Bug Description

When using $include directives to split the configuration into modular files, the cron scheduler stops executing jobs even though:

• The gateway starts successfully
• All agents load correctly
• Jobs are correctly scheduled with valid nextRunAtMs timestamps
• The .state file shows correct job state

Environment

• OpenClaw version: 2026.2.3-1 (d84eb46)
• OS: Debian 13 (trixie)
• Node: v22.22.0

Steps to Reproduce

1. Create a working monolithic openclaw.json with cron jobs
2. Split the config into modular files using $include:

   {
     "gateway": { "$include": "gateway.json5" },
     "agents": [
       { "$include": "agents/defaults.json5" },
       { "$include": "agents/core.json5" }
     ],
     ...
   }

3. Restart gateway
4. Observe that cron jobs have correct nextRunAtMs but never execute

Expected Behavior

Cron jobs should execute at their scheduled times regardless of whether the config uses $include or is monolithic.

Actual Behavior

• Jobs are scheduled (visible via cron list)
• nextRunAtMs passes without execution
• Job state shows "Last: Xh ago" and keeps incrementing
• No error in logs related to cron execution
• Gateway otherwise functions normally (agents respond to messages)

Workaround

Reverting to a monolithic config (no $include) restores cron execution immediately.

Additional Context

• The plugin loader shows Cannot find module 'zod' but this seems unrelated (existed before the issue)
• Jobs manually triggered via cron run work fine
• The issue persisted across multiple gateway restarts with the modular config