fix(config): improve missing channel plugin diagnostics

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 ### Fixes
 
 - Agents/OpenAI: default direct OpenAI Responses models to the SSE transport instead of WebSocket auto-selection, preventing pi runtime chat turns from hanging on servers where the WebSocket path stalls while the OpenAI HTTP stream works. Thanks @vincentkoc.
+- Doctor/config: report missing catalog-backed channel plugin entries as repairable installs, so upgrades with Discord or WhatsApp config point to `openclaw doctor --fix` instead of telling users to remove valid plugin config. Fixes #77483.
 - CLI/update: disable and skip plugins that fail package-update plugin sync, so a broken npm/ClawHub/git/marketplace plugin cannot turn a successful OpenClaw package update into a failed update result. Thanks @vincentkoc.
 - CLI/update: use an absolute POSIX npm script shell during package-manager updates, so restricted PATH environments can still run dependency lifecycle scripts while updating from `--tag main`. Fixes #77530. Thanks @PeterTremonti.
 - Diagnostics: grant the internal diagnostics event bus to official installed diagnostics exporter plugins, so npm-installed `@openclaw/diagnostics-prometheus` can emit metrics without broadening the capability to arbitrary global plugins. Fixes #76628. Thanks @RayWoo.

src/config/config.plugin-validation.test.ts

@@ -497,6 +497,45 @@ describe("config plugin validation", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it("points missing installable plugin entries at doctor repair", () => {
+    const res = validateConfigObjectWithPlugins(
+      {
+        agents: { list: [{ id: "pi" }] },
+        channels: {
+          discord: { token: "xxx" },
+          whatsapp: {},
+        },
+        plugins: {
+          entries: {
+            discord: { enabled: true },
+            whatsapp: { enabled: true },
+          },
+        },
+      },
+      {
+        env: suiteEnv(),
+        pluginMetadataSnapshot: {
+          manifestRegistry: {
+            plugins: [],
+            diagnostics: [],
+          },
+        },
+      },
+    );
+
+    expect(res.ok).toBe(true);
+    expect(res.warnings ?? []).toContainEqual({
+      path: "plugins.entries.discord",
+      message:
+        "plugin not installed: discord (Discord; run openclaw doctor --fix or openclaw plugins install @openclaw/discord; config preserved)",
+    });
+    expect(res.warnings ?? []).toContainEqual({
+      path: "plugins.entries.whatsapp",
+      message:
+        "plugin not installed: whatsapp (WhatsApp; run openclaw doctor --fix or openclaw plugins install @openclaw/whatsapp; config preserved)",
+    });
+  });
+
   it("uses persisted installed-plugin records as stale channel evidence", async () => {
     const installedPluginIndexPath = path.join(suiteHome, ".openclaw", "plugins", "installs.json");
     await mkdirSafe(path.dirname(installedPluginIndexPath));

src/config/validation.ts

@@ -12,6 +12,11 @@ import {
 import { loadInstalledPluginIndexInstallRecordsSync } from "../plugins/installed-plugin-index-record-reader.js";
 import { resolveManifestCommandAliasOwnerInRegistry } from "../plugins/manifest-command-aliases.js";
 import type { PluginManifestRegistry } from "../plugins/manifest-registry.js";
+import {
+  getOfficialExternalPluginCatalogEntry,
+  resolveOfficialExternalPluginInstall,
+  resolveOfficialExternalPluginLabel,
+} from "../plugins/official-external-plugin-catalog.js";
 import {
   loadPluginMetadataSnapshot,
   type PluginMetadataSnapshot,
@@ -1473,10 +1478,23 @@ function validateConfigObjectWithPluginsBase(
       blockedDiagnosticSourceMatchesPluginId(diagnostic, pluginId),
     );
   };
+  const formatInstallablePluginWarning = (pluginId: string): string | null => {
+    const catalogEntry = getOfficialExternalPluginCatalogEntry(pluginId);
+    if (!catalogEntry) {
+      return null;
+    }
+    const install = resolveOfficialExternalPluginInstall(catalogEntry);
+    const installSpec = install?.npmSpec ?? install?.clawhubSpec;
+    if (!installSpec) {
+      return null;
+    }
+    const label = resolveOfficialExternalPluginLabel(catalogEntry);
+    return `plugin not installed: ${pluginId} (${label}; run openclaw doctor --fix or openclaw plugins install ${installSpec}; config preserved)`;
+  };
   const pushMissingPluginIssue = (
     path: string,
     pluginId: string,
-    opts?: { warnOnly?: boolean },
+    opts?: { warnOnly?: boolean; doctorRepairable?: boolean },
   ) => {
     if (LEGACY_REMOVED_PLUGIN_IDS.has(pluginId)) {
       warnings.push({
@@ -1497,9 +1515,14 @@ function validateConfigObjectWithPluginsBase(
       return;
     }
     if (opts?.warnOnly) {
+      const installablePluginWarning = opts.doctorRepairable
+        ? formatInstallablePluginWarning(pluginId)
+        : null;
       warnings.push({
         path,
-        message: `plugin not found: ${pluginId} (stale config entry ignored; remove it from plugins config)`,
+        message:
+          installablePluginWarning ??
+          `plugin not found: ${pluginId} (stale config entry ignored; remove it from plugins config)`,
       });
       return;
     }
@@ -1516,7 +1539,10 @@ function validateConfigObjectWithPluginsBase(
     for (const pluginId of Object.keys(entries)) {
       if (!knownIds.has(pluginId)) {
         // Keep gateway startup resilient when plugins are removed/renamed across upgrades.
-        pushMissingPluginIssue(`plugins.entries.${pluginId}`, pluginId, { warnOnly: true });
+        pushMissingPluginIssue(`plugins.entries.${pluginId}`, pluginId, {
+          warnOnly: true,
+          doctorRepairable: true,
+        });
       }
     }
   }