fix: honor node systemd unit activation

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 - Docker: copy patched dependency files into runtime images so downstream `pnpm install` layers keep working. Fixes #69224. Thanks @gucasbrg.
 - Agents/runtime: submit heartbeat, cron, and exec wakeups as transient runtime context instead of visible user prompts, keeping synthetic system work out of chat transcripts. Fixes #66496 and #66814. Thanks @jeades and @mandomaker.
 - Telegram: include native quote excerpts automatically for threaded replies and reply tags when the original Telegram text is available, without adding another config knob. Fixes #6975. Thanks @rex05ai.
+- Node/Linux: make `openclaw node install` enable and restart the `openclaw-node` systemd unit instead of the gateway unit on node-only VMs. Fixes #68287. Thanks @dlebee-agent.
 - Telegram: preserve exact selected quote text when sending native quote replies, and retry with legacy replies if Telegram rejects quote parameters. (#71952) Thanks @rubencu.
 - Plugins/CLI: preserve manifest name, description, format, and source metadata in cold `openclaw plugins list` output without importing plugin runtime. Thanks @shakkernerd.
 - Security/audit: read channel exposure and plugin allowlist ownership from read-only plugin index metadata so cold audits do not depend on loaded channel runtime. Thanks @shakkernerd.

src/daemon/systemd.test.ts

@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ vi.mock("node:child_process", async () => {
 import { splitArgsPreservingQuotes } from "./arg-split.js";
 import { parseSystemdExecStart } from "./systemd-unit.js";
 import {
+  installSystemdService,
   isNonFatalSystemdInstallProbeError,
   isSystemdServiceEnabled,
   isSystemdUserServiceAvailable,
@@ -26,6 +27,7 @@ import {
   resolveSystemdUserUnitPath,
   stageSystemdService,
   stopSystemdService,
+  uninstallSystemdService,
 } from "./systemd.js";
 
 type ExecFileError = Error & {
@@ -36,6 +38,7 @@ type ExecFileError = Error & {
 const TEST_SERVICE_HOME = "/home/test";
 const TEST_MANAGED_HOME = "/tmp/openclaw-test-home";
 const GATEWAY_SERVICE = "openclaw-gateway.service";
+const NODE_SERVICE = "openclaw-node.service";
 
 const createExecFileError = (
   message: string,
@@ -749,6 +752,95 @@ describe("stageSystemdService", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("systemd service install and uninstall", () => {
+  async function withNodeSystemdFixture(
+    run: (context: { env: Record<string, string>; unitPath: string }) => Promise<void>,
+  ): Promise<void> {
+    const tempHomeRoot = await fs.mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "openclaw-node-systemd-"));
+    const home = path.join(tempHomeRoot, "home");
+    const stateDir = path.join(home, ".openclaw");
+    const env = {
+      HOME: home,
+      OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR: stateDir,
+      OPENCLAW_SYSTEMD_UNIT: "openclaw-node",
+    };
+    const unitPath = resolveSystemdUserUnitPath(env);
+
+    try {
+      await fs.mkdir(stateDir, { recursive: true });
+      await run({ env, unitPath });
+    } finally {
+      await fs.rm(tempHomeRoot, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    }
+  }
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.restoreAllMocks();
+    execFileMock.mockReset();
+  });
+
+  it("activates the OPENCLAW_SYSTEMD_UNIT override during install", async () => {
+    await withNodeSystemdFixture(async ({ env, unitPath }) => {
+      execFileMock
+        .mockImplementationOnce((_cmd, args, _opts, cb) => {
+          assertUserSystemctlArgs(args, "status");
+          cb(null, "", "");
+        })
+        .mockImplementationOnce((_cmd, args, _opts, cb) => {
+          assertUserSystemctlArgs(args, "daemon-reload");
+          cb(null, "", "");
+        })
+        .mockImplementationOnce((_cmd, args, _opts, cb) => {
+          assertUserSystemctlArgs(args, "enable", NODE_SERVICE);
+          cb(null, "", "");
+        })
+        .mockImplementationOnce((_cmd, args, _opts, cb) => {
+          assertUserSystemctlArgs(args, "restart", NODE_SERVICE);
+          cb(null, "", "");
+        });
+
+      await installSystemdService({
+        env,
+        stdout: { write: vi.fn() } as unknown as NodeJS.WritableStream,
+        programArguments: ["/usr/bin/openclaw", "node", "run"],
+        workingDirectory: "/tmp",
+        environment: {
+          OPENCLAW_SYSTEMD_UNIT: "openclaw-node",
+        },
+      });
+
+      const unit = await fs.readFile(unitPath, "utf8");
+      expect(unitPath).toMatch(/openclaw-node\.service$/);
+      expect(unit).toContain("openclaw node run");
+      expect(execFileMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(4);
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("disables the OPENCLAW_SYSTEMD_UNIT override during uninstall", async () => {
+    await withNodeSystemdFixture(async ({ env, unitPath }) => {
+      await fs.mkdir(path.dirname(unitPath), { recursive: true });
+      await fs.writeFile(unitPath, "[Unit]\nDescription=OpenClaw Node\n", "utf8");
+
+      execFileMock
+        .mockImplementationOnce((_cmd, args, _opts, cb) => {
+          assertUserSystemctlArgs(args, "status");
+          cb(null, "", "");
+        })
+        .mockImplementationOnce((_cmd, args, _opts, cb) => {
+          assertUserSystemctlArgs(args, "disable", "--now", NODE_SERVICE);
+          cb(null, "", "");
+        });
+
+      const { write, stdout } = createWritableStreamMock();
+      await uninstallSystemdService({ env, stdout });
+
+      await expect(fs.access(unitPath)).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: "ENOENT" });
+      expect(String(write.mock.calls[0]?.[0])).toContain("Removed systemd service");
+      expect(execFileMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+    });
+  });
+});
+
 describe("systemd service control", () => {
   const assertMachineRestartArgs = (args: string[]) => {
     assertMachineUserSystemctlArgs(args, "debian", "restart", GATEWAY_SERVICE);

src/daemon/systemd.ts

@@ -539,7 +539,7 @@ export async function stageSystemdService({
 }
 
 async function activateSystemdService(params: { env: GatewayServiceEnv }) {
-  const serviceName = resolveGatewaySystemdServiceName(params.env.OPENCLAW_PROFILE);
+  const serviceName = resolveSystemdServiceName(params.env);
   const unitName = `${serviceName}.service`;
   const reload = await execSystemctlUser(params.env, ["daemon-reload"]);
   if (reload.code !== 0) {
@@ -588,7 +588,7 @@ export async function uninstallSystemdService({
   stdout,
 }: GatewayServiceManageArgs): Promise<void> {
   await assertSystemdAvailable(env);
-  const serviceName = resolveGatewaySystemdServiceName(env.OPENCLAW_PROFILE);
+  const serviceName = resolveSystemdServiceName(env);
   const unitName = `${serviceName}.service`;
   await execSystemctlUser(env, ["disable", "--now", unitName]);