is technically orphaned, but a clean exit followed by spawn is the
+    // only way to actually restart the process. The update path already allows
+    // this — apply the same behaviour to normal restarts so /restart works.
+    try {
+      const { child, pid } = spawnDetachedGatewayProcess(_opts);
+      return { mode: "spawned", pid, detail: "win32: detached respawn" };
+    } catch (err) {
+      return {
+        mode: "failed",
+        detail: `win32: detached respawn failed: ${formatErrorMessage(err)}`,
+      };
+    }
   }
   if (isContainerEnvironment()) {
     return {
