GHSA-9f72-qcpw-2hxc OpenClaw: Native prompt image auto-load did not honor tools.fs.workspaceOnly in sandboxed runs
Attackers can read files outside the workspace in sandboxed runs if workspaceOnly is enabled, bypassing path restrictions for image loading.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Not stated
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is GHSA-9f72-qcpw-2hxc?
GHSA-9f72-qcpw-2hxc is a path traversal vulnerability in openclaw, published on 3 Mar 2026.
Official description
Summary
In sandboxed runs, native prompt image auto-load did not honor tools.fs.workspaceOnly=true.
This optional hardening setting is not enabled by default. When operators enabled it, prompt text could still reference mounted out-of-workspace image paths (for example /agent/secret.png) and load those image bytes for vision-capable model input.
Affected Packages / Versions
- Package:
openclaw(npm) - Latest published npm version at triage time:
2026.2.23 - Vulnerable version range:
<= 2026.2.23 - Patched version (planned next release):
2026.2.24
Conditions Required
This issue required all of the following:
- sandbox mode enabled,
tools.fs.workspaceOnly=trueconfigured,- an out-of-workspace mount path reachable from the sandbox (for example
/agent), - vision-capable model path active for native prompt image loading.
Technical Details
Native prompt image ingestion (detectAndLoadPromptImages / loadImageFromRef) resolved and read sandbox paths but did not apply the same workspace-root assertion used by file tools when tools.fs.workspaceOnly was set.
Fix Commit(s)
370d115549c0dadace0902775eea0d5094aedfdc
Verification
pnpm checkpnpm exec vitest run --config vitest.gateway.config.tspnpm test:fast
Release Process Note
patched_versions is pre-set to the planned next release (2026.2.24) so once npm release is available, this advisory only needs publish action.
OpenClaw thanks @tdjackey for reporting.
Publication Update (2026-02-25)
[email protected] is published on npm and contains the fix commit(s) listed above. This advisory now marks >= 2026.2.24 as patched.
Which versions are affected by GHSA-9f72-qcpw-2hxc?
2 open source packages ship an affected version, including openclaw.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
openclaw npm | All versions | 2026.2.24 |
openclaw npm | All versions | 2026.2.24 |
How do I fix GHSA-9f72-qcpw-2hxc?
Upgrade openclaw to 2026.2.24 or later.
Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.
Is GHSA-9f72-qcpw-2hxc being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of GHSA-9f72-qcpw-2hxc in the wild and no public exploit code.