1. Install dependencies exactly as pinned in package-lock.json.

Install

Electron main/preload TypeScript build

npm run compile:electron

Build the current-platform runtime manually

npm run openclaw:runtime:host

Force runtime rebuild

OPENCLAW_FORCE_BUILD=1 npm run electron:dev:openclaw

Build and activate the current-platform runtime

npm run dsh:runtime:host

Full gate: build, pack, install over HTTP, boot, assert provider/model over RPC

npm run dsh:e2e

<details>
<summary>Publish a runtime archive (per platform)</summary>

Each target must be built on a matching machine: native dependencies install for the host, so a cross-architecture build produces an archive that packs cleanly and only fails on users' machines. The build refuses to run on a mismatched host.

| Target | Build on |
| --- | --- |
| `mac-arm64` | Apple Silicon mac |
| `mac-x64` | Intel mac |
| `win-x64` | Windows 10 1803+ (ships `tar.exe`) |

Run these on that machine, substituting the target:

1. Build (applies the pinned patches, prunes to ~160 MB)

npm run dsh:runtime:mac-arm64

run npm install first: that installs everything twice and may rewrite the

lock file. postinstall applies patches/ and rebuilds native modules

2. Remove stale build output. dist-electron is compiled by tsc, which keeps

3. Build the installer. Output goes to release/.

npm run dist:mac # macOS, host architecture npm run dist:mac:x64 npm run dist:mac:arm64 npm run dist:mac:universal npm run dist:win # Windows x64 npm run dist:linux

`vendor/` does not need to be deleted between builds. The OpenClaw runtime under `vendor/openclaw-runtime/<target>` is cached by pinned version and patch hash and is rebuilt automatically when either changes. Set `OPENCLAW_FORCE_BUILD=1` to rebuild it after changing the build scripts themselves, and `OPENCLAW_FORCE_PLUGIN_INSTALL=1` to re-download the bundled plugins. Optional plugins (POPO, NIM) are skipped with a warning when their registry is unreachable, so check the build log before shipping.

The `dist:*` scripts also run these steps for you:

- `openclaw:runtime:<target>`: build, patch, bundle, and prune the OpenClaw runtime, shipped under `Resources/cfmind`.
- Windows only, `verify:installer-patches`: re-applies `patches/app-builder-lib+*.patch` to `node_modules` and runs the installer contract tests. It fails when `node_modules` still carries an older version of the patch, for example after `git pull` without reinstalling; run `npm ci` and retry. Never ship an installer from a tree where it fails.
- Windows only, `setup:python-runtime`: prepares a portable Python under `resources/python-win`, so end users do not need to install Python. cfmind, `SKILLs`, and python-win are shipped as a single `win-resources.tar` and extracted after install.

Windows channel and web-installer builds wrap the same `dist:win` chain:

Full installer for a distribution channel

npm run dist:win:channel -- --keyfrom <channel> [--silent]

Web installer: a small stub that downloads the package from your CDN

npm run dist:win:web -- --keyfrom <channel> [--silent] [--pkg-base-url <cdn-dir> | --pkg-url <package-url>] ```

Offline or private-source packaging can use:

• LOBSTERAI_PORTABLE_PYTHON_ARCHIVE
• LOBSTERAI_PORTABLE_PYTHON_URL
• LOBSTERAI_WINDOWS_EMBED_PYTHON_VERSION
• LOBSTERAI_WINDOWS_EMBED_PYTHON_URL
• LOBSTERAI_WINDOWS_GET_PIP_URL
• LOBSTERAI_PORTABLE_GIT_ARCHIVE
• LOBSTERAI_PORTABLE_GIT_URL

</details>

Multi-Agent Workflows

Create custom Agents with their own identity, model choice, skills, working directory, enabled state, and IM bindings. Keep the Main Agent for general work and use specialized Agents for repeatable roles.

npm ci removes node_modules itself, so do not delete it by hand and do not