fix(qa): isolate Crabline from package live lanes (#108472)

* fix(qa): isolate Crabline from package live lanes

* fix(qa): narrow optional smoke runtime

* ci(release): avoid unrelated Crabline install

extensions/qa-lab/package.json

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
   "description": "OpenClaw QA lab plugin with private debugger UI and scenario runner",
   "type": "module",
   "dependencies": {
+    "@openclaw/crabline": "0.1.11",
     "@openclaw/matrix": "workspace:*",
     "@copilotkit/aimock": "1.35.0",
     "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk": "1.29.0",
@@ -17,7 +18,6 @@
     "zod": "4.4.3"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
-    "@openclaw/crabline": "0.1.11",
     "@openclaw/discord": "workspace:*",
     "@openclaw/plugin-sdk": "workspace:*",
     "@openclaw/slack": "workspace:*",

extensions/qa-lab/src/suite-launch.runtime.test.ts

@@ -3,11 +3,17 @@ import os from "node:os";
 import path from "node:path";
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 
-const { runQaFlowSuite, runQaTestFileScenarios } = vi.hoisted(() => ({
+const { crablineRuntimeLoads, runQaFlowSuite, runQaTestFileScenarios } = vi.hoisted(() => ({
+  crablineRuntimeLoads: vi.fn(),
   runQaFlowSuite: vi.fn(),
   runQaTestFileScenarios: vi.fn(),
 }));
 
+vi.mock("@openclaw/crabline", async (importOriginal) => {
+  crablineRuntimeLoads();
+  return await importOriginal<typeof import("@openclaw/crabline")>();
+});
+
 vi.mock("./suite.js", async (importOriginal) => ({
   ...(await importOriginal<typeof import("./suite.js")>()),
   runQaFlowSuite,
@@ -108,6 +114,20 @@ describe("qa suite runtime launcher", () => {
     );
   });
 
+  it("keeps Crabline out of unrelated live transport startup", async () => {
+    expect(crablineRuntimeLoads).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+
+    await runQaSuite({
+      repoRoot: process.cwd(),
+      providerMode: "mock-openai",
+      channelDriver: "live",
+      channelId: "telegram",
+      scenarioIds: ["channel-chat-baseline"],
+    });
+
+    expect(crablineRuntimeLoads).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
   it("routes selected flow scenarios to the flow suite engine", async () => {
     const result = await runQaSuite({
       repoRoot: process.cwd(),

extensions/qa-lab/src/suite-launch.runtime.ts

@@ -1,10 +1,6 @@
 // Qa Lab plugin module implements suite launch behavior.
 import fs from "node:fs/promises";
 import path from "node:path";
-import {
-  OPENCLAW_CRABLINE_DEFAULT_CHANNEL,
-  resolveOpenClawCrablineChannelDriverSelection,
-} from "@openclaw/crabline";
 import { renderQaMarkdownReport, type QaReportScenario } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/qa-runtime";
 import { isRepoRootRelativeRef, toRepoRelativePath } from "./cli-paths.js";
 import {
@@ -132,10 +128,10 @@ function resolveRequestedScenarios(params: {
   });
 }
 
-function resolveQaFlowChannelGroups(
+async function resolveQaFlowChannelGroups(
   runParams: QaSuiteRunParams | undefined,
   scenarios: readonly QaSeedScenarioWithSource[],
-): QaFlowChannelGroup[] {
+): Promise<QaFlowChannelGroup[]> {
   if (runParams?.channelDriver !== "crabline") {
     return [
       {
@@ -145,6 +141,10 @@ function resolveQaFlowChannelGroups(
       },
     ];
   }
+  // Package-only live lanes mount the QA harness without its dev tree. Load
+  // Crabline only for Crabline-owned runs so unrelated transports stay isolated.
+  const { OPENCLAW_CRABLINE_DEFAULT_CHANNEL, resolveOpenClawCrablineChannelDriverSelection } =
+    await import("@openclaw/crabline");
   const channels = resolveQaSuiteScenarioChannels({
     defaultChannel: OPENCLAW_CRABLINE_DEFAULT_CHANNEL,
     explicitChannel: runParams.channelDriverSelection?.channel,
@@ -175,7 +175,9 @@ function resolveQaFlowChannelGroups(
   }));
 }
 
