Bug type

Regression (worked before, now fails)

Summary

openclaw gateway restart takes 10-15 sec, exec tool times out and loses the result

Steps to reproduce

1. Run openclaw gateway restart via the exec tool in an agent session
2. Wait for the result
3. Observe: tool returns "missing tool result in session history; inserted synthetic error result for transcript repair"

Expected behavior

Command completes and returns output. Gateway restarts successfully and tool receives confirmation.

Actual behavior

Tool loses the result with error: "missing tool result in session history". The gateway does restart correctly (new PID assigned, status shows running), but exec tool never gets the response.

OpenClaw version

2026.3.2

Operating system

Ubuntu 24.04

Install method

npm global

Logs, screenshots, and evidence

Impact and severity

Affected: All users running gateway restart via exec tool
Severity: Medium (gateway works, but tool always reports error — confusing and breaks automation)
Frequency: 100% repro
Consequence: Agent thinks restart failed, may retry unnecessarily

Additional information

Workaround: systemctl --user restart openclaw-gateway && sleep 3 && openclaw gateway status
Suggestion: make gateway restart run asynchronously and return immediately, let caller verify status separately.