fix(plugins): preserve contextEngine slot through config normalization by hclsys · Pull Request #64192 · openclaw/openclaw

hclsys · 2026-04-10T08:19:51Z

Summary

normalizePluginsConfigWithResolver() in src/plugins/config-normalization-shared.ts reconstructed the slots object with only the memory key, silently dropping contextEngine. This caused slot-selected context-engine plugins to lose explicit-selection credit during loader diagnostics.

Fixes #64170

Symptom

{
  "plugins": {
    "allow": ["cortex", "eva-xt", "lossless-claw"],
    "slots": {
      "memory": "cortex",
      "contextEngine": "lossless-claw"
    }
  }
}

After normalization, slots.contextEngine is undefined. Loader diagnostics then treat the discovered context-engine plugin as not explicitly selected, and warnWhenAllowlistIsOpen() emits a false warning:

[plugins] plugins.allow is empty; discovered non-bundled plugins may auto-load ...

Root cause

// config-normalization-shared.ts:143-145 (before fix)
slots: {
  memory: memorySlot === undefined ? defaultSlotIdForKey("memory") : memorySlot,
  // contextEngine: missing — silently dropped
},

The zod schema (zod-schema.ts:938) accepts contextEngine: z.string().optional(), and the raw config preserves it, but the normalization function discards it during reconstruction.

Fix

Add contextEngine to the normalized slots object using the same normalizeSlotValue helper already used for memory:

 slots: {
   memory: memorySlot === undefined ? defaultSlotIdForKey("memory") : memorySlot,
+  contextEngine: normalizeSlotValue(config?.slots?.contextEngine),
 },

And add contextEngine?: string | null to the NormalizedPluginsConfig type.

Unlike memory (which defaults to "memory-core" when absent), contextEngine has no default — it's undefined when not explicitly configured.

Tests

Added 5 parameterized cases in src/plugins/config-state.test.ts:

Input	Expected
`{}` (absent)	`undefined`
`{ contextEngine: "lossless-claw" }`	`"lossless-claw"`
`{ contextEngine: "none" }`	`null`
`{ contextEngine: " cortex " }`	`"cortex"` (trimmed)
`{ contextEngine: "" }`	`undefined`

Scope

Files: src/plugins/config-normalization-shared.ts (+2), src/plugins/config-state.test.ts (+10)
Production LOC: 2 lines (1 type field + 1 normalize call)
oxlint clean
Zero competition: no open PRs touch normalizePluginsConfigWithResolver or the contextEngine slot

Credit to @100yenadmin for the precise call-chain RCA in #64170.

greptile-apps · 2026-04-10T08:24:49Z

Greptile Summary

This PR fixes a real data-loss bug: normalizePluginsConfigWithResolver reconstructed slots with only the memory key, silently discarding contextEngine on every normalization pass. Adding contextEngine: normalizeSlotValue(config?.slots?.contextEngine) and the matching type field is correct and necessary.

The fix is incomplete relative to the stated symptom, however. resolveExplicitPluginSelection in both config-state.ts (line 231) and config-policy.ts (line 51) check only config.slots.memory for explicit-selection credit; there is no parallel branch for contextEngine. A workspace-origin plugin chosen via slots.contextEngine will still be gated behind workspace-disabled-by-default (and the allowlist-open warning) unless it also appears in plugins.allow.

Confidence Score: 4/5

Safe to merge as a data-preservation fix; the incomplete explicit-selection credit should be addressed before the contextEngine slot fully replaces the allow-list for workspace plugins.

The normalization fix itself is correct and the tests cover it well. Score is 4 rather than 5 because the PR description claims to fix explicit-selection credit for context-engine plugins, but neither resolveExplicitPluginSelection function is updated to check slots.contextEngine — leaving workspace-origin context-engine plugins still gated behind the allow list.

src/plugins/config-state.ts and src/plugins/config-policy.ts — both resolveExplicitPluginSelection functions need a contextEngine slot branch to complete the fix described in the PR.