-function resolveSuiteExecutionPlan(params: QaSuiteRunParams | undefined): QaSuiteExecutionPlan {
+async function resolveSuiteExecutionPlan(
+  params: QaSuiteRunParams | undefined,
+): Promise<QaSuiteExecutionPlan> {
   const scenarioIds = params?.scenarioIds ?? [];
   if (scenarioIds.length === 0) {
     return { kind: "flow" };
@@ -195,8 +197,9 @@ function resolveSuiteExecutionPlan(params: QaSuiteRunParams | undefined): QaSuit
     testFileScenariosByKind.set(scenario.execution.kind, scenarios);
   }
   const requiresFlowPartitions =
-    resolveQaFlowChannelGroups(params, flowScenarios).filter((group) => group.scenarios.length > 0)
-      .length > 1 ||
+    (await resolveQaFlowChannelGroups(params, flowScenarios)).filter(
+      (group) => group.scenarios.length > 0,
+    ).length > 1 ||
     (flowScenarios.length > 1 && flowScenarios.some(scenarioRequiresIsolatedQaSuiteWorker));
   if (testFileScenariosByKind.size === 0 && !requiresFlowPartitions) {
     return { kind: "flow" };
@@ -536,9 +539,8 @@ async function runUnifiedQaSuite(params: {
   const testFilePartitionTasks: QaUnifiedPartitionTask[] = [];
   const scriptPartitionTasks: QaUnifiedPartitionTask[] = [];
   if (params.plan.flowScenarios.length > 0) {
-    const channelGroups = resolveQaFlowChannelGroups(
-      params.runParams,
-      params.plan.flowScenarios,
+    const channelGroups = (
+      await resolveQaFlowChannelGroups(params.runParams, params.plan.flowScenarios)
     ).filter((group) => group.scenarios.length > 0);
     const mixedChannelRun = channelGroups.length > 1;
     const runFlowSuite = await loadQaFlowSuiteRuntime();
@@ -778,7 +780,7 @@ async function runUnifiedQaSuite(params: {
 
 export async function runQaSuite(...args: [QaSuiteRunParams?]): Promise<QaSuiteRuntimeResult> {
   const runParams = args[0];
-  const plan = resolveSuiteExecutionPlan(runParams);
+  const plan = await resolveSuiteExecutionPlan(runParams);
   if (plan.kind === "unified") {
     const result = await runUnifiedQaSuite({
       runParams,

extensions/qa-lab/src/suite.ts

@@ -2,11 +2,7 @@
 import fs from "node:fs/promises";
 import path from "node:path";
 import { setTimeout as sleep } from "node:timers/promises";
-import {
-  createOpenClawCrablineChannelReportNotes,
-  runOpenClawCrablineChannelDriverSmoke,
-  type OpenClawCrablineChannelDriverSelection,
-} from "@openclaw/crabline";
+import type { OpenClawCrablineChannelDriverSelection } from "@openclaw/crabline";
 import { disposeRegisteredAgentHarnesses } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/agent-harness";
 import type { OpenClawConfig } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/config-contracts";
 import { formatErrorMessage } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/error-runtime";
@@ -100,8 +96,9 @@ import type { QaSuiteRuntimeEnv } from "./suite-runtime-types.js";
 import { countQaSuiteFailedScenarios, type QaSuiteSummaryJson } from "./suite-summary.js";
 import { closeQaWebSessions } from "./web-runtime.js";
 
+type QaCrablineRuntime = typeof import("@openclaw/crabline");
 type QaCrablineChannelDriverSmokeResult = Awaited<
-  ReturnType<typeof runOpenClawCrablineChannelDriverSmoke>
+  ReturnType<QaCrablineRuntime["runOpenClawCrablineChannelDriverSmoke"]>
 >;
 function resolveQaSuiteControlUiEnabled(params: {
   explicit?: boolean;
@@ -501,13 +498,14 @@ function createQaSuiteReportNotes(params: {
   fastMode: boolean;
   concurrency: number;
   isolatedWorkers?: boolean;
+  createCrablineChannelReportNotes?: QaCrablineRuntime["createOpenClawCrablineChannelReportNotes"];
 }) {
   return [
     ...params.transport.createReportNotes(params),
     // Crabline reports completed generation paths through this filename-narrowed selection.
-    ...createOpenClawCrablineChannelReportNotes(
+    ...(params.createCrablineChannelReportNotes?.(
       params.channelDriverSelection as OpenClawCrablineChannelDriverSelection | null | undefined,
-    ),
+    ) ?? []),
   ];
 }
 
