[Bug] HOME variable disappearing from LaunchAgent on macOS
The Problem
When Clawdbot runs via launchd (LaunchAgent), it needs the HOME environment variable configured. Without it, the daemon fails with:
Error: Missing HOME
Root Cause
The clawdbot daemon restart command (and daemon install) completely regenerates the LaunchAgent plist file:
~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.clawdbot.gateway.plist
The newly generated plist does not include the HOME variable, only:
PATH
Clawdbot-specific variables (CLAWDBOT_GATEWAY_PORT, CLAWDBOT_GATEWAY_TOKEN, etc.)
Behavior
User manually edits the plist and adds HOME=/Users/username
Works normally
At some point, runs clawdbot daemon restart
Clawdbot regenerates the plist without HOME
Daemon stops working β Error: Missing HOME
User needs to re-add HOME manually
Reproduction
Temporary Workaround
Lock the plist file so Clawdbot cannot overwrite it:
chmod 444 ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.clawdbot.gateway.plist
Trade-off: The clawdbot daemon restart command will fail, but you can restart manually:
launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.clawdbot.gateway.plist
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.clawdbot.gateway.plist
Proposed Fix
Clawdbot should:
Preserve custom environment variables when regenerating the plist, OR
Use $HOME directly from launchd environment (which should already be available), OR
Document that HOME needs to be added manually
Impact
Severity: Medium (daemon stops working)
Frequency: Every time daemon restart is executed
Platform: macOS (launchd)
Workaround: Yes (lock permissions)
When Clawdbot runs via launchd (LaunchAgent), it needs the HOME environment variable configured. Without it, the daemon fails with:
Error: Missing HOME
Root Cause
The clawdbot daemon restart command (and daemon install) completely regenerates the LaunchAgent plist file:
~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.clawdbot.gateway.plist
The newly generated plist does not include the HOME variable, only:
PATH
Clawdbot-specific variables (CLAWDBOT_GATEWAY_PORT, CLAWDBOT_GATEWAY_TOKEN, etc.)
Behavior
User manually edits the plist and adds HOME=/Users/username
Works normally
At some point, runs clawdbot daemon restart
Clawdbot regenerates the plist without HOME
Daemon stops working β Error: Missing HOME
User needs to re-add HOME manually
Reproduction
1. Add HOME to plist manually
nano ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.clawdbot.gateway.plistAdd: <key>HOME</key><string>/Users/your-user</string>
2. Works...
clawdbot daemon status # running β3. But when you run restart:
clawdbot daemon restart4. HOME disappears and daemon fails:
clawdbot daemon status # Error: Missing HOMETemporary Workaround
Lock the plist file so Clawdbot cannot overwrite it:
chmod 444 ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.clawdbot.gateway.plist
Trade-off: The clawdbot daemon restart command will fail, but you can restart manually:
launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.clawdbot.gateway.plist
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.clawdbot.gateway.plist
Proposed Fix
Clawdbot should:
Preserve custom environment variables when regenerating the plist, OR
Use $HOME directly from launchd environment (which should already be available), OR
Document that HOME needs to be added manually
Impact
Severity: Medium (daemon stops working)
Frequency: Every time daemon restart is executed
Platform: macOS (launchd)
Workaround: Yes (lock permissions)
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