feat(skills): add cross-platform install fallback for non-brew environments by mcrolly · Pull Request #17687 · openclaw/openclaw

mcrolly · 2026-02-16T02:52:22Z

Supersedes #17661 — addresses all review feedback from @sebslight and Greptile.

Changes

Adds cross-platform skill installation support for non-Homebrew environments (Linux distros, containers, CI).

New: `src/infra/package-managers.ts`

Linux distro family detection via /etc/os-release
Package manager discovery in priority order

Updated: `src/agents/skills-install.ts`

Go fallback (apt-get): Checks sudo -n true before attempting sudo apt-get install. If passwordless sudo is unavailable (containers, restricted environments), returns a helpful error with https://go.dev/doc/install link instead of hanging.

uv fallback: Removed curl-pipe-sh auto-install entirely (security anti-pattern, PATH issues). Returns clear error message with install link when uv is missing and brew is unavailable.

Feedback addressed

✅ sudo hanging/missing — passwordless sudo check before apt-get
✅ uv PATH issues — no more auto-install via curl
✅ curl-pipe-sh security concern — eliminated entirely
✅ sudo password hang — covered by fix: add @lid format support and allowFrom wildcard handling #1

Tests

apt-get available but sudo missing/unusable → helpful error, no apt-get call
uv not installed without brew → helpful error, no curl auto-install
Package manager detection and priority ordering

Greptile Summary

Adds cross-platform skill installation fallbacks for non-Homebrew environments. Key changes: apt-get fallback for Go with passwordless sudo check, removal of insecure curl-pipe-sh auto-install for uv, improved error messages with install links, and smarter install spec selection that skips brew when unavailable.

Type/parser mismatch: SkillInstallSpec.kind in types.ts was expanded with "apt" | "dnf" | "pacman" | "apk", but the frontmatter parser (frontmatter.ts:32) still rejects those kinds, and neither buildInstallCommand nor selectPreferredInstallSpec handle them. These new kind values are dead code that will silently fail if used.
Missing apt-get update: The new apt-get fallback for Go runs sudo apt-get install -y golang-go without a preceding apt-get update, which will fail on fresh containers with empty package lists — the primary target environment for this fallback.
Unused module: src/infra/package-managers.ts (Linux distro detection, PM discovery) is not imported anywhere outside its own tests. It appears to be groundwork for future use but is currently dead code.
The curl-pipe-sh removal and passwordless sudo check are well-implemented security improvements.

Confidence Score: 3/5

PR introduces good safety improvements but has a type/parser mismatch that creates dead code and a missing apt-get update that will cause the primary fallback to fail in its target environment.
Score of 3 reflects two concrete issues: (1) the new SkillInstallSpec kind values are accepted by the type system but rejected by the parser and unhandled by the installer, creating a confusing gap; (2) the apt-get install fallback will reliably fail on fresh containers without apt-get update. The security improvements (curl removal, sudo check) are solid.
Pay close attention to src/agents/skills/types.ts (dead type expansion), src/agents/skills/frontmatter.ts (parser doesn't accept new kinds), and src/agents/skills-install.ts (missing apt-get update).

_{Last reviewed commit: 196bec2}

_{(5/5) You can turn off certain types of comments like style here!}

greptile-apps

_{6 files reviewed, 2 comments}

_{Edit Code Review Agent Settings | Greptile}

greptile-apps · 2026-02-16T02:55:05Z

src/agents/skills/types.ts

 export type SkillInstallSpec = {
  id?: string;
-  kind: "brew" | "node" | "go" | "uv" | "download";
+  kind: "brew" | "node" | "go" | "uv" | "download" | "apt" | "dnf" | "pacman" | "apk";


New kind values are dead code

The type was expanded with "apt" | "dnf" | "pacman" | "apk", but neither the parser nor the installer handles them:

parseInstallSpec in src/agents/skills/frontmatter.ts:32 still only accepts brew, node, go, uv, download — any skill with kind: "apt" (etc.) will be silently dropped (returns undefined).

buildInstallCommand in src/agents/skills-install.ts:168 has no cases for these new kinds — they'd hit the default branch returning "unsupported installer".

selectPreferredInstallSpec in src/agents/skills-status.ts doesn't look for any of the new kinds.

The type union suggests these are intended install paths, but without corresponding implementation they'll only cause confusion. Either add handling throughout (parser + installer + status), or remove the new kinds from the type until they're ready.

Prompt To Fix With AI

This is a comment left during a code review. Path: src/agents/skills/types.ts Line: 5:5 Comment: **New `kind` values are dead code** The type was expanded with `"apt" | "dnf" | "pacman" | "apk"`, but neither the parser nor the installer handles them: 1. `parseInstallSpec` in `src/agents/skills/frontmatter.ts:32` still only accepts `brew`, `node`, `go`, `uv`, `download` — any skill with `kind: "apt"` (etc.) will be silently dropped (returns `undefined`). 2. `buildInstallCommand` in `src/agents/skills-install.ts:168` has no cases for these new kinds — they'd hit the `default` branch returning `"unsupported installer"`. 3. `selectPreferredInstallSpec` in `src/agents/skills-status.ts` doesn't look for any of the new kinds. The type union suggests these are intended install paths, but without corresponding implementation they'll only cause confusion. Either add handling throughout (parser + installer + status), or remove the new kinds from the type until they're ready. How can I resolve this? If you propose a fix, please make it concise.

greptile-apps · 2026-02-16T02:55:06Z

src/agents/skills-install.ts

+      const aptResult = await runCommandWithTimeout(
+        ["sudo", "apt-get", "install", "-y", "golang-go"],
+        { timeoutMs },
+      );


Missing apt-get update before install

On fresh containers and minimal Docker images, the apt package lists are typically empty (or stale). Running sudo apt-get install -y golang-go without a preceding sudo apt-get update will fail with "Unable to locate package golang-go" in most container environments — which is precisely the target use case for this fallback. Consider running apt-get update first, or at minimum mentioning it in the error message when apt-get install fails.

