fix: default workdir to ~/.openclaw instead of cwd by gregb100 · Pull Request #1560 · openclaw/clawhub

gregb100 · 2026-04-06T18:15:11Z

Problem

clawhub install defaults to cwd, which means where you run it from determines where skills land. Skills from two completely different sources (OpenClaw team bundled skills vs custom clawhub skills) end up mixed in one directory with no way to tell them apart.

Solution

Change the default workdir fallback from cwd to ~/.openclaw. Skills installed via clawhub now land in ~/.openclaw/<skill> by default instead of cwd/skills/.

Priority order (unchanged except for last item)

Explicit --workdir flag
CLAWHUB_WORKDIR / CLAWDHUB_WORKDIR env vars
.clawhub marker directory in cwd
clawdbot workspace (if set)
~/.openclaw (was cwd)

Avoids mixing npm bundled skills with custom clawhub skills when installing from arbitrary working directories. Custom skills now land in ~/.openclaw/<skill> by default instead of cwd/skills/. Priority order: 1. Explicit --workdir flag 2. CLAWHUB_WORKDIR / CLAWDHUB_WORKDIR env vars 3. .clawhub marker directory in cwd 4. clawdbot workspace (if set) 5. ~/.openclaw (NEW - was cwd)

vercel · 2026-04-06T18:15:17Z

@gregb100 is attempting to deploy a commit to the 0xBuns Team on Vercel.

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greptile-apps · 2026-04-06T18:17:00Z

Greptile Summary

This PR updates resolveWorkdir in packages/clawhub/src/cli.ts so that when no explicit workdir is configured (no --workdir flag, no CLAWHUB_WORKDIR env var, no .clawhub marker in cwd, and no clawdbot workspace), skills default to ~/.openclaw instead of the current working directory. The change is minimal and preserves the existing resolution priority order.

The logic restructuring (splitting the one-liner into an early if return) is clean and readable.
Cross-platform concern: process.env.HOME ?? \"\" is used to locate the home directory. On Windows, HOME is not set by default — USERPROFILE is used instead. The empty-string fallback causes path.resolve(\"\", \".openclaw\") to silently resolve to <cwd>/.openclaw, defeating the purpose of the change on that platform. The fix is to use os.homedir() from Node's standard library, which handles this correctly on all platforms.

Confidence Score: 3/5

Safe to merge on Unix/macOS, but silently misbehaves on Windows due to the HOME env var assumption.

The change achieves its stated goal correctly on Unix/macOS. However, using process.env.HOME instead of os.homedir() is a cross-platform bug — on Windows, HOME is typically not set, so the empty-string fallback causes resolve to use cwd, defeating the stated purpose of the PR on that platform.

packages/clawhub/src/cli.ts line 109 — HOME env var fallback should be replaced with os.homedir().

Prompt To Fix All With AI

This is a comment left during a code review.
Path: packages/clawhub/src/cli.ts
Line: 109

Comment:
**`process.env.HOME` is not portable — use `os.homedir()`**

On Windows, `HOME` is typically not set (the platform uses `USERPROFILE` instead). When `HOME` is `undefined`, `process.env.HOME ?? ""` produces an empty string, and `path.resolve("", ".openclaw")` resolves to `<cwd>/.openclaw` — silently falling back to the cwd-relative behavior this PR is specifically trying to avoid.

Node's built-in `os.homedir()` resolves the home directory correctly on all platforms (Windows, macOS, Linux) and should be used here instead:

```suggestion
  return resolve(homedir(), ".openclaw");
```

You'll also need to add the import at the top of the file:
```ts
import { homedir } from "node:os";
```

How can I resolve this? If you propose a fix, please make it concise.

_{Reviews (1): Last reviewed commit: "fix: default workdir to ~/.openclaw inst..." | Re-trigger Greptile}

greptile-apps · 2026-04-06T18:17:04Z

packages/clawhub/src/cli.ts

-  return clawdbotWorkspace ? resolve(clawdbotWorkspace) : cwd;
+  if (clawdbotWorkspace) return resolve(clawdbotWorkspace);
+  // Default to ~/.openclaw instead of cwd to avoid mixing npm skills with custom skills
+  return resolve(process.env.HOME ?? "", ".openclaw");


process.env.HOME is not portable — use os.homedir()

On Windows, HOME is typically not set (the platform uses USERPROFILE instead). When HOME is undefined, process.env.HOME ?? "" produces an empty string, and path.resolve("", ".openclaw") resolves to <cwd>/.openclaw — silently falling back to the cwd-relative behavior this PR is specifically trying to avoid.

