Common Issues

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Git Repository Requirement

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Error: Not a git repository

[Evolver] FATAL: Not a git repository (/path/to/workspace/skills/evolver).
[Evolver] Evolver requires git for rollback, blast radius calculation, and solidify.

• Rollback on failure (git reset --hard or git stash)
• Blast radius calculation (git diff --numstat)
• Change tracking (git ls-files)
• Diff capture for event log

cd /path/to/workspace
git init
git add -A
git commit -m "Initial commit for Evolver"

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Validation Failures

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Issue: Validation command blocked

BLOCKED: validation command rejected by safety check (allowed prefixes: node/npm/npx; shell operators prohibited)

# Before (blocked)
"validation": ["bash scripts/check.sh && npm test"]

# After (allowed)
"validation": [
  "node scripts/check.js",
  "npm test"
]

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Issue: Validation timeout

validation_failed: npm test => Command timed out after 180000ms

1. Optimize tests: Remove slow integration tests from validation
2. Increase timeout (requires code change):
   // src/gep/solidify.js:585
   const timeoutMs = 300000;  // 5 minutes
   
3. Split validation: Run fast tests only
   {
     "validation": [
       "npm run test:unit",  // Fast
       "npm run lint"        // Fast
     ]
   }
   

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Issue: Tests pass locally, fail in validation

validation_failed: npm test => Test suite failed

• Different working directory
• Missing environment variables
• Race conditions in async tests

1. Check working directory: Validation runs from repository root
   pwd  # Should match repoRoot
   
2. Add environment variables: Set in .env
   NODE_ENV=test
   TEST_TIMEOUT=5000
   
3. Fix race conditions: Increase timeouts in tests
   // test.js
   jest.setTimeout(10000);  // 10 seconds
   

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Repair Loops

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Issue: Stuck in repair loop

[CircuitBreaker] Detected 3 consecutive failed repairs (gene: gene_repair_001). Forcing innovation intent to break the loop.

# Check last N events for repair failures
tail -10 assets/gep/events.jsonl | jq 'select(.intent == "repair" and .outcome.status == "failed")'

# Identify problematic gene
grep '"status":"failed"' assets/gep/events.jsonl | jq -r .genes_used[] | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn

1. Wait for circuit breaker: Evolver will auto-switch to innovation after threshold
2. Force innovation manually:
   EVOLVE_STRATEGY=innovate node index.js
   
3. Fix the problematic gene:
   • Inspect gene strategy: jq -r '.[] | select(.id == "gene_repair_001")' assets/gep/genes.json
   • Update validation commands
   • Increase max_files if blast radius is the issue
4. Ban the gene (temporary):
   # Edit memory graph to inject negative outcome
   echo '{"type":"Outcome","gene_id":"gene_repair_001","status":"failed","score":0.0}' >> memory/evolution/memory_graph.jsonl
   

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Memory/Load Issues

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Issue: Evolver backs off due to high load

[Evolver] System load 2.50 exceeds max 2.0. Backing off 60000ms.

1. Check current load:
   uptime
   
2. Increase threshold:
   EVOLVE_LOAD_MAX=4.0 node index.js --loop
   
3. Reduce concurrent processes:
   pm2 stop other-processes
   

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Issue: Too many active sessions

[Evolver] Agent has 15 active user sessions (max 10). Backing off 60000ms to avoid starving user conversations.

1. Increase queue limit:
   EVOLVE_AGENT_QUEUE_MAX=20 node index.js --loop
   
2. Archive old sessions:
   node -e 'require("./src/evolve").performMaintenance()'
   
3. Wait for sessions to complete: Evolver will resume automatically

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Issue: Memory graph file too large

memory/evolution/memory_graph.jsonl: 500MB

1. Rotate memory graph:
   cd memory/evolution
   mv memory_graph.jsonl memory_graph_archive_$(date +%Y%m%d).jsonl
   touch memory_graph.jsonl
   
2. Compress archives:
   gzip memory_graph_archive_*.jsonl
   
3. Clean up old events (>90 days):
   node -e '
   const fs = require("fs");
   const cutoff = Date.now() - 90 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
   const lines = fs.readFileSync("memory/evolution/memory_graph.jsonl", "utf8").split("\n");
   const kept = lines.filter(l => {
     if (!l.trim()) return false;
     const obj = JSON.parse(l);
     return new Date(obj.created_at || obj.at).getTime() > cutoff;
   });
   fs.writeFileSync("memory/evolution/memory_graph.jsonl", kept.join("\n") + "\n");
   '
   

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Session Cleanup

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Issue: Too many evolver hand sessions

ls ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/ | grep evolver_hand | wc -l
# 500 files

# Manual cleanup
rm ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/evolver_hand_*.jsonl

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Issue: Session scope not filtering

[SessionScope] No sessions match scope "channel_123456". Using all sessions (fallback).

