Agent Stuck in Perpetual Bootstrap Mode
System:
• Mac Mini M4 Pro, 64GB RAM, macOS 26.2
• OpenClaw 2026.2.17 (updated from 2026.2.13 - issue persists)
• 3 agents configured (Jarvis, Alexander, Natasha)
Issue:
Agent stuck in "bootstrapping" state indefinitely. openclaw status shows "1 bootstrapping" continuously. Agent never completes initialization and cannot respond to messages.
Symptoms:
• Telegram bot connects successfully (logs show "starting provider")
• Agent never finishes bootstrap
• Persists across multiple gateway restarts (8+ attempts)
• Persists even after updating to 2026.2.17
Troubleshooting attempted (2+ hours):
• Cleared all session files
• Deleted agent directory entirely & recreated
• Removed memory database (~/.openclaw/memory/alexander.sqlite)
• Removed Telegram offset file
• Tested with completely empty workspace - still stuck
• Nuclear test: Removed agent from config entirely - system STILL showed "1 bootstrapping" with only 2 agents configured
Key finding:
Even with the affected agent completely removed from openclaw.json (agents.list AND channels.telegram.accounts), status still showed "1 bootstrapping". This proves the issue is NOT agent-specific but in OpenClaw's core bootstrapping system.
Logs:
No errors visible. Telegram connection starts but bootstrap never completes:
[telegram] [alexander] starting provider (@AlexanderMorganBot)
Impact:
Agent completely unavailable. Cannot respond to any messages
• Mac Mini M4 Pro, 64GB RAM, macOS 26.2
• OpenClaw 2026.2.17 (updated from 2026.2.13 - issue persists)
• 3 agents configured (Jarvis, Alexander, Natasha)
Issue:
Agent stuck in "bootstrapping" state indefinitely. openclaw status shows "1 bootstrapping" continuously. Agent never completes initialization and cannot respond to messages.
Symptoms:
• Telegram bot connects successfully (logs show "starting provider")
• Agent never finishes bootstrap
• Persists across multiple gateway restarts (8+ attempts)
• Persists even after updating to 2026.2.17
Troubleshooting attempted (2+ hours):
• Cleared all session files
• Deleted agent directory entirely & recreated
• Removed memory database (~/.openclaw/memory/alexander.sqlite)
• Removed Telegram offset file
• Tested with completely empty workspace - still stuck
• Nuclear test: Removed agent from config entirely - system STILL showed "1 bootstrapping" with only 2 agents configured
Key finding:
Even with the affected agent completely removed from openclaw.json (agents.list AND channels.telegram.accounts), status still showed "1 bootstrapping". This proves the issue is NOT agent-specific but in OpenClaw's core bootstrapping system.
Logs:
No errors visible. Telegram connection starts but bootstrap never completes:
[telegram] [alexander] starting provider (@AlexanderMorganBot)
Impact:
Agent completely unavailable. Cannot respond to any messages
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