Prompt To Fix All With AI

This is a comment left during a code review.
Path: src/plugins/config-normalization-shared.ts
Line: 146

Comment:
**`resolveExplicitPluginSelection` never grants credit for `contextEngine` slot**

The normalization fix is correct, but `resolveExplicitPluginSelection` in both `src/plugins/config-state.ts` (line 231) and `src/plugins/config-policy.ts` (line 51) only checks `config.slots.memory` for explicit-selection credit — there is no corresponding branch for `config.slots.contextEngine`. Preserving the slot value through normalization is necessary, but insufficient: a workspace-origin context-engine plugin selected via `slots.contextEngine` will still be blocked at the `workspace-disabled-by-default` gate (line 291 in `config-state.ts`) unless the plugin is also listed in `allow`. Likewise, `warnWhenAllowlistIsOpen` is keyed entirely on `allow.length === 0`, so setting only `slots.contextEngine` still triggers the warning described in #64170.

If `contextEngine` slot selection is meant to count as explicit-selection credit (matching the semantics of `memory`), both `resolveExplicitPluginSelection` functions and the allowlist-open warning should be updated to account for it.

```ts
// config-state.ts resolveExplicitPluginSelection — example addition
if (params.config.slots.contextEngine === params.id) {
  return { explicitlyEnabled: true, cause: "selected-context-engine-slot" };
}
```

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

_{Reviews (1): Last reviewed commit: "fix(plugins): preserve contextEngine slo..." | Re-trigger Greptile}

greptile-apps · 2026-04-10T08:24:52Z

@@ -142,6 +143,7 @@ export function normalizePluginsConfigWithResolver(
    loadPaths: normalizeList(config?.load?.paths, identityNormalizePluginId),
    slots: {
      memory: memorySlot === undefined ? defaultSlotIdForKey("memory") : memorySlot,
+      contextEngine: normalizeSlotValue(config?.slots?.contextEngine),


resolveExplicitPluginSelection never grants credit for contextEngine slot

The normalization fix is correct, but resolveExplicitPluginSelection in both src/plugins/config-state.ts (line 231) and src/plugins/config-policy.ts (line 51) only checks config.slots.memory for explicit-selection credit — there is no corresponding branch for config.slots.contextEngine. Preserving the slot value through normalization is necessary, but insufficient: a workspace-origin context-engine plugin selected via slots.contextEngine will still be blocked at the workspace-disabled-by-default gate (line 291 in config-state.ts) unless the plugin is also listed in allow. Likewise, warnWhenAllowlistIsOpen is keyed entirely on allow.length === 0, so setting only slots.contextEngine still triggers the warning described in #64170.

If contextEngine slot selection is meant to count as explicit-selection credit (matching the semantics of memory), both resolveExplicitPluginSelection functions and the allowlist-open warning should be updated to account for it.

// config-state.ts resolveExplicitPluginSelection — example addition if (params.config.slots.contextEngine === params.id) { return { explicitlyEnabled: true, cause: "selected-context-engine-slot" }; }

Prompt To Fix With AI

This is a comment left during a code review. Path: src/plugins/config-normalization-shared.ts Line: 146 Comment: **`resolveExplicitPluginSelection` never grants credit for `contextEngine` slot** The normalization fix is correct, but `resolveExplicitPluginSelection` in both `src/plugins/config-state.ts` (line 231) and `src/plugins/config-policy.ts` (line 51) only checks `config.slots.memory` for explicit-selection credit — there is no corresponding branch for `config.slots.contextEngine`. Preserving the slot value through normalization is necessary, but insufficient: a workspace-origin context-engine plugin selected via `slots.contextEngine` will still be blocked at the `workspace-disabled-by-default` gate (line 291 in `config-state.ts`) unless the plugin is also listed in `allow`. Likewise, `warnWhenAllowlistIsOpen` is keyed entirely on `allow.length === 0`, so setting only `slots.contextEngine` still triggers the warning described in #64170. If `contextEngine` slot selection is meant to count as explicit-selection credit (matching the semantics of `memory`), both `resolveExplicitPluginSelection` functions and the allowlist-open warning should be updated to account for it. ```ts // config-state.ts resolveExplicitPluginSelection — example addition if (params.config.slots.contextEngine === params.id) { return { explicitlyEnabled: true, cause: "selected-context-engine-slot" }; } ``` How can I resolve this? If you propose a fix, please make it concise.