1. Check session filenames:
   ls ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/
   
2. Rename sessions to include scope:
   mv session_001.jsonl channel_123456_session_001.jsonl
   
3. Adjust scope identifier to match existing filenames:
   EVOLVER_SESSION_SCOPE=session  # Match "session_*" files
   

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Version Checking Guidance

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Issue: Unexpected errors or behavior

node -e "const p=require('./package.json'); console.log(p.version)"

# If installed via git
git pull && npm install

# If installed via npm (global install)
npm install -g evolver@latest

curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/autogame-17/evolver/releases/latest | jq -r .tag_name

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Blast Radius Issues

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Issue: max_files exceeded

constraint: max_files exceeded: 25 > 12

1. Check blast breakdown:
   tail -1 assets/gep/events.jsonl | jq '.meta.blast_breakdown'
   
2. Increase gene’s max_files:
   {
     "constraints": {
       "max_files": 25
     }
   }
   
3. Or reduce scope: Split evolution into smaller steps

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Issue: Hard cap breach

HARD CAP BREACH: 65 files / 25000 lines exceeds system limit (60 files / 20000 lines)

1. Increase hard caps (use with caution):
   EVOLVER_HARD_CAP_FILES=100
   EVOLVER_HARD_CAP_LINES=50000
   
2. Investigate cause: Check blast breakdown for directories with unexpected changes
   tail -1 assets/gep/events.jsonl | jq '.meta.blast_breakdown'
   
3. Prevent bulk operations: Add constraints to genes to prevent accidental mass edits

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Issue: Estimate drift

Estimate drift: actual 25 files is 5.0x the estimated 5. Agent did not plan accurately.

1. Improve agent planning: Add explicit blast radius estimation step to gene strategy
   {
     "strategy": [
       "Estimate blast radius (files, lines) before editing and record it",
       "Apply changes"
     ]
   }
   
2. Review gene strategy: Ensure instructions are specific and scoped
3. Use stricter constraints: Lower max_files to force smaller evolutions

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Self-Modification Issues

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Issue: Critical path modified

constraint: critical_path_modified: skills/evolver/src/evolve.js

1. Intended self-modification: Enable opt-in
   EVOLVE_ALLOW_SELF_MODIFY=true node index.js
   
2. Unintended modification: Update gene’s forbidden_paths
   {
     "constraints": {
       "forbidden_paths": ["skills/evolver/"]
     }
   }
   
3. Review gene strategy: Ensure it doesn’t target evolver files

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Hub/Network Issues

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Issue: Hub search timeout

[SearchFirst] Hub search failed (non-fatal): timeout

EVOLVER_REUSE_MODE=never node index.js

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Issue: Worker task claim failed

[WorkerPool] Task selection failed (non-fatal): HTTP 409 Conflict

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Issue: Auto-publish failed

[Solidify] Auto-publish failed (non-fatal): 401 Unauthorized

1. Check token:
   echo $A2A_HUB_TOKEN
   
2. Regenerate token at https://evomap.ai/settings
3. Set token:
   export A2A_HUB_TOKEN=your_token_here
   
4. Or disable auto-publish:
   EVOLVER_AUTO_PUBLISH=false node index.js
   

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Rollback Issues

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Issue: Rollback deleted critical files

# Check if file is in Git history
git log --all -- skills/evolver/src/evolve.js

# Restore from Git
git checkout HEAD -- skills/evolver/src/evolve.js

# Or restore from backup
cp backup/evolver/src/evolve.js skills/evolver/src/evolve.js

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Issue: Rollback stash failed

[Rollback] Stash failed or no changes, using hard reset

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Canary Issues

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Issue: Canary check failed

constraint: canary_failed: index.js cannot load in child process

1. Check canary output:
   tail -1 assets/gep/events.jsonl | jq '.meta.canary_ok, .meta.canary_skipped'
   
2. Run canary manually:
   node src/canary.js
   
3. Review changes: Canary failure indicates syntax error or missing dependency
   git diff HEAD~1
   

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Performance Issues

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Issue: Evolution cycles are slow

1. Check cycle breakdown:
   tail -1 assets/gep/events.jsonl | jq '.meta.scan_ms'
   
2. Profile components:
   • Signal extraction: Reading too many session logs?
   • Memory graph queries: File too large?
   • Validation: Tests too slow?

1. Session log cleanup: Archive old sessions
2. Memory graph rotation: Rotate large files
3. Faster validation: Use unit tests only
4. Session scope: Reduce signals with scoping

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Related

• Debugging
• Environment Variables
• Validation Safety
• Protected Files
• FAQ