Prompt To Fix With AI

This is a comment left during a code review. Path: src/agents/skills-install.ts Line: 685:688 Comment: **Missing `apt-get update` before install** On fresh containers and minimal Docker images, the apt package lists are typically empty (or stale). Running `sudo apt-get install -y golang-go` without a preceding `sudo apt-get update` will fail with "Unable to locate package golang-go" in most container environments — which is precisely the target use case for this fallback. Consider running `apt-get update` first, or at minimum mentioning it in the error message when `apt-get install` fails. How can I resolve this? If you propose a fix, please make it concise.

mcrolly · 2026-02-16T02:57:01Z

Addressed both review comments:

Dead code in types.ts — Reverted the kind union back to original (brew | node | go | uv | download). The native PM kinds (apt/dnf/pacman/apk) will be added in a follow-up when parser + installer + status all support them.
Missing apt-get update — Added sudo apt-get update -qq before apt-get install so fresh containers with empty package lists don't fail.

Force-pushed with both fixes. Tests pass.

…nments - Extend SkillInstallSpec to support native package managers (apt, dnf, pacman, apk) - Add platform detection utilities to identify Linux distro and available package managers - Update install selection logic to prefer native package managers on Linux - Improve install fallback chain: native PM → brew → go → node → uv → download - Enhance error messages when brew is unavailable with platform-specific guidance - Respect existing preferBrew config; add automatic fallback for Linux without brew - Add comprehensive tests for package manager detection Closes openclaw#9420 Relates to openclaw#3987, #2478, openclaw#6654

sebslight · 2026-02-16T03:25:29Z

Merged via squash.

Prepared head SHA: 3ed4850
Merge commit: d19b746

Thanks @mcrolly!

@sebslight

…nments (openclaw#17687) Merged via /review-pr -> /prepare-pr -> /merge-pr. Prepared head SHA: 3ed4850 Co-authored-by: mcrolly <[email protected]> Co-authored-by: sebslight <[email protected]> Reviewed-by: @sebslight

sebslight self-assigned this Feb 16, 2026

greptile-apps bot reviewed Feb 16, 2026

View reviewed changes

mcrolly force-pushed the feat/cross-platform-skill-install branch from 196bec2 to e9be19c Compare February 16, 2026 02:56

sebslight force-pushed the feat/cross-platform-skill-install branch 3 times, most recently from 64b6ce4 to 0edc357 Compare February 16, 2026 03:22

sebslight added a commit to mcrolly/openclaw that referenced this pull request Feb 16, 2026

chore: sync prep openclaw#17687 thanks @mcrolly

fb9572c

sebslight added a commit to mcrolly/openclaw that referenced this pull request Feb 16, 2026

test: sync openclaw#17687 thanks @mcrolly

0edc357

mcrolly and others added 8 commits February 15, 2026 22:23

fix(skills): harden apt fallback and prune dead PM scaffolding

2cb8e91

docs(changelog): add skills apt fallback hardening note

bf4294b

style(pairing): format pairing store

4966d4b

test(cron): restore skill-filter coverage outside fast mode

8f624bd

chore: sync prep openclaw#17687 thanks @mcrolly

ef483eb

test: sync openclaw#17687 thanks @mcrolly

e3a6c1d

chore: sync prep openclaw#17687 thanks @mcrolly

3ed4850

sebslight force-pushed the feat/cross-platform-skill-install branch from 0edc357 to 3ed4850 Compare February 16, 2026 03:25

sebslight merged commit d19b746 into openclaw:main Feb 16, 2026
9 checks passed

openclaw-barnacle bot added agents Agent runtime and tooling size: M labels Feb 16, 2026

github-actions bot mentioned this pull request Feb 16, 2026

📡 Upstream Digest — 2026-02-16 04:17 UTC curtismercier/openclaw-mods#39

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feat(skills): add cross-platform install fallback for non-brew environments#17687

feat(skills): add cross-platform install fallback for non-brew environments#17687
sebslight merged 8 commits intoopenclaw:mainfrom
mcrolly:feat/cross-platform-skill-install

mcrolly commented Feb 16, 2026 •

edited by greptile-apps bot

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Changes

New: src/infra/package-managers.ts

Updated: src/agents/skills-install.ts

Feedback addressed

Tests

Greptile Summary

Confidence Score: 3/5

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mcrolly commented Feb 16, 2026 •

edited by greptile-apps bot

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New: `src/infra/package-managers.ts`

Updated: `src/agents/skills-install.ts`