fix(update): skip legacy parent doctor config writes

src/flows/doctor-health-contributions.test.ts

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import {
   resolveDoctorHealthContributions,
-  shouldSkipLegacyUpdateDoctorMetadataWrite,
+  shouldSkipLegacyUpdateDoctorConfigWrite,
 } from "./doctor-health-contributions.js";
 
 describe("doctor health contributions", () => {
@@ -30,54 +30,39 @@ describe("doctor health contributions", () => {
     expect(ids.indexOf("doctor:command-owner")).toBeLessThan(ids.indexOf("doctor:write-config"));
   });
 
-  it("skips metadata-only doctor writes under legacy update parents", () => {
+  it("skips doctor config writes under legacy update parents", () => {
     expect(
-      shouldSkipLegacyUpdateDoctorMetadataWrite({
+      shouldSkipLegacyUpdateDoctorConfigWrite({
         env: { OPENCLAW_UPDATE_IN_PROGRESS: "1" },
-        before: { gateway: { mode: "local" }, meta: { lastTouchedVersion: "2026.4.26" } },
-        after: {
-          gateway: { mode: "local" },
-          meta: { lastTouchedVersion: "2026.4.27" },
-          wizard: { lastRunCommand: "doctor" },
-        },
       }),
     ).toBe(true);
   });
 
-  it("keeps real doctor repairs writable during update", () => {
+  it("keeps doctor writes outside legacy update writable", () => {
     expect(
-      shouldSkipLegacyUpdateDoctorMetadataWrite({
+      shouldSkipLegacyUpdateDoctorConfigWrite({
-        env: { OPENCLAW_UPDATE_IN_PROGRESS: "1" },
+        env: {},
-        before: { gateway: { mode: "local" } },
-        after: { gateway: { mode: "remote" } },
-      }),
-    ).toBe(false);
-  });
-
-  it("keeps repair writes from doctor config preflight writable during legacy update", () => {
-    expect(
-      shouldSkipLegacyUpdateDoctorMetadataWrite({
-        env: { OPENCLAW_UPDATE_IN_PROGRESS: "1" },
-        hasPendingConfigWrite: true,
-        before: { gateway: { mode: "remote" } },
-        after: {
-          gateway: { mode: "remote" },
-          meta: { lastTouchedVersion: "2026.4.27" },
-          wizard: { lastRunCommand: "doctor" },
-        },
       }),
     ).toBe(false);
   });
 
   it("keeps current update parents writable", () => {
     expect(
-      shouldSkipLegacyUpdateDoctorMetadataWrite({
+      shouldSkipLegacyUpdateDoctorConfigWrite({
         env: {
           OPENCLAW_UPDATE_IN_PROGRESS: "1",
           OPENCLAW_UPDATE_PARENT_SUPPORTS_DOCTOR_CONFIG_WRITE: "1",
         },
-        before: { meta: { lastTouchedVersion: "2026.4.26" } },
+      }),
-        after: { meta: { lastTouchedVersion: "2026.4.27" } },
+    ).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("treats falsey update env values as normal writes", () => {
+    expect(
+      shouldSkipLegacyUpdateDoctorConfigWrite({
+        env: {
+          OPENCLAW_UPDATE_IN_PROGRESS: "0",
+        },
       }),
     ).toBe(false);
   });

src/flows/doctor-health-contributions.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import fs from "node:fs";
-import { isDeepStrictEqual } from "node:util";
 import type { probeGatewayMemoryStatus } from "../commands/doctor-gateway-health.js";
 import type { DoctorOptions, DoctorPrompter } from "../commands/doctor-prompter.js";
 import type { OpenClawConfig } from "../config/types.openclaw.js";
@@ -52,16 +51,8 @@ function isTruthyEnvValue(value: string | undefined): boolean {
   return normalized !== "" && normalized !== "0" && normalized !== "false" && normalized !== "no";
 }
 
-function omitDoctorWriteMetadata(cfg: OpenClawConfig): OpenClawConfig {
+export function shouldSkipLegacyUpdateDoctorConfigWrite(params: {
-  const { meta: _meta, wizard: _wizard, ...rest } = cfg;
-  return rest;
-}
-
-export function shouldSkipLegacyUpdateDoctorMetadataWrite(params: {
   env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv;
-  hasPendingConfigWrite?: boolean;
-  before: OpenClawConfig;
-  after: OpenClawConfig;
 }): boolean {
   if (!isTruthyEnvValue(params.env.OPENCLAW_UPDATE_IN_PROGRESS)) {
     return false;
@@ -69,13 +60,7 @@ export function shouldSkipLegacyUpdateDoctorMetadataWrite(params: {
   if (isTruthyEnvValue(params.env[UPDATE_PARENT_SUPPORTS_DOCTOR_CONFIG_WRITE_ENV])) {
     return false;
   }
-  if (params.hasPendingConfigWrite === true) {
+  return true;
-    return false;
-  }
-  return isDeepStrictEqual(
-    omitDoctorWriteMetadata(params.before),
-    omitDoctorWriteMetadata(params.after),
-  );
 }
 
 function createDoctorHealthContribution(params: {
@@ -534,15 +519,8 @@ async function runWriteConfigHealth(ctx: DoctorHealthFlowContext): Promise<void>
       command: "doctor",
       mode: resolveDoctorMode(ctx.cfg),
     });
-    if (
+    if (shouldSkipLegacyUpdateDoctorConfigWrite({ env: ctx.env })) {
-      shouldSkipLegacyUpdateDoctorMetadataWrite({
+      ctx.runtime.log("Skipping doctor config write during legacy update handoff.");
-        env: ctx.env ?? process.env,
-        hasPendingConfigWrite: ctx.configResult.shouldWriteConfig === true,
-        before: ctx.cfgForPersistence,
-        after: ctx.cfg,
-      })
-    ) {
-      ctx.runtime.log("Skipping doctor metadata-only config write during legacy update handoff.");
       return;
     }
     await replaceConfigFile({