@@ -990,20 +988,31 @@ async function writeQaSuiteArtifacts(params: {
   runtimePair?: [RuntimeId, RuntimeId];
   writeEvidenceFile?: boolean;
   runCrablineChannelDriverSmoke?: (
-    params: Parameters<typeof runOpenClawCrablineChannelDriverSmoke>[0],
+    params: Parameters<QaCrablineRuntime["runOpenClawCrablineChannelDriverSmoke"]>[0],
   ) => Promise<QaCrablineChannelDriverSmokeResult>;
 }) {
   const reportPath = path.join(params.outputDir, "qa-suite-report.md");
   const summaryPath = path.join(params.outputDir, "qa-suite-summary.json");
   const evidencePath = path.join(params.outputDir, QA_EVIDENCE_FILENAME);
   const crablineChannelDriverSelection = params.channelDriverSelection;
-  const crablineChannelDriverSmoke: QaCrablineChannelDriverSmokeResult | undefined =
-    crablineChannelDriverSelection
-      ? await (params.runCrablineChannelDriverSmoke ?? runOpenClawCrablineChannelDriverSmoke)({
-          outputDir: params.outputDir,
-          selection: crablineChannelDriverSelection,
-        })
-      : undefined;
+  // Non-Crabline package acceptance mounts this source without plugin-local
+  // dependencies. Keep the owner runtime outside every unrelated live path.
+  const crablineRuntime = crablineChannelDriverSelection
+    ? await import("@openclaw/crabline")
+    : undefined;
+  let crablineChannelDriverSmoke: QaCrablineChannelDriverSmokeResult | undefined;
+  if (crablineChannelDriverSelection) {
+    const runCrablineChannelDriverSmoke =
+      params.runCrablineChannelDriverSmoke ??
+      crablineRuntime?.runOpenClawCrablineChannelDriverSmoke;
+    if (!runCrablineChannelDriverSmoke) {
+      throw new Error("Crabline runtime did not provide its channel-driver smoke helper.");
+    }
+    crablineChannelDriverSmoke = await runCrablineChannelDriverSmoke({
+      outputDir: params.outputDir,
+      selection: crablineChannelDriverSelection,
+    });
+  }
   const crablineChannelDriverArtifactPaths = resolveQaCrablineChannelDriverArtifactPaths({
     result: crablineChannelDriverSmoke,
     selection: crablineChannelDriverSelection,
@@ -1029,6 +1038,7 @@ async function writeQaSuiteArtifacts(params: {
     notes: createQaSuiteReportNotes({
       ...params,
       channelDriverSelection: effectiveChannelDriverSelection,
+      createCrablineChannelReportNotes: crablineRuntime?.createOpenClawCrablineChannelReportNotes,
     }),
   });
   const evidence =

pnpm-lock.yaml

@@ -1458,6 +1458,9 @@ importers:
 
   extensions/qa-lab:
     dependencies:
+      '@openclaw/crabline':
+        specifier: 0.1.11
+        version: 0.1.11
       '@openclaw/matrix':
         specifier: workspace:*
         version: link:../matrix
@@ -1489,9 +1492,6 @@ importers:
         specifier: 4.4.3
         version: 4.4.3
     devDependencies:
-      '@openclaw/crabline':
-        specifier: 0.1.11
-        version: 0.1.11
       '@openclaw/discord':
         specifier: workspace:*
         version: link:../discord

scripts/e2e/npm-telegram-live-docker.sh

@@ -456,12 +456,6 @@ cp "$openclaw_package_dir/package.json" /app/package.json
 node scripts/e2e/lib/npm-telegram-live/prepare-package.mjs \
   /app/package.json \
   /app/node_modules/openclaw/package.json
-# QA Lab is mounted from source, so install its external runtime-only harness dependency
-# separately from the package candidate under test.
-crabline_version="$(
-  node -e 'process.stdout.write(require("./extensions/qa-lab/package.json").devDependencies["@openclaw/crabline"])'
-)"
-npm install -g "@openclaw/crabline@$crabline_version" --no-fund --no-audit
 for deps_dir in "$openclaw_package_dir/node_modules" /npm-global/lib/node_modules; do
   [ -d "$deps_dir" ] || continue
   for dependency_dir in "$deps_dir"/*; do

test/scripts/npm-telegram-live.test.ts

@@ -267,17 +267,6 @@ describe("package Telegram live Docker E2E", () => {
     expect(script).toContain("zod");
   });
 
-  it("installs the mounted QA harness Crabline runtime dependency", () => {
-    const script = readFileSync(DOCKER_SCRIPT_PATH, "utf8");
-
-    expect(script).toContain(
-      'require("./extensions/qa-lab/package.json").devDependencies["@openclaw/crabline"]',
-    );
-    expect(script).toContain(
-      'npm install -g "@openclaw/crabline@$crabline_version" --no-fund --no-audit',
-    );
-  });
-
   it("lets npm-specific credential aliases override shared QA env", () => {
     expect(
       testing.resolveCredentialSource({