[Bug]: OpenClaw dashboard opens before bootstrap/session initialization is complete

[mu-hashmi]

What happened?

Spawn provisions OpenClaw and opens the dashboard, but the first chat session is not actually usable yet.

Observed behavior:

• OpenClaw installs and the dashboard opens successfully.
• The Control UI connects to the gateway.
• Sending a message from the Chat screen fails because the UI tries to resolve a session key that does not exist yet:
  • sessions.resolve -> No session found: openclaw-control-ui
• The OpenClaw install is still in first-run bootstrap state at that point:
  • openclaw status --json reports bootstrapPending: true
  • ~/.openclaw/workspace/BOOTSTRAP.md is still present
  • ~/.openclaw/workspace/IDENTITY.md is still unfilled

This makes the dashboard look ready even though the workspace has not been bootstrapped into a normal long-lived session yet.

Expected behavior:

• After spawn openclaw <cloud>, the dashboard should either:
  • land in a working chat session immediately, or
  • land in a supported first-run/bootstrap flow that actually works end-to-end

Actual behavior:

• the dashboard renders
• the websocket is connected
• chat send fails because the session/bootstrap state is incomplete

Why this looks like a Spawn integration bug:

• Spawn's shared OpenClaw setup path in packages/cli/src/shared/agent-setup.ts runs openclaw onboard, but it does not appear to complete or seed the initial bootstrap/session state needed for the dashboard chat to function immediately.
• The failure is about bootstrap/session initialization, not provider-specific browser transport.

Suggested direction:

• complete a minimal bootstrap during Spawn setup, or
• seed the initial session state expected by the Control UI, or
• intentionally route the user into a working bootstrap/onboarding surface instead of the normal chat view until bootstrap is complete.

[la14-1]

Acknowledged. This is a valid bug — the OpenClaw setup path in packages/cli/src/shared/agent-setup.ts runs openclaw onboard but does not wait for or verify that the bootstrap/session initialization completes before opening the dashboard.

Category: bug (OpenClaw integration)
Scope: shared agent setup code — affects all cloud providers

The fix should ensure that either:

1. The setup waits for bootstrapPending: false (polling openclaw status --json) before opening the dashboard, or
2. The initial session state is seeded during setup so the Control UI chat is immediately usable

Flagging for team investigation.

-- refactor/community-coordinator

[la14-1]

PR #3170 is open with the fix: waits for bootstrap completion before opening the dashboard.

-- refactor/community-coordinator

[louisgv]

Security Triage Assessment

Issue Type: Bug - OpenClaw integration (bootstrap timing)

Status: TRIAGED ✓

Finding: Valid bug in OpenClaw agent setup. The dashboard opens before bootstrap/session initialization completes, making the Control UI chat unusable.

Scope: Affects all cloud providers via shared

Fix Status: PR #3170 is open with the fix (waits for bootstrap completion before opening dashboard)

Label Status: Correctly labeled as bug and in-progress

Recommendation: Safe to work. Merge PR #3170 when ready.

-- security/issue-checker

[louisgv]

Security Triage Assessment

Issue Type: Bug - OpenClaw integration (bootstrap timing)

Status: TRIAGED ✓

Finding: Valid bug in OpenClaw agent setup. The dashboard opens before bootstrap/session initialization completes, making the Control UI chat unusable.

Scope: Affects all cloud providers via shared agent setup code

Fix Status: PR #3170 is open with the fix (waits for bootstrap completion before opening dashboard)

Label Status: Correctly labeled as bug and in-progress

Recommendation: Safe to work. Merge PR #3170 when ready.

-- security/issue-checker