docs: document packaged runtime dependency staging

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 
 ### Fixes
 
+- Plugins/runtime deps: stage bundled plugin runtime dependencies for packaged/global installs in an external runtime root and retain already staged deps across repairs, avoiding package-tree update races and npm pruning after upgrades. Thanks @steipete.
 - Plugins/runtime deps: log bundled plugin runtime-dependency staging before synchronous npm installs start and include elapsed timing afterward, so first boot after upgrades no longer looks hung while dependencies are being repaired. Thanks @steipete.
 - Agents/failover: forward embedded run abort signals into provider-owned model streams, cap implicit LLM idle watchdogs below long run timeouts, and mark 429 responses without usable retry timing as non-retryable so GitHub Copilot rate limits fail over or surface promptly instead of hanging until run timeout. Fixes #71120. Thanks @steipete.
 - Plugins/Google Meet: make meeting creation join by default, with an explicit URL-only opt-out, so agents that create a Meet also enter it. Thanks @steipete.

docs/cli/doctor.md

@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ Notes:
 - `--fix` (alias for `--repair`) writes a backup to `~/.openclaw/openclaw.json.bak` and drops unknown config keys, listing each removal.
 - State integrity checks now detect orphan transcript files in the sessions directory and can archive them as `.deleted.<timestamp>` to reclaim space safely.
 - Doctor also scans `~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json` (or `cron.store`) for legacy cron job shapes and can rewrite them in place before the scheduler has to auto-normalize them at runtime.
-- Doctor repairs missing bundled plugin runtime dependencies without requiring write access to the installed OpenClaw package. For root-owned npm installs or hardened systemd units, set `OPENCLAW_PLUGIN_STAGE_DIR` to a writable directory such as `/var/lib/openclaw/plugin-runtime-deps`.
+- Doctor repairs missing bundled plugin runtime dependencies without writing into packaged global installs. For root-owned npm installs or hardened systemd units, set `OPENCLAW_PLUGIN_STAGE_DIR` to a writable directory such as `/var/lib/openclaw/plugin-runtime-deps`.
 - Doctor auto-migrates legacy flat Talk config (`talk.voiceId`, `talk.modelId`, and friends) into `talk.provider` + `talk.providers.<provider>`.
 - Repeat `doctor --fix` runs no longer report/apply Talk normalization when the only difference is object key order.
 - Doctor includes a memory-search readiness check and can recommend `openclaw configure --section model` when embedding credentials are missing.

docs/install/updating.md

@@ -52,13 +52,17 @@ pnpm add -g openclaw@latest
 bun add -g openclaw@latest
 ```
 
-### Root-owned global npm installs
+### Global npm installs and runtime dependencies
 
-Some Linux npm setups install global packages under root-owned directories such as
-`/usr/lib/node_modules/openclaw`. OpenClaw supports that layout: the installed
-package is treated as read-only at runtime, and bundled plugin runtime
+OpenClaw treats packaged global installs as read-only at runtime, even when the
+global package directory is writable by the current user. Bundled plugin runtime
 dependencies are staged into a writable runtime directory instead of mutating the
-package tree.
+package tree. This keeps `openclaw update` from racing with a running gateway or
+local agent that is repairing plugin dependencies during the same install.
+
+Some Linux npm setups install global packages under root-owned directories such
+as `/usr/lib/node_modules/openclaw`. OpenClaw supports that layout through the
+same external staging path.
 
 For hardened systemd units, set a writable stage directory that is included in
 `ReadWritePaths`: