chore: finish slimclaw runtime convergence

[PerishCode]

What

Converges repo-local OpenClaw runtime ownership behind packages/slimclaw, migrates the local dev CLI into tools/dev, and removes the controller-side fallback that was duplicating slimclaw runtime assets into the Windows desktop package.

Why

This branch finishes the runtime-boundary cleanup needed to keep desktop/dev flows controller-first while shrinking packaging risk and clarifying runtime ownership. It also fixes the Windows installer bloat caused by the controller sidecar carrying a full slimclaw runtime payload instead of relying on desktop/dev launcher injection.

How

• moves the repo-local runtime contract, staging, and patch ownership into packages/slimclaw
• migrates the pnpm dev implementation from scripts/dev to tools/dev and hardens service readiness/progress reporting
• routes controller runtime resolution through launcher-injected OPENCLAW_* env instead of a direct slimclaw runtime dependency, which removes duplicated sidecar payloads in Windows packaging
• updates desktop packaging / CI / workflow paths to follow the slimclaw-owned runtime layout

Affected areas

• Desktop app (Electron shell)
• Controller (backend / API)
• Web dashboard (React UI)
• OpenClaw runtime
• Skills
• Shared schemas / packages
• Build / CI / Tooling

Checklist

• pnpm typecheck passes
• pnpm lint passes
• pnpm test passes
• pnpm generate-types run (if API routes/schemas changed)
• No credentials or tokens in code or logs
• No any types introduced (use unknown with narrowing)

Notes for reviewers

• The Windows packaging regression that originally produced an ~885 MB installer has been reduced to ~338 MB after removing the controller runtime dependency on @nexu/slimclaw.
• Manual Windows install / launch / uninstall regression was run successfully on the rebuilt installer, and follow-up log review did not surface unexpected fatal errors.

[sentry]

Codecov Report

❌ Patch coverage is 15.05168% with 2630 lines in your changes missing coverage. Please review.

Files with missing lines	Patch %	Lines
packages/slimclaw/src/runtime-stage.ts	24.97%	643 Missing ⚠️
tools/dev/src/index.ts	0.00%	403 Missing ⚠️
tools/dev/src/services/desktop.ts	0.00%	234 Missing ⚠️
packages/slimclaw/install-runtime.mjs	0.00%	156 Missing ⚠️
tools/dev/src/services/openclaw.ts	0.00%	135 Missing ⚠️
tools/dev/src/services/controller.ts	0.00%	131 Missing ⚠️
...troller/src/runtime/slimclaw-runtime-resolution.ts	4.34%	88 Missing ⚠️
apps/controller/src/app/bootstrap.ts	0.00%	85 Missing ⚠️
...pps/controller/src/runtime/control-plane-health.ts	0.00%	82 Missing ⚠️
packages/slimclaw/src/runtime-paths.ts	60.00%	78 Missing ⚠️
... and 41 more

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View logs

[lefarcen]

Reviewed the runtime-resolution layer against the actual sources. Three things worth a second look before merging:

1. resolveExplicitEnvRuntime env check and error message disagree

apps/controller/src/runtime/slimclaw-runtime-resolution.ts:54,90-92

The explicit-env branch is keyed only on OPENCLAW_EXTENSIONS_DIR, but the error thrown when neither branch matches says requires OPENCLAW_BIN and OPENCLAW_EXTENSIONS_DIR from the launcher. If a launcher injects OPENCLAW_BIN but forgets OPENCLAW_EXTENSIONS_DIR, the operator reads the message and goes hunting for a missing OPENCLAW_BIN that is actually present.

Either assert env.openclawBin is non-default inside resolveExplicitEnvRuntime, or make the error name the variable that is actually missing.

2. resolveOpenClawEntryFromBin has no existence check

apps/controller/src/runtime/slimclaw-runtime-resolution.ts:31-49,59-61

entryPath is derived purely from path arithmetic (<bin>/../node_modules/openclaw/openclaw.mjs), with a packageDir/openclaw.mjs fallback. If a launcher ever injects an OPENCLAW_BIN that does not match that layout and the fallback also doesn't exist, the failure surfaces only when OPENCLAW_ELECTRON_EXECUTABLE is set and spawn runs with a bogus entry path — far from the misconfiguration.

Consider fs.existsSync(entryPath) before returning, and throw with the attempted path if missing.

3. OPENCLAW_BIN default "openclaw" conflicts with the packaged-app PATH rule

apps/controller/src/app/env.ts:96

OPENCLAW_BIN defaults to the literal string "openclaw", which relies on the user's PATH. AGENTS.md is explicit: packaged desktop must never depend on the user's PATH. In the external-bin-only branch (manageOpenclawProcess=false + launcher forgets OPENCLAW_BIN), the controller silently falls back to spawning "openclaw" against PATH in a context where PATH is not defined for packaged Electron children. The explicit-env branch indirectly hides this today because it gates on OPENCLAW_EXTENSIONS_DIR, but the default is still a live foot-gun.

Either drop the default and require explicit injection, or add a guard in resolveControllerOpenClawRuntime that refuses the literal unresolved "openclaw" in packaged mode.

---

Orthogonal nit: the PR checklist still has pnpm typecheck / lint / test unchecked. Given the scope (5007+/4052-, cross-package symbol renames), pasting a green CI run into the PR body before merge would be reassuring.

Everything else I checked — OpenClaw 2026.3.7 version alignment, CI cache key (packages/slimclaw/runtime-seed/package-lock.json exists), scripts/dev-launchd.sh references, doc sync in AGENTS/README/CLAUDE, consumer call sites of resolveControllerOpenClawRuntime — all looked clean.