fix(browser): keep dispatcher context with no-retry hints

Landed from #39090 by @NewdlDewdl.

Co-authored-by: NewdlDewdl <rohin.agrawal@gmail.com>

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -273,6 +273,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 - Daemon/Windows schtasks runtime detection: use locale-invariant `Last Run Result` running codes (`0x41301`/`267009`) as the primary running signal so `openclaw node status` no longer misreports active tasks as stopped on non-English Windows locales. (#39076) Thanks @ademczuk.
 - Usage/token count formatting: round near-million token counts to millions (`1.0m`) instead of `1000k`, with explicit boundary coverage for `999_499` and `999_500`. (#39129) Thanks @CurryMessi.
 - Gateway/session bootstrap cache invalidation ordering: clear bootstrap snapshots only after active embedded-run shutdown wait completes, preventing dying runs from repopulating stale cache between `/new`/`sessions.reset` turns. (#38873) Thanks @MumuTW.
+- Browser/dispatcher error clarity: preserve dispatcher-side failure context in browser fetch errors while still appending operator guidance and explicit no-retry model hints, preventing misleading `"Can't reach service"` wrapping and avoiding LLM retry loops. (#39090) Thanks @NewdlDewdl.
 
 ## 2026.3.2
 

src/browser/client-fetch.loopback-auth.test.ts

@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ const mocks = vi.hoisted(() => ({
       },
     },
   })),
+  startBrowserControlServiceFromConfig: vi.fn(async () => ({ ok: true })),
+  dispatch: vi.fn(async () => ({ status: 200, body: { ok: true } })),
 }));
 
 vi.mock("../config/config.js", async (importOriginal) => {
@@ -20,12 +22,12 @@ vi.mock("../config/config.js", async (importOriginal) => {
 
 vi.mock("./control-service.js", () => ({
   createBrowserControlContext: vi.fn(() => ({})),
-  startBrowserControlServiceFromConfig: vi.fn(async () => ({ ok: true })),
+  startBrowserControlServiceFromConfig: mocks.startBrowserControlServiceFromConfig,
 }));
 
 vi.mock("./routes/dispatcher.js", () => ({
   createBrowserRouteDispatcher: vi.fn(() => ({
-    dispatch: vi.fn(async () => ({ status: 200, body: { ok: true } })),
+    dispatch: mocks.dispatch,
   })),
 }));
 
@@ -54,6 +56,8 @@ describe("fetchBrowserJson loopback auth", () => {
         },
       },
     });
+    mocks.startBrowserControlServiceFromConfig.mockReset().mockResolvedValue({ ok: true });
+    mocks.dispatch.mockReset().mockResolvedValue({ status: 200, body: { ok: true } });
   });
 
   afterEach(() => {
@@ -114,4 +118,32 @@ describe("fetchBrowserJson loopback auth", () => {
     const headers = new Headers(init?.headers);
     expect(headers.get("authorization")).toBe("Bearer loopback-token");
   });
+
+  it("preserves dispatcher error context while keeping no-retry hint", async () => {
+    mocks.dispatch.mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error("Chrome CDP handshake timeout"));
+
+    const thrown = await fetchBrowserJson<{ ok: boolean }>("/tabs").catch((err) => err as Error);
+
+    expect(thrown).toBeInstanceOf(Error);
+    expect(thrown.message).toContain("Chrome CDP handshake timeout");
+    expect(thrown.message).toContain("Do NOT retry the browser tool");
+    expect(thrown.message).not.toContain("Can't reach the OpenClaw browser control service");
+  });
+
+  it("keeps absolute URL failures wrapped as reachability errors", async () => {
+    vi.stubGlobal(
+      "fetch",
+      vi.fn(async () => {
+        throw new Error("socket hang up");
+      }),
+    );
+
+    const thrown = await fetchBrowserJson<{ ok: boolean }>("http://example.com/").catch(
+      (err) => err as Error,
+    );
+
+    expect(thrown).toBeInstanceOf(Error);
+    expect(thrown.message).toContain("Can't reach the OpenClaw browser control service");
+    expect(thrown.message).toContain("Do NOT retry the browser tool");
+  });
 });

