OpenClaw CLI version-dependent compat failures: unreproducible on 2026.6.10, attribute via version recording on next occurrence

[Julia-Lex]

Problem

The 20260701 scored run's debug bundle (openclaw_failure_cases_debug_bundle_20260703, machine bot1) reports two OpenClaw CLI compat failures that we cannot reproduce locally and could not attribute because the CLI version was never recorded:

1. openclaw agent --session-key agent:main:bench-<id> rejected with a parameter error (the adapter had to switch to --agent main --session-id bench-<id>);
2. provider config timeoutSeconds rejected by the config schema (had to be removed from the generated openclaw.json).

The bundle's run occurred on bot1 around 2026-07-01, suspected on a newer CLI than ours (possibly 2026.6.11). On the locally installed OpenClaw 2026.6.10 (aa69b12) BOTH forms work:

• openclaw agent --help documents --session-key and --session-id side by side;
• PR fix(openclaw): make concurrent runs usable — disable gateway node dispatch, pin profiles, isolate ports #78's smoke ran the OLD form (--session-key + provider timeoutSeconds) green on this machine (run 20260704_002844);
• PR fix(openclaw): merge scoring-run patch — CLI compat, output recovery, process-group cleanup, runner watchdog #81's smokes ran the NEW form green repeatedly.

So the current adapter form (--agent --session-id, no timeoutSeconds) is a cross-version conservative choice — the only form with green evidence on both known environments — not a verified fix. Whether/when the old form actually breaks, and on which version, is unknown.

What's now in place (PR #81)

• openclaw --version is executed once per process and logged in run.log (OpenClaw CLI version: ...);
• every task result carries agent_metadata.openclaw_cli_version.

Next time a CLI compat failure appears

1. Read the failing task's agent_metadata.openclaw_cli_version (or the run.log line) — the version is no longer a mystery.
2. Diff against the last-known-good version; npm install -g openclaw@<version> locally and reproduce with a single bubench run --agent openclaw --data LexBench-Browser --mode single.
3. Record the exact rejected flag/config field and version pair here, so the adapter's compat choices stop being guesses.

Optional proactive close-out: obtain openclaw --version from the bot1 machine (bundle author) and re-test both CLI forms on that exact version — that would confirm or refute the bundle report's claims directly.

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