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chatgpt-codex-connector · 2026-04-10T09:25:27Z

@@ -231,6 +231,9 @@ function resolveExplicitPluginSelection(params: {
  if (params.config.slots.memory === params.id) {
    return { explicitlyEnabled: true, cause: "selected-memory-slot" };
  }
+  if (params.config.slots.contextEngine === params.id) {
+    return { explicitlyEnabled: true, cause: "selected-context-engine-slot" };


Add context-engine cause to activation cause tables

The new "selected-context-engine-slot" branch returns a cause string that is not part of PluginExplicitSelectionCause/PluginActivationCause and is also missing from PLUGIN_ACTIVATION_REASON_BY_CAUSE, so selecting a plugin via plugins.slots.contextEngine can produce an activation state with no mapped reason (and will fail in type-checked builds). Please add this cause to the union(s) and reason map so context-engine explicit selection is treated consistently with memory-slot selection.

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chatgpt-codex-connector · 2026-04-10T22:44:45Z

+  if (params.config.slots.contextEngine === params.id) {
+    return { explicitlyEnabled: true, cause: "selected-context-engine-slot" };


Hash contextEngine slot in activation cache metadata

This new contextEngine explicit-selection path makes activation depend on activationSource.plugins.slots.contextEngine, but buildActivationMetadataHash in src/plugins/loader.ts still hashes only memorySlot plus allow/deny/entries/channels. In flows that pass different activationSourceConfig and resolved config, changing only plugins.slots.contextEngine can reuse a stale cached registry and leave the wrong plugin activation state. Please include contextEngine in the activation metadata hash (and coverage) so registry cache invalidation matches the new activation input.

Useful? React with 👍 / 👎.

normalizePluginsConfigWithResolver() reconstructed the `slots` object with only the `memory` key, silently dropping `contextEngine`. This caused slot-selected context-engine plugins to lose explicit-selection credit during loader diagnostics, producing false `plugins.allow is empty` warnings even when the on-disk config had a populated allowlist and the context engine was selected via `plugins.slots.contextEngine`. Fix: add `contextEngine: normalizeSlotValue(config?.slots?.contextEngine)` to the returned `slots` object in config-normalization-shared.ts, and add `contextEngine?: string | null` to the NormalizedPluginsConfig type. The normalizeSlotValue helper is already used for the `memory` slot and handles trimming, `"none" → null`, and empty → undefined. Tests added in config-state.test.ts: - contextEngine slot value is preserved through normalization - "none" is normalized to null - whitespace is trimmed - empty/absent returns undefined (no default, unlike memory which defaults to "memory-core") Fixes openclaw#64170

The prior commit preserved `contextEngine` through config normalization, but `resolveExplicitPluginSelection` in both `config-state.ts` and `config-policy.ts` only checked `config.slots.memory` for explicit-selection credit. A context-engine plugin selected via `slots.contextEngine` was still blocked at the `workspace-disabled-by-default` gate and still triggered the `plugins.allow is empty` warning. Fix: add `config.slots.contextEngine === params.id` checks at all 4 selection sites (2 in config-state.ts, 2 in config-policy.ts), mirroring the existing `memory` pattern with `cause: "selected-context-engine-slot"` / `reason: "selected context engine slot"`. Addresses greptile 4/5 review feedback on openclaw#64192.

jalehman · 2026-04-10T22:58:33Z

Merged via squash.