src/browser/client-fetch.ts

@@ -98,17 +98,40 @@ function withLoopbackBrowserAuth(
   });
 }
 
-function enhanceBrowserFetchError(url: string, err: unknown, timeoutMs: number): Error {
+const BROWSER_TOOL_MODEL_HINT =
+  "Do NOT retry the browser tool — it will keep failing. " +
+  "Use an alternative approach or inform the user that the browser is currently unavailable.";
+
+function resolveBrowserFetchOperatorHint(url: string): string {
   const isLocal = !isAbsoluteHttp(url);
-  // Human-facing hint for logs/diagnostics.
+  return isLocal
-  const operatorHint = isLocal
     ? `Restart the OpenClaw gateway (OpenClaw.app menubar, or \`${formatCliCommand("openclaw gateway")}\`).`
     : "If this is a sandboxed session, ensure the sandbox browser is running.";
-  // Model-facing suffix: explicitly tell the LLM NOT to retry.
+}
-  // Without this, models see "try again" and enter an infinite tool-call loop.
+
-  const modelHint =
+function normalizeErrorMessage(err: unknown): string {
-    "Do NOT retry the browser tool — it will keep failing. " +
+  if (err instanceof Error && err.message.trim().length > 0) {
-    "Use an alternative approach or inform the user that the browser is currently unavailable.";
+    return err.message.trim();
+  }
+  return String(err);
+}
+
+function appendBrowserToolModelHint(message: string): string {
+  if (message.includes(BROWSER_TOOL_MODEL_HINT)) {
+    return message;
+  }
+  return `${message} ${BROWSER_TOOL_MODEL_HINT}`;
+}
+
+function enhanceDispatcherPathError(url: string, err: unknown): Error {
+  const msg = normalizeErrorMessage(err);
+  const suffix = `${resolveBrowserFetchOperatorHint(url)} ${BROWSER_TOOL_MODEL_HINT}`;
+  const normalized = msg.endsWith(".") ? msg : `${msg}.`;
+  return new Error(`${normalized} ${suffix}`, err instanceof Error ? { cause: err } : undefined);
+}
+
+function enhanceBrowserFetchError(url: string, err: unknown, timeoutMs: number): Error {
+  const operatorHint = resolveBrowserFetchOperatorHint(url);
   const msg = String(err);
   const msgLower = msg.toLowerCase();
   const looksLikeTimeout =
@@ -119,11 +142,15 @@ function enhanceBrowserFetchError(url: string, err: unknown, timeoutMs: number):
     msgLower.includes("aborterror");
   if (looksLikeTimeout) {
     return new Error(
-      `Can't reach the OpenClaw browser control service (timed out after ${timeoutMs}ms). ${operatorHint} ${modelHint}`,
+      appendBrowserToolModelHint(
+        `Can't reach the OpenClaw browser control service (timed out after ${timeoutMs}ms). ${operatorHint}`,
+      ),
     );
   }
   return new Error(
-    `Can't reach the OpenClaw browser control service. ${operatorHint} ${modelHint} (${msg})`,
+    appendBrowserToolModelHint(
+      `Can't reach the OpenClaw browser control service. ${operatorHint} (${msg})`,
+    ),
   );
 }
 
@@ -165,11 +192,13 @@ export async function fetchBrowserJson<T>(
   init?: RequestInit & { timeoutMs?: number },
 ): Promise<T> {
   const timeoutMs = init?.timeoutMs ?? 5000;
+  let isDispatcherPath = false;
   try {
     if (isAbsoluteHttp(url)) {
       const httpInit = withLoopbackBrowserAuth(url, init);
       return await fetchHttpJson<T>(url, { ...httpInit, timeoutMs });
     }
+    isDispatcherPath = true;
     const started = await startBrowserControlServiceFromConfig();
     if (!started) {
       throw new Error("browser control disabled");
@@ -251,6 +280,11 @@ export async function fetchBrowserJson<T>(
     if (err instanceof BrowserServiceError) {
       throw err;
     }
+    // Dispatcher-path failures are service-operation failures, not network
+    // reachability failures. Keep the original context, but retain anti-retry hints.
+    if (isDispatcherPath) {
+      throw enhanceDispatcherPathError(url, err);
+    }
     throw enhanceBrowserFetchError(url, err, timeoutMs);
   }
 }