Node's built-in os.homedir() resolves the home directory correctly on all platforms (Windows, macOS, Linux) and should be used here instead:

Suggested change

return resolve(process.env.HOME ?? "", ".openclaw");

return resolve(homedir(), ".openclaw");

You'll also need to add the import at the top of the file:

import { homedir } from "node:os";

Prompt To Fix With AI

This is a comment left during a code review. Path: packages/clawhub/src/cli.ts Line: 109 Comment: **`process.env.HOME` is not portable — use `os.homedir()`** On Windows, `HOME` is typically not set (the platform uses `USERPROFILE` instead). When `HOME` is `undefined`, `process.env.HOME ?? ""` produces an empty string, and `path.resolve("", ".openclaw")` resolves to `<cwd>/.openclaw` — silently falling back to the cwd-relative behavior this PR is specifically trying to avoid. Node's built-in `os.homedir()` resolves the home directory correctly on all platforms (Windows, macOS, Linux) and should be used here instead: ```suggestion return resolve(homedir(), ".openclaw"); ``` You'll also need to add the import at the top of the file: ```ts import { homedir } from "node:os"; ``` How can I resolve this? If you propose a fix, please make it concise.

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chatgpt-codex-connector · 2026-04-06T18:17:08Z

packages/clawhub/src/cli.ts

-  return clawdbotWorkspace ? resolve(clawdbotWorkspace) : cwd;
+  if (clawdbotWorkspace) return resolve(clawdbotWorkspace);
+  // Default to ~/.openclaw instead of cwd to avoid mixing npm skills with custom skills
+  return resolve(process.env.HOME ?? "", ".openclaw");


Resolve fallback workdir from actual home directory

When HOME is unset (common on Windows and some non-login shells), resolve(process.env.HOME ?? '', '.openclaw') resolves to <cwd>/.openclaw instead of the user's home folder, so installs still go under the current project and can mix unrelated skills. This regresses the stated behavior change for those environments; the fallback should use a cross-platform home resolver (e.g. include USERPROFILE/os.homedir()) rather than an empty-string path segment.

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vercel · 2026-04-06T18:18:28Z

packages/clawhub/src/cli.ts

-  return clawdbotWorkspace ? resolve(clawdbotWorkspace) : cwd;
+  if (clawdbotWorkspace) return resolve(clawdbotWorkspace);
+  // Default to ~/.openclaw instead of cwd to avoid mixing npm skills with custom skills
+  return resolve(process.env.HOME ?? "", ".openclaw");


Using process.env.HOME ?? "" instead of the established resolveHome() helper causes cross-platform issues on Windows and incorrect fallback behavior.

momothemage · 2026-04-10T03:09:59Z

Thanks for the contribution! We really appreciate your effort and the work you've put into this PR.

A small question: what is the actual reason for separating skills into two distinct paths for management? It seems unnecessary to manage the same type of resource in two separate paths.

gregb100 · 2026-04-10T22:33:44Z

no worries.
~/.npm-global/lib/node_modules/openclaw/skills/ — 55 bundled skills (OpenClaw team), none used
• ~/workspaces/otto/skills/ — 27 custom clawhub-installed skills, all in use
• The two paths are completely separate by design, but clawhub install defaults to cwd, so skills land wherever you ran the command

Why the split exists: OpenClaw's skill loader searches multiple directories (openclaw-extra, openclaw-workspace, openclaw-user), and the workspace path lets different agents have different skill sets. clawhub defaults to cwd for portability.

Why it's messy:

clawhub install scatters skills wherever you happen to run it from
The symlink clara → ~/projects/clara/skills triggers the sandboxing warning because it resolves outside the workspace root — that's the Skipping skill path that resolves outside its configured root WARN you see 2x every ~30s
No clean separation between "OpenClaw-bundled" vs "custom-installed" skills

My proposed fix: ~/.openclaw/ as clawhub's default would give a predictable, centralized location for custom skills that's:

• Not workspace-dependent
• Not mixed with npm-bundled skills
• Easy to back up / manage as a unit

greptile-apps bot reviewed Apr 6, 2026

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fix: default workdir to ~/.openclaw instead of cwd#1560

fix: default workdir to ~/.openclaw instead of cwd#1560
gregb100 wants to merge 1 commit intoopenclaw:mainfrom
gregb100:fix/default-workdir-to-openclaw

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	return resolve(process.env.HOME ?? "", ".openclaw");
	return resolve(homedir(), ".openclaw");

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gregb100 commented Apr 6, 2026

Problem

Solution

Priority order (unchanged except for last item)

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Confidence Score: 3/5

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