Summary

openclaw doctor can misclassify a source checkout as "not a git checkout" when the CLI is launched through a global npm/pnpm shim whose node_modules/openclaw entry is a Windows junction/symlink to the real repo checkout.

The install is actually source-backed, and openclaw update --dry-run --json correctly reports git mode, but doctor's pre-update offer uses a raw string comparison and shows package-manager guidance instead of offering the git update flow.

Repro shape

1. Have a real OpenClaw git checkout.
2. Expose it through a global npm/pnpm command shim where the package root is a junction/symlink to that checkout.
3. Run openclaw doctor interactively.

Observed doctor output includes:

This install is not a git checkout.
Run `openclaw update` to update via your package manager (npm/pnpm), then rerun doctor.

But the same environment resolves as a git install through the update command:

{
  "installKind": "git",
  "mode": "git",
  "updateInstallKind": "git",
  "actions": [
    "Run git update flow on channel dev (fetch/rebase/build/doctor)"
  ]
}

Root cause

src/commands/doctor-update.ts detects a git checkout with:

return res.stdout.trim() === root ? "git" : "not-git";

On Windows junction/symlink installs, git -C <linked package root> rev-parse --show-toplevel returns the real checkout path, while root can still be the linked global package path. These refer to the same location but are not equal as raw strings.

src/infra/update-runner.ts already handles this class of problem with realpath-style comparison for the update flow, which is why openclaw update --dry-run --json reports git mode correctly.

Expected behavior

Doctor should canonicalize both paths before comparing them. If the install root and git rev-parse --show-toplevel refer to the same filesystem location, doctor should offer:

Update OpenClaw from git before running doctor?

Local proof

A focused local patch that compares canonicalized real paths makes doctor-update detection recognize the junction-backed checkout while preserving the real non-git package-manager guidance.

Validation run:

node scripts/run-vitest.mjs src/commands/doctor-update.test.ts
# Test Files  1 passed (1)
# Tests       2 passed (2)

pnpm oxlint src/commands/doctor-update.ts src/commands/doctor-update.test.ts
# Found 0 warnings and 0 errors.

openclaw update --dry-run --json
# installKind: git
# mode: git
# action: Run git update flow on channel dev (fetch/rebase/build/doctor)

Affected surface

• src/commands/doctor-update.ts
• Windows/global npm or pnpm source installs that use a junction/symlink into a git checkout