fix: avoid persisted-auth channel startup probes

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 
 ### Fixes
 
+- Gateway/plugins: stop persisted WhatsApp auth state from activating bundled channel runtime-dependency repair during startup when `channels.whatsapp` is absent, avoiding npm/git stalls on packaged Linux installs. Fixes #71994. Thanks @xiao398008.
 - CLI/model runs: keep `openclaw infer model run` on explicit OpenRouter models from loading the full provider catalog or inheriting chat-agent silent-reply policy, restoring non-empty one-shot probe output. Fixes #68791. Thanks @limpredator.
 - Installer/macOS: rerun Homebrew install steps without the gum spinner when raw-mode ioctl failures occur, and avoid claiming `node@24` was installed when the Homebrew keg binary is missing. Fixes #70411. Thanks @1fanwang and @dad-io.
 - Installer: load nvm before Node.js detection so `curl | bash` installs respect nvm-managed Node instead of stale system Node. Fixes #49556. Thanks @heavenlxj.

docs/install/updating.md

@@ -85,6 +85,8 @@ Packaged installs keep bundled plugin runtime dependencies out of the read-only
 package tree. On startup and during `openclaw doctor --fix`, OpenClaw repairs
 runtime dependencies only for bundled plugins that are active in config, active
 through legacy channel config, or enabled by their bundled manifest default.
+Persisted channel auth state alone does not trigger Gateway startup
+runtime-dependency repair.
 
 Explicit disablement wins. A disabled plugin or channel does not get its
 runtime dependencies repaired just because it exists in the package. External

docs/tools/plugin.md

@@ -65,6 +65,8 @@ Packaged OpenClaw installs do not eagerly install every bundled plugin's
 runtime dependency tree. When a bundled OpenClaw-owned plugin is active from
 plugin config, legacy channel config, or a default-enabled manifest, startup
 repairs only that plugin's declared runtime dependencies before importing it.
+Persisted channel auth state alone does not activate a bundled channel for
+Gateway startup runtime-dependency repair.
 Explicit disablement still wins: `plugins.entries.<id>.enabled: false`,
 `plugins.deny`, `plugins.enabled: false`, and `channels.<id>.enabled: false`
 prevent automatic bundled runtime-dependency repair for that plugin/channel.

src/plugins/channel-plugin-ids.test.ts

@@ -544,6 +544,51 @@ describe("resolveGatewayStartupPluginIds", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it("does not treat persisted auth alone as gateway startup intent", () => {
+    listPotentialConfiguredChannelIds.mockImplementation(
+      (
+        _config: OpenClawConfig,
+        _env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv,
+        options?: { includePersistedAuthState?: boolean },
+      ) => (options?.includePersistedAuthState === false ? [] : ["demo-channel"]),
+    );
+
+    expectStartupPluginIdsCase({
+      config: {} as OpenClawConfig,
+      env: {
+        OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR: "/tmp/openclaw-with-persisted-demo-channel",
+      } as NodeJS.ProcessEnv,
+      expected: ["browser"],
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("does not treat persisted auth alone as deferred channel startup intent", () => {
+    loadPluginManifestRegistry
+      .mockReset()
+      .mockReturnValue(createManifestRegistryFixtureWithWorkspaceDemoChannel());
+    listPotentialConfiguredChannelIds.mockImplementation(
+      (
+        _config: OpenClawConfig,
+        _env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv,
+        options?: { includePersistedAuthState?: boolean },
+      ) => (options?.includePersistedAuthState === false ? [] : ["demo-channel"]),
+    );
+
+    expect(
+      resolveConfiguredDeferredChannelPluginIds({
+        config: {
+          plugins: {
+            allow: ["workspace-demo-channel-plugin"],
+          },
+        } as OpenClawConfig,
+        workspaceDir: "/tmp",
+        env: {
+          OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR: "/tmp/openclaw-with-persisted-demo-channel",
+        } as NodeJS.ProcessEnv,
+      }),
+    ).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
   it("does not treat explicitly disabled stale channel config as deferred startup intent", () => {
     loadPluginManifestRegistry
       .mockReset()

src/plugins/gateway-startup-plugin-ids.ts

@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ function listDisabledChannelIds(config: OpenClawConfig): Set<string> {
 
 function listPotentialEnabledChannelIds(config: OpenClawConfig, env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv): string[] {
   const disabled = listDisabledChannelIds(config);
-  return listPotentialConfiguredChannelIds(config, env)
+  return listPotentialConfiguredChannelIds(config, env, { includePersistedAuthState: false })
     .map((id) => normalizeOptionalLowercaseString(id) ?? "")
     .filter((id) => id && !disabled.has(id));
 }