fix(installer): source nvm before Node detection (#49556) by eliot-onbox · Pull Request #49594 · openclaw/openclaw

eliot-onbox · 2026-03-18T07:52:22Z

Problem

When the installer runs via curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash, shell profile files (.bashrc, .zshrc) are not sourced. This means nvm's PATH modifications are missing and command -v node finds the system Node (e.g. v8 at /usr/local/bin/node) instead of the nvm-managed version (e.g. v22 at ~/.nvm/versions/node/v22.x/bin/node).

The installer then unnecessarily tries to install/upgrade Node, or errors out telling the user to fix their PATH manually.

Fix

Source nvm.sh before check_node() is called, so nvm-managed Node versions appear on PATH:

if [[ -z "${NVM_DIR:-}" && -d "${HOME}/.nvm" ]]; then
    export NVM_DIR="${HOME}/.nvm"
fi
if [[ -n "${NVM_DIR:-}" && -s "${NVM_DIR}/nvm.sh" ]]; then
    . "${NVM_DIR}/nvm.sh" 2>/dev/null || true
fi

Respects NVM_DIR if already set
Falls back to ~/.nvm (the default nvm install location)
Suppresses any nvm output with 2>/dev/null
Failure is non-fatal (|| true)

Scope

This PR only addresses nvm. Other version managers (fnm, volta, asdf, mise) are not handled — that could be a follow-up if needed.

Fixes #49556

When the installer runs via curl|bash, .bashrc/.zshrc are not sourced. This means nvm's PATH modifications are missing and the system Node (e.g. v8) is found instead of the nvm-managed version (e.g. v22). Fix: source nvm.sh before check_node() so nvm-managed Node versions appear on PATH. Respects NVM_DIR if set, falls back to ~/.nvm. Fixes openclaw#49556

greptile-apps · 2026-03-18T07:53:40Z

Greptile Summary

This PR fixes a real and well-understood problem: when the installer is piped through curl | bash, shell profiles are not sourced, so nvm's PATH modifications are absent and the system Node (potentially an old version) is found instead of the user's nvm-managed one. The fix correctly sources nvm.sh before check_node() is called.

Changes

Adds a two-block guard in main() to set NVM_DIR (if unset and ~/.nvm exists) and then source nvm.sh before the Node detection step
Failure is non-fatal (|| true) and the guard is safe to run even when nvm is absent

Minor issue found

2>/dev/null only suppresses stderr; nvm can emit informational messages to stdout (e.g. "Now using node v22.x.x") that would appear inline with the installer's formatted output. The script already uses &>/dev/null elsewhere; using it here would match the PR description's intent of suppressing "any nvm output".

Confidence Score: 4/5

Safe to merge; the fix is minimal, non-breaking, and correctly solves the curl|bash nvm PATH problem.
The logic is sound and addresses a clear real-world failure mode. The only finding is a minor stdout-vs-stderr suppression discrepancy that can pollute installer output but won't cause incorrect behaviour.
No files require special attention beyond the single-line suggestion on scripts/install.sh:2350.

Prompt To Fix All With AI

This is a comment left during a code review.
Path: scripts/install.sh
Line: 2350

Comment:
**Stdout from nvm.sh not suppressed**

`2>/dev/null` only redirects stderr. When `nvm.sh` is sourced it can print to stdout — for example, if a `.nvmrc` or default alias is set, nvm may emit `"Now using node v22.x.x"` on stdout. This would appear unexpectedly in the middle of the installer's own formatted output.

The PR description says _"Suppresses any nvm output with `2>/dev/null`"_, but that claim only holds for stderr. Use `&>/dev/null` (bash-specific, already used elsewhere in this script) to redirect both streams:

```suggestion
        . "${NVM_DIR}/nvm.sh" &>/dev/null || true
```

How can I resolve this? If you propose a fix, please make it concise.

_{Last reviewed commit: "fix(installer): sour..."}

greptile-apps · 2026-03-18T07:53:43Z

scripts/install.sh

+        export NVM_DIR="${HOME}/.nvm"
+    fi
+    if [[ -n "${NVM_DIR:-}" && -s "${NVM_DIR}/nvm.sh" ]]; then
+        . "${NVM_DIR}/nvm.sh" 2>/dev/null || true


Stdout from nvm.sh not suppressed

2>/dev/null only redirects stderr. When nvm.sh is sourced it can print to stdout — for example, if a .nvmrc or default alias is set, nvm may emit "Now using node v22.x.x" on stdout. This would appear unexpectedly in the middle of the installer's own formatted output.

The PR description says "Suppresses any nvm output with 2>/dev/null", but that claim only holds for stderr. Use &>/dev/null (bash-specific, already used elsewhere in this script) to redirect both streams:

Suggested change

. "${NVM_DIR}/nvm.sh" 2>/dev/null || true

. "${NVM_DIR}/nvm.sh" &>/dev/null || true

Prompt To Fix With AI

This is a comment left during a code review. Path: scripts/install.sh Line: 2350 Comment: **Stdout from nvm.sh not suppressed** `2>/dev/null` only redirects stderr. When `nvm.sh` is sourced it can print to stdout — for example, if a `.nvmrc` or default alias is set, nvm may emit `"Now using node v22.x.x"` on stdout. This would appear unexpectedly in the middle of the installer's own formatted output. The PR description says _"Suppresses any nvm output with `2>/dev/null`"_, but that claim only holds for stderr. Use `&>/dev/null` (bash-specific, already used elsewhere in this script) to redirect both streams: ```suggestion . "${NVM_DIR}/nvm.sh" &>/dev/null || true ``` How can I resolve this? If you propose a fix, please make it concise.

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chatgpt-codex-connector · 2026-03-18T07:56:43Z

scripts/install.sh

+        export NVM_DIR="${HOME}/.nvm"
+    fi
+    if [[ -n "${NVM_DIR:-}" && -s "${NVM_DIR}/nvm.sh" ]]; then
+        . "${NVM_DIR}/nvm.sh" 2>/dev/null || true


Source nvm in --no-use mode

Sourcing nvm.sh directly here can change the active Node version before check_node() runs, because nvm.sh defaults to nvm_process_parameters auto mode use and will switch from a system Node to the default nvm alias. In environments where PATH already has a valid system Node (e.g. v24) but nvm default is older (e.g. v18), this makes the installer mis-detect Node as unsupported, trigger unnecessary installation, and potentially fail on hosts without sudo. Load nvm with --no-use (or equivalent) so we detect availability without mutating the active runtime.

Useful? React with 👍 / 👎.

openclaw-barnacle bot added scripts Repository scripts size: XS labels Mar 18, 2026

greptile-apps bot reviewed Mar 18, 2026

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chatgpt-codex-connector bot reviewed Mar 18, 2026

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BryanTegomoh mentioned this pull request Mar 18, 2026

fix(sessions): preserve updatedAt in updateLastRoute to allow idle/daily resets #49539

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fix(installer): source nvm before Node detection (#49556)#49594

fix(installer): source nvm before Node detection (#49556)#49594
eliot-onbox wants to merge 1 commit intoopenclaw:mainfrom
eliot-onbox:fix/nvm-node-detection-49556

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	. "${NVM_DIR}/nvm.sh" 2>/dev/null \|\| true
	. "${NVM_DIR}/nvm.sh" &>/dev/null \|\| true

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eliot-onbox commented Mar 18, 2026

Problem

Fix

Scope

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greptile-apps bot commented Mar 18, 2026

Greptile Summary

Confidence Score: 4/5

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