fix(update): retry npm updates without optional deps

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 - Gateway/Tailscale: let Tailscale-authenticated Control UI operator sessions with browser device identity skip the device-pairing round trip while still rejecting device-less and node-role connections. Refs #71986. Thanks @jokedul.
 - Doctor: honor `OPENCLAW_SERVICE_REPAIR_POLICY=external` by reporting gateway service health while skipping service install/start/restart/bootstrap, supervisor rewrites, and legacy service cleanup for externally managed environments. Thanks @shakkernerd.
 - CLI/update: run package post-update doctor with `--fix` so package updates repair config migrations before restart. Thanks @shakkernerd.
+- CLI/update: retry failed npm global updates with `--omit=optional` and ignore the superseded first failure when the fallback succeeds. Thanks @shakkernerd.
 - Agents/Discord: keep raw `Agent failed before reply` runner failures out of Discord group/channel chats and show detailed runner errors in direct chats only when `/verbose` is enabled. Thanks @codex.
 - Package: include patched dependency files in the published npm package so downstream installs can resolve `patchedDependencies`. (#69224) Thanks @gucasbrg and @vincentkoc.
 - Plugins/channels: treat malformed bundled channel plugin loaders that return `undefined` as unavailable instead of crashing config and help paths. Fixes #69044. Thanks @frankhli843 and @vincentkoc.

src/cli/update-cli.test.ts

@@ -1283,6 +1283,76 @@ describe("update-cli", () => {
     ).not.toContain("already-current");
   });
 
+  it("retries package updates without optional deps when npm global update fails", async () => {
+    const tempDir = await fs.mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "openclaw-update-optional-"));
+    const nodeModules = path.join(tempDir, "node_modules");
+    const pkgRoot = path.join(nodeModules, "openclaw");
+    mockPackageInstallStatus(pkgRoot);
+    await fs.mkdir(pkgRoot, { recursive: true });
+    await fs.writeFile(
+      path.join(pkgRoot, "package.json"),
+      JSON.stringify({ name: "openclaw", version: "1.0.0" }),
+      "utf-8",
+    );
+
+    vi.mocked(runCommandWithTimeout).mockImplementation(async (argv) => {
+      if (Array.isArray(argv) && argv[0] === "npm" && argv[1] === "root" && argv[2] === "-g") {
+        return {
+          stdout: `${nodeModules}\n`,
+          stderr: "",
+          code: 0,
+          signal: null,
+          killed: false,
+          termination: "exit",
+        };
+      }
+      if (
+        Array.isArray(argv) &&
+        argv[0] === "npm" &&
+        argv.includes("-g") &&
+        !argv.includes("--omit=optional")
+      ) {
+        return {
+          stdout: "",
+          stderr: "node-gyp failed",
+          code: 1,
+          signal: null,
+          killed: false,
+          termination: "exit",
+        };
+      }
+      return {
+        stdout: "",
+        stderr: "",
+        code: 0,
+        signal: null,
+        killed: false,
+        termination: "exit",
+      };
+    });
+
+    await updateCommand({ yes: true, restart: false });
+
+    expect(runCommandWithTimeout).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      ["npm", "i", "-g", "openclaw@latest", "--no-fund", "--no-audit", "--loglevel=error"],
+      expect.any(Object),
+    );
+    expect(runCommandWithTimeout).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      [
+        "npm",
+        "i",
+        "-g",
+        "openclaw@latest",
+        "--omit=optional",
+        "--no-fund",
+        "--no-audit",
+        "--loglevel=error",
+      ],
+      expect.any(Object),
+    );
+    expect(defaultRuntime.exit).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith(1);
+  });
+
   it("uses the owning npm binary for package updates when PATH npm points elsewhere", async () => {
     const platformSpy = vi.spyOn(process, "platform", "get").mockReturnValue("darwin");
     const brewPrefix = createCaseDir("brew-prefix");

src/cli/update-cli/update-command.ts

@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ import {
   canResolveRegistryVersionForPackageTarget,
   createGlobalInstallEnv,
   cleanupGlobalRenameDirs,
+  globalInstallFallbackArgs,
   globalInstallArgs,
   resolveExpectedInstalledVersionFromSpec,
   resolveGlobalInstallTarget,
@@ -407,6 +408,21 @@ async function runPackageInstallUpdate(params: {
   });
 
   const steps = [updateStep];
+  let finalInstallStep = updateStep;
+  if (updateStep.exitCode !== 0) {
+    const fallbackArgv = globalInstallFallbackArgs(installTarget, installSpec);
+    if (fallbackArgv) {
+      const fallbackStep = await runUpdateStep({
+        name: "global update (omit optional)",
+        argv: fallbackArgv,
+        env: installEnv,
+        timeoutMs: params.timeoutMs,
+        progress: params.progress,
+      });
+      steps.push(fallbackStep);
+      finalInstallStep = fallbackStep;
+    }
+  }
   let afterVersion = beforeVersion;
 
   const verifiedPackageRoot =
@@ -451,7 +467,10 @@ async function runPackageInstallUpdate(params: {
     }
   }
 
-  const failedStep = steps.find((step) => step.exitCode !== 0);
+  const failedStep =
+    finalInstallStep.exitCode !== 0
+      ? finalInstallStep
+      : (steps.find((step) => step !== updateStep && step.exitCode !== 0) ?? null);
   return {
     status: failedStep ? "error" : "ok",
     mode: manager,