refactor: reuse startup plugin metadata snapshot

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 
 - Channels/Yuanbao: register the Tencent Yuanbao external channel plugin (`openclaw-plugin-yuanbao`) in the official channel catalog, contract suites, and community plugin docs, with a new `docs/channels/yuanbao.md` quick-start guide for WebSocket bot DMs and group chats. (#72756) Thanks @loongfay.
 - Channels/QQBot: add full group chat support (history tracking, @-mention gating, activation modes, per-group config, FIFO message queue with deliver debounce), C2C `stream_messages` streaming with a `StreamingController` lifecycle manager, unified `sendMedia` with chunked upload for large files, and refactor the engine into pipeline stages, focused outbound submodules, builtin slash-command modules, and explicit DI ports via `createEngineAdapters()`. (#70624) Thanks @cxyhhhhh.
+- Gateway/startup: pass the plugin metadata snapshot from config validation into plugin bootstrap so startup reuses one manifest product instead of rebuilding plugin metadata. Thanks @shakkernerd.
 
 ## 2026.4.26
 

src/config/io.ts

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import fs from "node:fs";
 import os from "node:os";
 import path from "node:path";
 import JSON5 from "json5";
+import { resolveAgentWorkspaceDir, resolveDefaultAgentId } from "../agents/agent-scope-config.js";
 import { ensureOwnerDisplaySecret } from "../agents/owner-display.js";
 import { applyRuntimeLegacyConfigMigrations } from "../commands/doctor/shared/runtime-compat-api.js";
 import { loadDotEnv } from "../infra/dotenv.js";
@@ -23,6 +24,10 @@ import {
   resolveInstalledPluginIndexRecordsStorePath,
   writePersistedInstalledPluginIndexInstallRecordsSync,
 } from "../plugins/installed-plugin-index-records.js";
+import {
+  loadPluginMetadataSnapshot,
+  type PluginMetadataSnapshot,
+} from "../plugins/plugin-metadata-snapshot.js";
 import { sanitizeTerminalText } from "../terminal/safe-text.js";
 import { isRecord } from "../utils.js";
 import { VERSION } from "../version.js";
@@ -1166,6 +1171,7 @@ function createConfigFileSnapshot(params: {
   issues: ConfigFileSnapshot["issues"];
   warnings: ConfigFileSnapshot["warnings"];
   legacyIssues: LegacyConfigIssue[];
+  pluginMetadataSnapshot?: PluginMetadataSnapshot;
 }): ConfigFileSnapshot {
   const sourceConfig = asResolvedSourceConfig(params.sourceConfig);
   const runtimeConfig = asRuntimeConfig(params.runtimeConfig);
@@ -1183,6 +1189,9 @@ function createConfigFileSnapshot(params: {
     issues: params.issues,
     warnings: params.warnings,
     legacyIssues: params.legacyIssues,
+    ...(params.pluginMetadataSnapshot
+      ? { pluginMetadataSnapshot: params.pluginMetadataSnapshot }
+      : {}),
   };
 }
 
@@ -1745,10 +1754,24 @@ export function createConfigIO(
         ? hashConfigRaw(installMigration.persistedRootRaw)
         : hash;
       fallbackSourceConfig = coerceConfig(effectiveConfigRaw);
+      let pluginMetadataSnapshot: PluginMetadataSnapshot | undefined;
+      const loadValidationPluginMetadataSnapshot = (config: OpenClawConfig) => {
+        if (pluginMetadataSnapshot) {
+          return pluginMetadataSnapshot;
+        }
+        const defaultAgentId = resolveDefaultAgentId(config);
+        pluginMetadataSnapshot = loadPluginMetadataSnapshot({
+          config,
+          workspaceDir: resolveAgentWorkspaceDir(config, defaultAgentId),
+          env: deps.env,
+        });
+        return pluginMetadataSnapshot;
+      };
       const validated = await deps.measure("config.snapshot.read.validate", () =>
         validateConfigObjectWithPlugins(effectiveConfigRaw, {
           env: deps.env,
           pluginValidation: overrides.pluginValidation,
+          loadPluginMetadataSnapshot: loadValidationPluginMetadataSnapshot,
         }),
       );
       if (!validated.ok) {
@@ -1789,6 +1812,7 @@ export function createConfigIO(
             issues: [],
             warnings: [...validated.warnings, ...envVarWarnings],
             legacyIssues: legacyResolution.sourceLegacyIssues,
+            pluginMetadataSnapshot,
           }),
           envSnapshotForRestore: readResolution.envSnapshotForRestore,
         }),

