fix(update): use post-doctor plugin records

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 - Agents/OpenAI streams: yield via `setTimeout(0)` instead of `setImmediate` between bursty Responses chunks so abort timers can fire during the yield, keeping cancel-on-timeout responsive on hot streams. Refs #82462.
 - CLI/config: send SecretRef diagnostics to stderr so JSON command stdout remains parseable.
 - CLI/plugins: ship the bundled memory CLI as a package entry so package-installed `openclaw memory` commands register correctly.
+- CLI/update: defer doctor-time plugin package installs during package swaps and seed post-core repair from the updated install registry, preventing duplicate reinstall failures.
 - Feishu: detect SecretRef top-level credentials as a configured default account instead of treating object-backed app secrets as missing.
 - CLI/completion: resolve concrete PowerShell profile paths and reload commands during setup and doctor completion installation. Fixes #44296. (#83059) Thanks @yu-xin-c.
 - Providers/Google: preserve and recover Gemini 3 tool-call thought signatures during native replay so function-calling turns no longer fail with missing `thought_signature` 400s. Fixes #72879. (#80358) Thanks @abnershang.

src/cli/update-cli.test.ts

@@ -1176,6 +1176,44 @@ describe("update-cli", () => {
     expect(updateCall?.skipIds?.has("demo")).toBe(true);
   });
 
+  it("post-core resume mode prefers post-doctor disk install records over the stale parent snapshot", async () => {
+    const resultDir = createCaseDir("openclaw-post-core-disk-records");
+    const recordsPath = path.join(resultDir, "plugin-install-records.json");
+    await fs.mkdir(resultDir, { recursive: true });
+    await fs.writeFile(
+      recordsPath,
+      `${JSON.stringify({
+        stale: {
+          source: "npm",
+          spec: "@openclaw/stale@1.0.0",
+          installPath: "/tmp/stale-plugin",
+        },
+      })}\n`,
+      "utf-8",
+    );
+    const postDoctorRecords = {
+      codex: {
+        source: "npm",
+        spec: "@openclaw/codex@2026.5.17",
+        installPath: "/tmp/codex-plugin",
+      },
+    } satisfies Record<string, PluginInstallRecord>;
+    loadInstalledPluginIndexInstallRecords.mockResolvedValueOnce(postDoctorRecords);
+
+    await withEnvAsync(
+      {
+        OPENCLAW_UPDATE_POST_CORE: "1",
+        OPENCLAW_UPDATE_POST_CORE_CHANNEL: "stable",
+        OPENCLAW_UPDATE_POST_CORE_INSTALL_RECORDS_PATH: recordsPath,
+      },
+      async () => {
+        await updateCommand({ json: true, restart: false });
+      },
+    );
+
+    expect(syncPluginCall()?.config?.plugins?.installs).toEqual(postDoctorRecords);
+  });
+
   it("post-core resume mode persists the requested update channel with the updated process", async () => {
     vi.mocked(readConfigFileSnapshot).mockResolvedValue({
       ...baseSnapshot,

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

@@ -9,7 +9,10 @@ import {
   ensureCompletionCacheExists,
 } from "../../commands/doctor-completion.js";
 import { doctorCommand } from "../../commands/doctor.js";
-import { UPDATE_DEFER_CONFIGURED_PLUGIN_INSTALL_REPAIR_ENV } from "../../commands/doctor/shared/update-phase.js";
+import {
+  UPDATE_DEFER_CONFIGURED_PLUGIN_INSTALL_REPAIR_ENV,
+  UPDATE_PARENT_SUPPORTS_DOCTOR_CONFIG_WRITE_ENV,
+} from "../../commands/doctor/shared/update-phase.js";
 import { createPreUpdateConfigSnapshot } from "../../config/backup-rotation.js";
 import {
   assertConfigWriteAllowedInCurrentMode,
@@ -144,8 +147,6 @@ const POST_CORE_UPDATE_SOURCE_CONFIG_PATH_ENV = "OPENCLAW_UPDATE_POST_CORE_SOURC
 const POST_CORE_UPDATE_STARTED_AT_ENV = "OPENCLAW_UPDATE_POST_CORE_STARTED_AT_MS";
 const POST_CORE_UPDATE_RESULT_POLL_MS = 100;
 const PRE_UPDATE_CONFIG_SNAPSHOT_MAX_AGE_MS = 6 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
-const UPDATE_PARENT_SUPPORTS_DOCTOR_CONFIG_WRITE_ENV =
-  "OPENCLAW_UPDATE_PARENT_SUPPORTS_DOCTOR_CONFIG_WRITE";
 const SERVICE_REFRESH_PATH_ENV_KEYS = [
   "OPENCLAW_HOME",
   "OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR",
@@ -2733,6 +2734,14 @@ export async function updateCommand(opts: UpdateCommandOptions): Promise<void> {
       postCoreConfigSnapshot,
       preUpdateSourceConfig,
     );
+    const parentPluginInstallRecords =
+      await readPostCorePluginInstallRecordsFile(postCoreInstallRecordsPath);
+    // The updated doctor may have repaired plugin installs before this fresh process resumed.
+    const currentPluginInstallRecords = await loadInstalledPluginIndexInstallRecords();
+    const pluginInstallRecords =
+      Object.keys(currentPluginInstallRecords).length > 0
+        ? currentPluginInstallRecords
+        : parentPluginInstallRecords;
 
