Description

OpenClaw uses statement.columns() from Node's built-in node:sqlite module (in openclaw-state-db-*.js) to distinguish SELECT queries from INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE:

// Line ~85
if (stmt.columns().length > 0) return Promise.resolve({ rows: stmt.all(...sqliteParameters) });

// Line ~139
if (statement.columns().length > 0) return { rows: statement.all(...parameters) };

On Node 22, StmtSync.prototype.columns is a function that returns column metadata.

On Node 23.7.0+ (and confirmed on 26), statement.columns is undefined — the method was removed at some point during the experimental node:sqlite lifecycle.

Impact

[openclaw] Could not start the CLI.
[openclaw] Reason: Failed to open the plugin state database. | statement.columns is not a function

This affects openclaw status, openclaw doctor, and any CLI command that touches the plugin state database. The gateway itself may still run if it was already loaded, but any restart will hit this.

Environment

• OpenClaw: 2026.6.1 → 2026.6.2-beta.1 (both affected)
• Node: 23.7.0
• OS: macOS 26.3.1 (arm64)

Temporary Workaround

Replace stmt.columns().length > 0 with a check using sourceSQL:

stmt.sourceSQL.trim().toUpperCase().startsWith("SELECT")

This works because sourceSQL is available on both Node 22 and 23.

Suggested Fix

Use statement.sourceSQL (already available in the StmtSync prototype) instead of the removed columns(). Or add a feature detection shim:

function isSelectStatement(stmt) {
  if (typeof stmt.columns === "function") {
    return stmt.columns().length > 0;
  }
  return stmt.sourceSQL?.trim().toUpperCase().startsWith("SELECT") ?? false;
}

This would maintain backward compatibility with Node 22 while fixing Node 23+.