src/config/types.openclaw.ts

@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import type { PluginMetadataSnapshot } from "../plugins/plugin-metadata-snapshot.js";
 import type {
   SilentReplyPolicyShape,
   SilentReplyRewriteShape,
@@ -184,4 +185,5 @@ export type ConfigFileSnapshot = {
   issues: ConfigValidationIssue[];
   warnings: ConfigValidationIssue[];
   legacyIssues: LegacyConfigIssue[];
+  pluginMetadataSnapshot?: PluginMetadataSnapshot;
 };

src/config/validation.channel-metadata.test.ts

@@ -239,6 +239,7 @@ describe("validateConfigObjectWithPlugins bundled allowlist compatibility", () =
     const result = validateConfigObjectWithPlugins(
       {
         plugins: {
+          allow: ["opik"],
           entries: {
             opik: {
               enabled: true,
@@ -261,4 +262,30 @@ describe("validateConfigObjectWithPlugins bundled allowlist compatibility", () =
       });
     }
   });
+
+  it("loads a plugin metadata snapshot once during plugin validation", () => {
+    const loadPluginMetadataSnapshot = vi.fn((_config: unknown) => ({
+      manifestRegistry: createPluginConfigSchemaRegistry(),
+    }));
+
+    const result = validateConfigObjectWithPlugins(
+      {
+        plugins: {
+          allow: ["opik"],
+          entries: {
+            opik: {
+              enabled: true,
+            },
+          },
+        },
+      },
+      {
+        loadPluginMetadataSnapshot,
+      },
+    );
+
+    expect(result.ok).toBe(true);
+    expect(loadPluginMetadataSnapshot).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+    expect(mockLoadPluginManifestRegistry).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
 });

src/config/validation.ts

@@ -711,6 +711,9 @@ type ValidateConfigWithPluginsParams = {
   env?: NodeJS.ProcessEnv;
   pluginValidation?: "full" | "skip";
   pluginMetadataSnapshot?: Pick<PluginMetadataSnapshot, "manifestRegistry">;
+  loadPluginMetadataSnapshot?: (
+    config: OpenClawConfig,
+  ) => Pick<PluginMetadataSnapshot, "manifestRegistry">;
 };
 
 export function validateConfigObjectWithPlugins(
@@ -722,6 +725,7 @@ export function validateConfigObjectWithPlugins(
     env: params?.env,
     pluginValidation: params?.pluginValidation ?? "full",
     pluginMetadataSnapshot: params?.pluginMetadataSnapshot,
+    loadPluginMetadataSnapshot: params?.loadPluginMetadataSnapshot,
   });
 }
 
@@ -734,6 +738,7 @@ export function validateConfigObjectRawWithPlugins(
     env: params?.env,
     pluginValidation: params?.pluginValidation ?? "full",
     pluginMetadataSnapshot: params?.pluginMetadataSnapshot,
+    loadPluginMetadataSnapshot: params?.loadPluginMetadataSnapshot,
   });
 }
 
@@ -810,6 +815,11 @@ function validateConfigObjectWithPluginsBase(
   };
 
   const loadValidationRegistry = (): RegistryInfo => {
+    const pluginMetadataSnapshot = opts.loadPluginMetadataSnapshot?.(config);
+    if (pluginMetadataSnapshot) {
+      registryInfo = { registry: pluginMetadataSnapshot.manifestRegistry };
+      return registryInfo;
+    }
     const workspaceDir = resolveAgentWorkspaceDir(config, resolveDefaultAgentId(config));
     const registry = loadPluginManifestRegistryForPluginRegistry({
       config,

src/gateway/server-startup-plugins.test.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import type { OpenClawConfig } from "../config/types.openclaw.js";
+import type { PluginMetadataSnapshot } from "../plugins/plugin-metadata-snapshot.js";
 
