Description

The memory-lancedb plugin fails to load @lancedb/lancedb at runtime, even though the module is properly installed in the extension's node_modules/ directory.

Error

memory-lancedb: failed to load LanceDB. Error: Cannot find module '@lancedb/lancedb'
Require stack:
- /opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/openclaw/extensions/memory-lancedb/index.ts

Environment

• OpenClaw: 2026.2.6-3 (85ed6c7)
• OS: macOS (Apple Silicon, arm64)
• Node: v23.11.0
• Install method: npm global (/opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/openclaw/)

Steps to reproduce

1. Enable memory-lancedb plugin via openclaw plugins enable memory-lancedb
2. Configure embedding API key in config
3. Restart gateway
4. Try to use memory_store tool

Investigation

The plugin uses a dynamic import('@lancedb/lancedb') in index.ts (line 29), but the error message shows Require stack, suggesting the bundled gateway resolves it differently.

What I tried (all failed):

1. Installing @lancedb/lancedb + @lancedb/lancedb-darwin-arm64 in the extension's own node_modules/ — not found
2. Copying deps to OpenClaw's main node_modules/ — breaks other packages (chalk ESM/CJS conflict)
3. Installing globally via npm install -g — not in require path
4. openclaw plugins install memory-lancedb — fails with chalk import error

Root cause: The gateway binary bundles extensions and resolves require() from the dist directory, not from the extension's node_modules/. Native dependencies like @lancedb/lancedb (which require platform-specific binaries) cannot be resolved this way.

Expected behavior

Plugins with native dependencies listed in their package.json should have their node_modules/ properly resolved at runtime.

Suggested fix

Either:

• Add the extension's node_modules to the module resolution path when loading plugins
• Or provide a openclaw plugins install command that properly installs native deps and wires them up