fix(update): harden root selection

src/cli/run-main.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+
+import { rewriteUpdateFlagArgv } from "./run-main.js";
+
+describe("rewriteUpdateFlagArgv", () => {
+  it("leaves argv unchanged when --update is absent", () => {
+    const argv = ["node", "entry.js", "status"];
+    expect(rewriteUpdateFlagArgv(argv)).toBe(argv);
+  });
+
+  it("rewrites --update into the update command", () => {
+    expect(rewriteUpdateFlagArgv(["node", "entry.js", "--update"])).toEqual([
+      "node",
+      "entry.js",
+      "update",
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it("preserves global flags that appear before --update", () => {
+    expect(
+      rewriteUpdateFlagArgv(["node", "entry.js", "--profile", "p", "--update"]),
+    ).toEqual(["node", "entry.js", "--profile", "p", "update"]);
+  });
+
+  it("keeps update options after the rewritten command", () => {
+    expect(
+      rewriteUpdateFlagArgv(["node", "entry.js", "--update", "--json"]),
+    ).toEqual(["node", "entry.js", "update", "--json"]);
+  });
+});

src/cli/run-main.ts

@@ -8,7 +8,15 @@ import { ensureClawdbotCliOnPath } from "../infra/path-env.js";
 import { assertSupportedRuntime } from "../infra/runtime-guard.js";
 import { installUnhandledRejectionHandler } from "../infra/unhandled-rejections.js";
 import { enableConsoleCapture } from "../logging.js";
-import { updateCommand } from "./update-cli.js";
+
+export function rewriteUpdateFlagArgv(argv: string[]): string[] {
+  const index = argv.indexOf("--update");
+  if (index === -1) return argv;
+
+  const next = [...argv];
+  next.splice(index, 1, "update");
+  return next;
+}
 
 export async function runCli(argv: string[] = process.argv) {
   loadDotEnv({ quiet: true });
@@ -21,12 +29,6 @@ export async function runCli(argv: string[] = process.argv) {
   // Enforce the minimum supported runtime before doing any work.
   assertSupportedRuntime();
 
-  // Handle --update flag before full program parsing
-  if (argv.includes("--update")) {
-    await updateCommand({});
-    return;
-  }
-
   const { buildProgram } = await import("./program.js");
   const program = buildProgram();
 
@@ -42,7 +44,7 @@ export async function runCli(argv: string[] = process.argv) {
     process.exit(1);
   });
 
-  await program.parseAsync(argv);
+  await program.parseAsync(rewriteUpdateFlagArgv(argv));
 }
 
 export function isCliMainModule(): boolean {

src/cli/update-cli.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import type { Command } from "commander";
 
+import { resolveClawdbotPackageRoot } from "../infra/clawdbot-root.js";
 import {
   runGatewayUpdate,
   type UpdateRunResult,
@@ -103,8 +104,15 @@ export async function updateCommand(opts: UpdateCommandOptions): Promise<void> {
     defaultRuntime.log("");
   }
 
+  const root =
+    (await resolveClawdbotPackageRoot({
+      moduleUrl: import.meta.url,
+      argv1: process.argv[1],
+      cwd: process.cwd(),
+    })) ?? process.cwd();
+
   const result = await runGatewayUpdate({
-    cwd: process.cwd(),
+    cwd: root,
     argv1: process.argv[1],
     timeoutMs,
   });
@@ -124,6 +132,18 @@ export async function updateCommand(opts: UpdateCommandOptions): Promise<void> {
         ),
       );
     }
+    if (result.reason === "not-git-install") {
+      defaultRuntime.log(
+        theme.warn(
+          "Skipped: this Clawdbot install isn't a git checkout. Update via your package manager, then run `clawdbot doctor` and `clawdbot daemon restart`.",
+        ),
+      );
+      defaultRuntime.log(
+        theme.muted(
+          "Examples: `npm i -g clawdbot@latest` or `pnpm add -g clawdbot@latest`",
+        ),
+      );
+    }
     defaultRuntime.exit(0);
     return;
   }
@@ -141,9 +161,7 @@ export async function updateCommand(opts: UpdateCommandOptions): Promise<void> {
       }
     } catch (err) {
       if (!opts.json) {
-        defaultRuntime.log(
-          theme.warn(`Daemon restart failed: ${String(err)}`),
-        );
+        defaultRuntime.log(theme.warn(`Daemon restart failed: ${String(err)}`));
         defaultRuntime.log(
           theme.muted(
             "You may need to restart the daemon manually: clawdbot daemon restart",
@@ -179,14 +197,14 @@ export function registerUpdateCli(program: Command) {
       "after",
       `
 Examples:
-  clawdbot update                   # Update from git or package manager
+  clawdbot update                   # Update a source checkout (git)
   clawdbot update --restart         # Update and restart the daemon
   clawdbot update --json            # Output result as JSON
   clawdbot --update                 # Shorthand for clawdbot update
 
 Notes:
   - For git installs: fetches, rebases, installs deps, builds, and runs doctor
-  - For npm installs: runs package manager update command
+  - For npm installs: use npm/pnpm to reinstall (see docs/install/updating.md)
   - Skips update if the working directory has uncommitted changes
 `,
     )