fix(gateway): invoke plugin-backed catalog tools

Co-authored-by: chat2way <chat2way@users.noreply.github.com>

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 ### Fixes
 
 - Subagents: stop stale unended runs from counting as active or pending forever, while preserving restart-aborted recovery for recoverable child sessions. Fixes #71252. Thanks @hclsys.
+- Gateway/tools: allow `POST /tools/invoke` to reach plugin-backed catalog tools such as `browser` when no core implementation exists, while still preferring built-in tools for real core names. Thanks @chat2way.
 - Browser/security: require `operator.admin` for the `browser.request` gateway method, matching the host/browser-node control authority exposed by that route. Thanks @RichardCao.
 - Reply media: allow sandboxed replies to deliver OpenClaw-managed `media/outbound` and `media/tool-*` attachments without treating them as sandbox escapes, while keeping alias-escape checks on the managed media root. Fixes #71138. Thanks @mayor686, @truffle-dev, and @neeravmakwana.
 - CLI/agent: keep `openclaw agent --json` stdout reserved for the JSON response by routing gateway, plugin, and embedded-fallback diagnostics to stderr before execution starts. Fixes #71319.

src/gateway/tools-invoke-http.test.ts

@@ -127,6 +127,11 @@ vi.mock("../agents/openclaw-tools.js", () => {
       parameters: { type: "object", properties: {} },
       execute: async () => ({ ok: true, result: "nodes" }),
     },
+    {
+      name: "browser",
+      parameters: { type: "object", properties: {} },
+      execute: async () => ({ ok: true, result: "browser" }),
+    },
     {
       name: "owner_only_test",
       ownerOnly: true,
@@ -181,7 +186,7 @@ vi.mock("../agents/openclaw-tools.js", () => {
   return {
     createOpenClawTools: (ctx: Record<string, unknown>) => {
       lastCreateOpenClawToolsContext = ctx;
-      return tools;
+      return ctx.disablePluginTools ? tools.filter((tool) => tool.name !== "browser") : tools;
     },
   };
 });
@@ -878,4 +883,17 @@ describe("POST /tools/invoke", () => {
     expect(nodesRes.status).toBe(404);
     expect(nodesAdminRes.status).toBe(404);
   });
+
+  it("falls back to plugin-backed tools when a cataloged core tool has no core implementation", async () => {
+    setMainAllowedTools({ allow: ["browser"] });
+
+    const res = await invokeToolAuthed({
+      tool: "browser",
+      sessionKey: "main",
+    });
+
+    const body = await expectOkInvokeResponse(res);
+    expect(body.result).toEqual({ ok: true, result: "browser" });
+    expect(lastCreateOpenClawToolsContext?.disablePluginTools).toBe(false);
+  });
 });

src/gateway/tools-invoke-http.ts

@@ -226,19 +226,25 @@ export async function handleToolsInvokeHttpRequest(
   // with the correct owner context and channel-action gates (e.g. Matrix set-profile)
   // work correctly for both owner and non-owner callers.
   const senderIsOwner = resolveOpenAiCompatibleHttpSenderIsOwner(req, requestAuth);
-  const { agentId, tools } = resolveGatewayScopedTools({
-    cfg,
-    sessionKey,
-    messageProvider: messageChannel ?? undefined,
-    accountId,
-    agentTo,
-    agentThreadId,
-    allowGatewaySubagentBinding: true,
-    allowMediaInvokeCommands: true,
-    surface: "http",
-    disablePluginTools: isKnownCoreToolId(toolName),
-    senderIsOwner,
-  });
+  const resolveTools = (disablePluginTools: boolean) =>
+    resolveGatewayScopedTools({
+      cfg,
+      sessionKey,
+      messageProvider: messageChannel ?? undefined,
+      accountId,
+      agentTo,
+      agentThreadId,
+      allowGatewaySubagentBinding: true,
+      allowMediaInvokeCommands: true,
+      surface: "http",
+      disablePluginTools,
+      senderIsOwner,
+    });
+  const knownCoreTool = isKnownCoreToolId(toolName);
+  let { agentId, tools } = resolveTools(knownCoreTool);
+  if (knownCoreTool && !tools.some((candidate) => candidate.name === toolName)) {
+    ({ agentId, tools } = resolveTools(false));
+  }
   const gatewayFiltered = applyOwnerOnlyToolPolicy(tools, senderIsOwner);
 
   const tool = gatewayFiltered.find((t) => t.name === toolName);