Subagents fail instantly Expecting environment variables that don't exist
Subagents fail instantly Expecting environment variables that don't exist
error: TypeError: cred.key?.trim is not a function
Location in logs:
* Log file: /var/folders/8j/63rkz4dx0431v4y21k01ql180000gp/T/openclaw-502/openclaw-2026-03-01.log
THE EXACT PROBLEM
1. Subagents use {"$secret": "ENV_VAR_NAME"} format to reference environment variables
2. Environment variables don't exist:
* TVASHTHA_ANTHROPIC_KEY
* ANIL_XAI_KEY
* KALIDAS_ANTHROPIC_KEY
3. Main agent uses direct API keys in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
4. When credential resolution runs: cred.key becomes undefined
5. undefined?.trim() throws TypeError
CONFIGURATION MISMATCH
* Main agent: Uses direct API keys in openclaw.json
* Subagents: Expect environment variables that don't exist
FOR OPENCLAW SUPPORT:
System Info:
* OpenClaw Version: 2026.2.26
* OS: macOS (Darwin 25.3.0 arm64)
* Node: v25.6.1
Reproduction Steps:
1. Configure main agent with direct API keys in openclaw.json
2. Subagents auto-created with $secret references
3. No environment variables set
4. Any subagent spawn fails immediately with credential error
Expected vs Actual:
* Expected: Subagents inherit credentials from main configuration
* Actual: Subagents try to resolve non-existent environment variables
This appears to be a credential inheritance issue where subagents aren't properly inheriting the main agent's credential configuration method.
PROBLEMATIC CONFIGURATION FILES
The issue is in the subagent-specific auth files:
1. ~/.openclaw/agents/tvashtha/agent/auth-profiles.json
2. ~/.openclaw/agents/anil/agent/auth-profiles.json
3. ~/.openclaw/agents/kalidas/agent/auth-profiles.json
4. ~/.openclaw/agents/aryaman/agent/auth-profiles.json
All contain credential references like:
{
"anthropic:default": {
"type": "api_key",
"provider": "anthropic",
"key": {
"$secret": "TVASHTHA_ANTHROPIC_KEY"
}
}
}
error: TypeError: cred.key?.trim is not a function
Location in logs:
* Log file: /var/folders/8j/63rkz4dx0431v4y21k01ql180000gp/T/openclaw-502/openclaw-2026-03-01.log
THE EXACT PROBLEM1. Subagents use {"$secret": "ENV_VAR_NAME"} format to reference environment variables
2. Environment variables don't exist:
* TVASHTHA_ANTHROPIC_KEY
* ANIL_XAI_KEY
* KALIDAS_ANTHROPIC_KEY
3. Main agent uses direct API keys in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
4. When credential resolution runs: cred.key becomes undefined
5. undefined?.trim() throws TypeError
CONFIGURATION MISMATCH* Main agent: Uses direct API keys in openclaw.json
* Subagents: Expect environment variables that don't exist
FOR OPENCLAW SUPPORT:System Info:
* OpenClaw Version: 2026.2.26
* OS: macOS (Darwin 25.3.0 arm64)
* Node: v25.6.1
Reproduction Steps:
1. Configure main agent with direct API keys in openclaw.json
2. Subagents auto-created with $secret references
3. No environment variables set
4. Any subagent spawn fails immediately with credential error
Expected vs Actual:
* Expected: Subagents inherit credentials from main configuration
* Actual: Subagents try to resolve non-existent environment variables
This appears to be a credential inheritance issue where subagents aren't properly inheriting the main agent's credential configuration method.
PROBLEMATIC CONFIGURATION FILES
The issue is in the subagent-specific auth files:
1. ~/.openclaw/agents/tvashtha/agent/auth-profiles.json
2. ~/.openclaw/agents/anil/agent/auth-profiles.json
3. ~/.openclaw/agents/kalidas/agent/auth-profiles.json
4. ~/.openclaw/agents/aryaman/agent/auth-profiles.json
All contain credential references like:
{
"anthropic:default": {
"type": "api_key",
"provider": "anthropic",
"key": {
"$secret": "TVASHTHA_ANTHROPIC_KEY"
}
}
}
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