Prepared head SHA: ae8bd9f09da76c2ec1dccda946c9f9e1a5e0a000
Merge commit: 8a28a3b056e1905b57ed1bcf264c05ea1e2607ea

Thanks @hclsys!

clawmem setup openclaw now auto-creates the symlink at ~/.openclaw/extensions/clawmem instead of only printing manual steps. Handles stale symlinks, existing directories, and file conflicts. --remove actually uninstalls. Fixes #5. Plugin manifest renamed from plugin.json to openclaw.plugin.json so the symlink exposes the correct filename without a copy step that wrote into the package source tree. Adds OpenClaw v2026.4.10+ version warning for the contextEngine slot normalization bug (openclaw/openclaw#64192), troubleshooting entry, and Active Memory coexistence documentation. Codex review: session 019d72d5, turns 25-27, ~4.32M tokens.

@jalehman

openclaw#64192) Merged via squash. Prepared head SHA: ae8bd9f Co-authored-by: hclsys <[email protected]> Co-authored-by: jalehman <[email protected]> Reviewed-by: @jalehman

@jalehman

openclaw#64192) Merged via squash. Prepared head SHA: ae8bd9f Co-authored-by: hclsys <[email protected]> Co-authored-by: jalehman <[email protected]> Reviewed-by: @jalehman

@jalehman

openclaw#64192) Merged via squash. Prepared head SHA: ae8bd9f Co-authored-by: hclsys <[email protected]> Co-authored-by: jalehman <[email protected]> Reviewed-by: @jalehman

@jalehman

openclaw#64192) Merged via squash. Prepared head SHA: ae8bd9f Co-authored-by: hclsys <[email protected]> Co-authored-by: jalehman <[email protected]> Reviewed-by: @jalehman

@jalehman

openclaw#64192) Merged via squash. Prepared head SHA: ae8bd9f Co-authored-by: hclsys <[email protected]> Co-authored-by: jalehman <[email protected]> Reviewed-by: @jalehman

@jalehman

openclaw#64192) Merged via squash. Prepared head SHA: ae8bd9f Co-authored-by: hclsys <[email protected]> Co-authored-by: jalehman <[email protected]> Reviewed-by: @jalehman

openclaw-barnacle Bot added the size: XS label Apr 10, 2026

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100yenadmin mentioned this pull request Apr 10, 2026

plugins: preserve contextEngine during plugin config normalization #64171

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steipete mentioned this pull request Apr 10, 2026

fix(plugins): preserve context engine slot normalization #64223

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jalehman force-pushed the fix/plugins-preserve-context-engine-slot branch from a1ad40f to 1287394 Compare April 10, 2026 22:48

jalehman force-pushed the fix/plugins-preserve-context-engine-slot branch from 1287394 to 6457468 Compare April 10, 2026 22:50

jalehman force-pushed the fix/plugins-preserve-context-engine-slot branch 2 times, most recently from a424454 to d737c84 Compare April 10, 2026 22:56

hclsys and others added 5 commits April 10, 2026 15:57

fix: honor explicit context engine slot selection

3ee79f5

fix: document context engine slot preservation

1e42d91

fix: document context engine slot preservation

ae8bd9f

jalehman force-pushed the fix/plugins-preserve-context-engine-slot branch from d737c84 to ae8bd9f Compare April 10, 2026 22:58

jalehman merged commit 8a28a3b into openclaw:main Apr 10, 2026
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konradre mentioned this pull request Apr 11, 2026

[Bug]: Embedded agent failed before reply: Context engine "clawmem" is not registered. Available engines: legacy yoloshii/ClawMem#5

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This was referenced May 27, 2026

feat(plugins): accept slot owner records #87086

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feat(plugins): accept slot owner records #88507

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fix(plugins): preserve contextEngine slot through config normalization#64192

fix(plugins): preserve contextEngine slot through config normalization#64192
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		if (params.config.slots.contextEngine === params.id) {
		return { explicitlyEnabled: true, cause: "selected-context-engine-slot" };

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hclsys commented Apr 10, 2026

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Confidence Score: 4/5

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