---

summary: "Release performance, install footprint, dependency count, and shrinkwrap audit for the April to May 2026 cleanup sweep"

summary: "Visual summary and technical evidence for the May 2026 performance, package-size, dependency, and shrinkwrap cleanup"

read_when:

- You are validating the May 2026 performance and package-size cleanup

- You need the numbers behind the OpenClaw performance and dependency blog post

- You are changing release gates, package shrinkwrap, or plugin dependency boundaries

title: "Release performance sweep"

---

This page captures the technical evidence behind the May 2026 OpenClaw

performance and dependency cleanup.

This page captures the evidence behind the May 2026 OpenClaw performance,

package-size, dependency, and shrinkwrap cleanup. It is the technical companion

to the public blog post.

Two audits are combined here:

<Warning>

The main performance sweep uses one smoke sample per tag. Earlier April context

uses published repeat-3 medians from `clawgrit-reports`. Use both as trend

evidence and regression-hunting signal, not as statistically significant

release-gate data.

uses published repeat-3 medians from `clawgrit-reports`. Treat the numbers as

trend evidence and regression-hunting signal, not as release-gate statistics.

</Warning>

## Quick read

## Snapshot

Performance sweep:

Performance coverage: **76 requested releases**, **73 artifact-backed points**,

and **3 unavailable CI runs**. Latest stable measured point: `v2026.5.27`.

- Requested releases: **76**

- Artifact-backed points: **73**

- CI unavailable: **3**

- Best cold agent turn: `v2026.5.27-beta.1` at **2,575ms**

- Best warm agent turn: `v2026.5.27-beta.1` at **2,217ms**

- Best source gateway default `readyz` p50: `v2026.5.27-beta.1` at **1,462ms**

- Latest stable measured point: `v2026.5.27`

- Earlier April narrative baseline: `v2026.4.14` published median at

**9,819ms cold**, **7,458ms warm**, and **686.2MB peak RSS**.

<CardGroup cols={2}>

<Card title="Stable agent turn" icon="gauge">

**2.9x faster cold turn**

Install footprint sweep:

- `v2026.4.14`: 9.8s

- `v2026.5.27`: 3.4s

- Root `npm-shrinkwrap.json` is absent in `2026.5.20` and present in

`2026.5.22`.

- `2026.5.22` installed a **911.8 MB** nested `openclaw/node_modules` tree.

- `2026.5.27` still installed a **675.9 MB** nested tree.

- Current `main` keeps shrinkwrap but installs **0 MB** nested

`openclaw/node_modules`.

- Current `main` installs at **407.4 MB** and **314 installed dependencies**.

- Published npm package size peaked at `2026.3.31`: **43.3 MB** compressed,

**182.6 MB** unpacked, and **21,037 files**.

- Latest stable `2026.5.27` npm package size is **17.8 MB** compressed,

**79.0 MB** unpacked, and **12,509 files**.

</Card>

<Card title="Published package" icon="package">

**17.8MB tarball**

## Headline interpretation

Latest stable package, down from the 43.3MB March package-size peak.

</Card>

<Card title="Latest stable install" icon="hard-drive">

**786.9MB fresh install**

`v2026.5.27` still contains the nested OpenClaw dependency tree. The

next-release state on `main` is 407.4MB.

</Card>

<Card title="Dependency graph" icon="boxes">

**371 installed packages**

Latest stable release. Current `main` is down to 314 after the follow-up

dependency cleanup.

</Card>

</CardGroup>

## Install Footprint Timeline

<CardGroup cols={2}>

<Card title="Monthly high" icon="triangle-alert">

**645 dependencies**

`2026.2.26` was the monthly dependency-count high in this sample.

</Card>

<Card title="Shrinkwrap introduced" icon="lock">

**1,020.6MB install**

`2026.5.22` added root shrinkwrap and exposed a package-shape problem:

911.8MB landed under nested `openclaw/node_modules`.

</Card>

<Card title="Latest stable" icon="tag">

**786.9MB install**

`2026.5.27` reduced the peak but still installed a 675.9MB nested

OpenClaw tree.

</Card>

<Card title="Next-release state" icon="scissors">

**407.4MB install**

Current `main` keeps shrinkwrap, removes the nested tree, and installs

314 packages.

</Card>

</CardGroup>

<Tip>

Shrinkwrap was not the problem by itself. The bad package shape was. Current

`main` still ships shrinkwrap, but npm no longer materializes a second

OpenClaw dependency tree during install.

</Tip>

## What Changed After 5.27

The cleanup between `v2026.5.27` and current `main` removed the duplicate

default-install graph instead of removing the capabilities themselves.

<CardGroup cols={2}>

<Card title="Root default graph" icon="git-branch">

Root shrinkwrap package paths fell from **372** to **331**. Unique package

names fell from **357** to **318**.

</Card>

<Card title="Direct root dependencies" icon="unplug">

`@earendil-works/pi-agent-core`, `@earendil-works/pi-ai`,

`@earendil-works/pi-coding-agent`, and `pdfjs-dist` left the default root

dependency path.

</Card>

<Card title="Native optional cones" icon="cpu">

The all-platform `@napi-rs/canvas` and `@mariozechner/clipboard` native

package cones stopped landing in the default install.

</Card>

<Card title="Supply-chain surface" icon="shield">

Fewer default packages means fewer tarballs, maintainers, native binaries,

install-time behaviors, and transitive update paths to trust by default.

</Card>

</CardGroup>

## Headline Numbers

Do not use the late-April broken rows as public performance baselines.

`v2026.4.23` and `v2026.4.29` are useful regression evidence, but the large

| Warm agent turn | 2,973ms | 2,217ms | 25.4% lower |

| Agent peak RSS | 635.5MB | 635.3MB | flat |

Install footprint:

### Install footprint

| Metric | Baseline | Current main | Delta |

| ----------------------------------------------- | --------: | -----------: | ----------: |

| Nested `openclaw/node_modules` from `2026.5.22` | 911.8MB | 0MB | removed |

| Nested `openclaw/node_modules` from `2026.5.27` | 675.9MB | 0MB | removed |

npm package size:

### npm package size

| Version | Compressed tarball | Unpacked package | Files | Notes |

| ----------- | -----------------: | ---------------: | -----: | --------------------------------- |

### Shrinkwrap boundary

<CardGroup cols={2}>

<Card title="Before shrinkwrap" icon="unlock">

`2026.5.20` has no root shrinkwrap and no large nested OpenClaw dependency

tree.

</Card>

<Card title="Introduced" icon="lock">

`2026.5.22` adds root shrinkwrap and installs 911.8MB under nested

`openclaw/node_modules`.

</Card>

<Card title="Latest stable" icon="tag">

`2026.5.27` keeps shrinkwrap and still installs 675.9MB under nested

`openclaw/node_modules`.

</Card>

<Card title="Current main" icon="check">

`main` keeps shrinkwrap and removes the nested OpenClaw dependency tree.

</Card>

</CardGroup>

Published tarball inspection verifies the boundary:

| Version | Published stable? | Root `npm-shrinkwrap.json` | Notes |