 const applyPluginAutoEnable = vi.hoisted(() =>
   vi.fn((params: { config: unknown }) => ({
@@ -22,6 +23,45 @@ const resolveBundledRuntimeDependencyPackageInstallRoot = vi.hoisted(() =>
   vi.fn((_packageRoot: string, _params: unknown) => "/runtime"),
 );
 const pluginManifestRegistry = vi.hoisted(() => ({ plugins: [], diagnostics: [] }));
+const pluginMetadataSnapshot = vi.hoisted(
+  (): PluginMetadataSnapshot => ({
+    index: {
+      version: 1,
+      hostContractVersion: "test",
+      compatRegistryVersion: "test",
+      migrationVersion: 1,
+      policyHash: "policy",
+      generatedAtMs: 0,
+      installRecords: {},
+      plugins: [],
+      diagnostics: [],
+    },
+    registryDiagnostics: [],
+    manifestRegistry: pluginManifestRegistry,
+    plugins: [],
+    diagnostics: [],
+    byPluginId: new Map(),
+    normalizePluginId: (pluginId) => pluginId,
+    owners: {
+      channels: new Map(),
+      channelConfigs: new Map(),
+      providers: new Map(),
+      modelCatalogProviders: new Map(),
+      cliBackends: new Map(),
+      setupProviders: new Map(),
+      commandAliases: new Map(),
+      contracts: new Map(),
+    },
+    metrics: {
+      registrySnapshotMs: 0,
+      manifestRegistryMs: 0,
+      ownerMapsMs: 0,
+      totalMs: 0,
+      indexPluginCount: 0,
+      manifestPluginCount: 0,
+    },
+  }),
+);
 const pluginLookUpTableMetrics = vi.hoisted(() => ({
   registrySnapshotMs: 0,
   manifestRegistryMs: 0,
@@ -259,6 +299,7 @@ describe("prepareGatewayPluginBootstrap runtime-deps staging", () => {
       cfgAtStart: runtimeConfig,
       activationSourceConfig: sourceConfig,
       startupRuntimeConfig: runtimeConfig,
+      pluginMetadataSnapshot,
       minimalTestGateway: false,
       log,
     });
@@ -270,6 +311,7 @@ describe("prepareGatewayPluginBootstrap runtime-deps staging", () => {
     expect(loadPluginLookUpTable).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
       expect.objectContaining({
         activationSourceConfig: sourceConfig,
+        metadataSnapshot: pluginMetadataSnapshot,
         config: expect.objectContaining({
           channels: expect.objectContaining({
             telegram: expect.objectContaining({

src/gateway/server-startup-plugins.ts

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import {
   scanBundledPluginRuntimeDeps,
 } from "../plugins/bundled-runtime-deps.js";
 import { loadPluginLookUpTable } from "../plugins/plugin-lookup-table.js";
+import type { PluginMetadataSnapshot } from "../plugins/plugin-metadata-snapshot.js";
 import { createEmptyPluginRegistry } from "../plugins/registry.js";
 import { getActivePluginRegistry, setActivePluginRegistry } from "../plugins/runtime.js";
 import { mergeActivationSectionsIntoRuntimeConfig } from "./plugin-activation-runtime-config.js";
@@ -95,6 +96,7 @@ export async function prepareGatewayPluginBootstrap(params: {
   cfgAtStart: OpenClawConfig;
   activationSourceConfig?: OpenClawConfig;
   startupRuntimeConfig: OpenClawConfig;
+  pluginMetadataSnapshot?: PluginMetadataSnapshot;
   minimalTestGateway: boolean;
   log: GatewayPluginBootstrapLog;
 }) {
@@ -149,6 +151,7 @@ export async function prepareGatewayPluginBootstrap(params: {
         workspaceDir: defaultWorkspaceDir,
         env: process.env,
         activationSourceConfig,
+        metadataSnapshot: params.pluginMetadataSnapshot,
       });
   const deferredConfiguredChannelPluginIds = [
     ...(pluginLookUpTable?.startup.configuredDeferredChannelPluginIds ?? []),

src/gateway/server.impl.ts

@@ -411,6 +411,7 @@ export async function startGatewayServer(
       cfgAtStart,
       activationSourceConfig: startupActivationSourceConfig,
       startupRuntimeConfig,
+      pluginMetadataSnapshot: configSnapshot.pluginMetadataSnapshot,
       minimalTestGateway,
       log,
     }),