OpenClaw 5.27 OpenAI OAuth tools missing after native hook changes: recovery checklist

Problem statement: after upgrading OpenClaw, OpenAI OAuth or Codex-backed model routes appear available, but tools stop working or a PreToolUse native hook blocks execution. Treat this as a provider-routing and native-hook recovery problem, not as a reason to delete working credentials.

Confirm what actually changed

1. Record the exact previous version, current version, provider route, model string, and auth mode.
2. Confirm whether the failure affects openai/*, openai-codex/*, codex/*, or only one configured profile.
3. Start a fresh session and test one harmless native tool before changing global config.
4. Check whether non-OpenAI providers still have working tools; that separates hook relay failure from general tool loss.
5. Save gateway/session logs that include the first PreToolUse or relay error.

Provider and auth checks

• Do not mix routes blindly: direct OpenAI API-key routes and Codex/OAuth routes can behave differently.
• Verify the active profile: make sure the agent is using the auth profile you think it is using.
• Check fallback providers: a stale fallback can make chat appear alive while tools run through a different path.
• Inspect config migration: version jumps can leave old provider names, stale auth stores, or invalid route assumptions.
• Preserve credentials: do not delete OAuth files until you have a snapshot and a known re-login path.

Native hook relay checks

The native hook relay is part of the path that lets OpenClaw mediate tool execution. If it is unavailable, the agent can still answer text while shell, file, browser, or plugin tools are blocked. Restarting the gateway may not fix an already-broken long-running session, so compare a fresh session with the existing one before assuming the whole install is dead.

If a fresh session works, close or archive the broken session and preserve the logs. If fresh sessions still fail, treat this as an installation-level runtime problem and move to rollback or pinning.

Safe rollback or pinning path

1. Snapshot ~/.openclaw, service files, env files, and any provider auth stores.
2. Export a minimal reproduction: one model route, one prompt, one harmless tool call, and the full error.
3. Pin the last known-good version if production agents need tools today.
4. After rollback, verify chat, tool calls, cron jobs, and channel delivery separately.
5. Only then reintroduce the upgraded version in a staging instance.

Managed-hosting path

Provider auth and native tool relay bugs are especially painful for small teams because they look like model problems, config problems, and runtime problems at the same time. Lobsterland is designed to reduce that operational load with managed OpenClaw hosting, tested provider setup paths, isolated workspaces, and dashboard-managed environments.

Start with the OpenAI setup guide, review CLI authentication support, and compare with the older OAuth route failure guide. If your fallback path is OpenRouter, check the OpenRouter empty replies guide too.

Sources

• r/openclaw: 5.27 update broke OpenAI OAuth model usage
• GitHub issue #73723: native hook relay unavailable after gateway restart
• OpenClaw OpenAI provider documentation

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