     const pluginUpdate = await runPostCorePluginUpdate({
       root,
@@ -2742,7 +2751,7 @@ export async function updateCommand(opts: UpdateCommandOptions): Promise<void> {
       restoredAuthoredChannels: restoredPostCoreConfig.authoredChannels,
       opts,
       timeoutMs: updateStepTimeoutMs,
-      pluginInstallRecords: await readPostCorePluginInstallRecordsFile(postCoreInstallRecordsPath),
+      pluginInstallRecords,
     });
     if (process.env[POST_CORE_UPDATE_RESULT_PATH_ENV]) {
       await writePostCorePluginUpdateResultFile(

src/commands/doctor/shared/release-configured-plugin-installs.test.ts

@@ -374,6 +374,42 @@ describe("configured plugin install release step", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it("defers package-manager plugin repair when an older updater supports post-doctor config writes", async () => {
+    mocks.repairMissingPluginInstallsForIds.mockResolvedValue({
+      changes: [],
+      warnings: [],
+    });
+
+    const { maybeRunConfiguredPluginInstallReleaseStep } =
+      await import("./release-configured-plugin-installs.js");
+    const result = await maybeRunConfiguredPluginInstallReleaseStep({
+      cfg: {
+        plugins: {
+          entries: {
+            discord: { enabled: true },
+          },
+        },
+      },
+      currentVersion: "2026.5.2-beta.1",
+      touchedVersion: "2026.5.1",
+      env: {
+        OPENCLAW_UPDATE_IN_PROGRESS: "1",
+        OPENCLAW_UPDATE_PARENT_SUPPORTS_DOCTOR_CONFIG_WRITE: "1",
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(readOnlyMissingPluginInstallRepairCall().env).toEqual({
+      OPENCLAW_UPDATE_IN_PROGRESS: "1",
+      OPENCLAW_UPDATE_PARENT_SUPPORTS_DOCTOR_CONFIG_WRITE: "1",
+    });
+    expect(result).toEqual({
+      changes: [],
+      warnings: [],
+      completed: false,
+      touchedConfig: false,
+    });
+  });
+
   it("repairs missing configured installs even when a prior update doctor touched config", async () => {
     mocks.repairMissingPluginInstallsForIds.mockResolvedValue({
       changes: ['Installed missing configured plugin "discord".'],

src/commands/doctor/shared/update-phase.test.ts

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import {
   UPDATE_DEFER_CONFIGURED_PLUGIN_INSTALL_REPAIR_ENV,
   UPDATE_IN_PROGRESS_ENV,
+  UPDATE_PARENT_SUPPORTS_DOCTOR_CONFIG_WRITE_ENV,
   UPDATE_POST_CORE_CONVERGENCE_ENV,
   isLegacyPackageUpdateDoctorPass,
   isPostCoreConvergencePass,
@@ -46,6 +47,12 @@ describe("update-phase env helpers", () => {
         [UPDATE_DEFER_CONFIGURED_PLUGIN_INSTALL_REPAIR_ENV]: "1",
       }),
     ).toBe(true);
+    expect(
+      shouldDeferConfiguredPluginInstallRepair({
+        [UPDATE_IN_PROGRESS_ENV]: "1",
+        [UPDATE_PARENT_SUPPORTS_DOCTOR_CONFIG_WRITE_ENV]: "1",
+      }),
+    ).toBe(true);
     expect(
       shouldDeferConfiguredPluginInstallRepair({
         [UPDATE_IN_PROGRESS_ENV]: "1",
@@ -67,6 +74,12 @@ describe("update-phase env helpers", () => {
         [UPDATE_DEFER_CONFIGURED_PLUGIN_INSTALL_REPAIR_ENV]: "1",
       }),
     ).toBe(false);
+    expect(
+      isLegacyPackageUpdateDoctorPass({
+        [UPDATE_IN_PROGRESS_ENV]: "1",
+        [UPDATE_PARENT_SUPPORTS_DOCTOR_CONFIG_WRITE_ENV]: "1",
+      }),
+    ).toBe(false);
     expect(
       isLegacyPackageUpdateDoctorPass({
         [UPDATE_IN_PROGRESS_ENV]: "1",

src/commands/doctor/shared/update-phase.ts

@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ export const UPDATE_IN_PROGRESS_ENV = "OPENCLAW_UPDATE_IN_PROGRESS";
 export const UPDATE_POST_CORE_CONVERGENCE_ENV = "OPENCLAW_UPDATE_POST_CORE_CONVERGENCE";
 export const UPDATE_DEFER_CONFIGURED_PLUGIN_INSTALL_REPAIR_ENV =
   "OPENCLAW_UPDATE_DEFER_CONFIGURED_PLUGIN_INSTALL_REPAIR";
+export const UPDATE_PARENT_SUPPORTS_DOCTOR_CONFIG_WRITE_ENV =
+  "OPENCLAW_UPDATE_PARENT_SUPPORTS_DOCTOR_CONFIG_WRITE";
 
 /**
  * True iff the caller is the doctor pass that runs WHILE the core package
@@ -45,7 +47,8 @@ export function isUpdatePackageSwapInProgress(env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv): boolean {
 export function shouldDeferConfiguredPluginInstallRepair(env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv): boolean {
   return (
     isUpdatePackageSwapInProgress(env) &&
-    isTruthyEnvValue(env[UPDATE_DEFER_CONFIGURED_PLUGIN_INSTALL_REPAIR_ENV])
+    (isTruthyEnvValue(env[UPDATE_DEFER_CONFIGURED_PLUGIN_INSTALL_REPAIR_ENV]) ||
+      isTruthyEnvValue(env[UPDATE_PARENT_SUPPORTS_DOCTOR_CONFIG_WRITE_ENV]))
   );
 }