feat: require explicit third-party software acceptance before onboarding (#1290)

## Summary
- show a third-party software notice before `install.sh` launches
onboarding and before direct `nemoclaw onboard`
- require explicit `yes` in interactive flows and fail immediately on
any other answer
- require explicit non-interactive acceptance via
`--yes-i-accept-third-party-software` or
`NEMOCLAW_ACCEPT_THIRD_PARTY_SOFTWARE=1`
- link users to the official OpenClaw security guidance before
continuing
- render the security URL as a clickable terminal hyperlink where OSC 8
is supported, while still printing the raw URL
- implement the new notice capability in TypeScript under `src/lib`

## Details
This is aimed at issue #1213, but the acceptance behavior is stricter
than the original issue text.

The notice is specifically about third-party software liability and
OpenClaw usage, not NemoClaw terms. The acceptance flag and env var are
named accordingly.

The current notice is intentionally formatted for standard terminal
width and uses the approved wording in short, non-wrapping lines.

Reference shown to users:
- https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/security

Credit:
- builds on prior overlapping notice work in #1222 by @13ernkastel, but
extends it to the current acceptance model, non-interactive enforcement,
and the shared `install.sh` + `nemoclaw onboard` flow

## Validation
- `npm run build:cli`
- `npx vitest run test/usage-notice.test.js test/cli.test.js
test/install-preflight.test.js`
- `npx eslint bin/lib/usage-notice.js test/usage-notice.test.js`
- `npx tsc -p jsconfig.json --noEmit`

## Note
The full local git hook suite is currently blocked in this environment
by an unrelated `src/lib/preflight.test.ts` localhost listen failure
(`EPERM` on `127.0.0.1`). I did not change that area in this branch.


<!-- This is an auto-generated comment: release notes by coderabbit.ai
-->
## Summary by CodeRabbit

* **New Features**
* Onboarding and installer now require explicit acceptance of
third‑party software terms before proceeding; onboarding exits early if
consent is not given.
* Interactive mode displays a bundled usage notice and prompts users to
type "yes"; acceptance is persisted per user.
* Non‑interactive installs allow scripted acceptance via a new explicit
acceptance mechanism.

* **Documentation**
* CLI help, installer messages, and docs updated to document the new
non‑interactive acceptance option and TTY guidance.

* **Tests**
* Added and updated tests and e2e scripts to cover acceptance flows and
enforcement.
<!-- end of auto-generated comment: release notes by coderabbit.ai -->

Author: kjw3

.github/workflows/nightly-e2e.yaml

@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ jobs:
         env:
           NVIDIA_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.NVIDIA_API_KEY }}
           NEMOCLAW_NON_INTERACTIVE: "1"
+          NEMOCLAW_ACCEPT_THIRD_PARTY_SOFTWARE: "1"
           NEMOCLAW_SANDBOX_NAME: "e2e-nightly"
           NEMOCLAW_RECREATE_SANDBOX: "1"
           GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
@@ -80,6 +81,7 @@ jobs:
           # Non-interactive install (expect-driven Phase 3 optional). Runner has no expect; Phase 5e TUI skips if expect is absent.
           RUN_E2E_CLOUD_EXPERIMENTAL_INTERACTIVE_INSTALL: "0"
           NEMOCLAW_NON_INTERACTIVE: "1"
+          NEMOCLAW_ACCEPT_THIRD_PARTY_SOFTWARE: "1"
           NEMOCLAW_RECREATE_SANDBOX: "1"
           NEMOCLAW_POLICY_MODE: "custom"
           NEMOCLAW_POLICY_PRESETS: "npm,pypi"
@@ -171,6 +173,7 @@ jobs:
     timeout-minutes: 60
     env:
       NEMOCLAW_NON_INTERACTIVE: "1"
+      NEMOCLAW_ACCEPT_THIRD_PARTY_SOFTWARE: "1"
       NEMOCLAW_SANDBOX_NAME: "e2e-gpu-ollama"
       NEMOCLAW_RECREATE_SANDBOX: "1"
       NEMOCLAW_PROVIDER: "ollama"

bin/lib/onboard.js

@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ const registry = require("./registry");
 const nim = require("./nim");
 const onboardSession = require("./onboard-session");
 const policies = require("./policies");
+const { ensureUsageNoticeConsent } = require("./usage-notice");
 const { checkPortAvailable, ensureSwap, getMemoryInfo } = require("./preflight");
 
 // Typed modules (compiled from src/lib/*.ts → dist/lib/*.js)
@@ -3450,6 +3451,14 @@ async function onboard(opts = {}) {
   NON_INTERACTIVE = opts.nonInteractive || process.env.NEMOCLAW_NON_INTERACTIVE === "1";
   delete process.env.OPENSHELL_GATEWAY;
   const resume = opts.resume === true;
+  const noticeAccepted = await ensureUsageNoticeConsent({
+    nonInteractive: isNonInteractive(),
+    acceptedByFlag: opts.acceptThirdPartySoftware === true,
+    writeLine: console.error,
+  });
+  if (!noticeAccepted) {
+    process.exit(1);
+  }
   const lockResult = onboardSession.acquireOnboardLock(
     `nemoclaw onboard${resume ? " --resume" : ""}${isNonInteractive() ? " --non-interactive" : ""}`,
   );

bin/lib/usage-notice.js

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright (c) 2026 NVIDIA CORPORATION & AFFILIATES. All rights reserved.
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+// Thin re-export shim — the implementation lives in src/lib/usage-notice.ts,
+// compiled to dist/lib/usage-notice.js.
+const usageNotice = require("../../dist/lib/usage-notice");
+
+if (require.main === module) {
+  usageNotice.cli().catch((error) => {
+    console.error(error?.message || String(error));
+    process.exit(1);
+  });
+}
+
+module.exports = usageNotice;

bin/lib/usage-notice.json

@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+{
+  "version": "2026-04-01b",
+  "title": "Third-Party Software Notice - NemoClaw Installer",
+  "referenceUrl": "https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/security",
+  "body": [
+    "NemoClaw is licensed under Apache 2.0 and automatically",
+    "retrieves, accesses or interacts with third-party software",
+    "and materials, including by deploying OpenClaw in an",
+    "OpenShell sandbox. Those retrieved materials are not",
+    "distributed with this software and are governed solely",
+    "by separate terms, conditions and licenses.",
+    "",
+    "You are solely responsible for finding, reviewing and",
+    "complying with all applicable terms, conditions, and",
+    "licenses, and for verifying the security, integrity and",
+    "suitability of any retrieved materials for your specific",
+    "use case.",
+    "",
+    "This software is provided \"AS IS\", without warranty of",
+    "any kind. The author makes no representations or",
+    "warranties regarding any third-party software, and",
+    "assumes no liability for any losses, damages, liabilities",
+    "or legal consequences from your use or inability to use",
+    "this software or any retrieved materials. Use this",
+    "software and the retrieved materials at your own risk.",
+    "",
+    "OpenClaw security guidance",
+    "https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/security"
+  ],
+  "links": [],
+  "interactivePrompt": "Type 'yes' to accept the NemoClaw license and and third-party software notice and continue [no]: "
+}

bin/nemoclaw.js

@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ const { parseGatewayInference } = require("./lib/inference-config");
 const { getVersion } = require("./lib/version");
 const onboardSession = require("./lib/onboard-session");
 const { parseLiveSandboxNames } = require("./lib/runtime-recovery");
+const { NOTICE_ACCEPT_ENV, NOTICE_ACCEPT_FLAG } = require("./lib/usage-notice");
 
 // ── Global commands ──────────────────────────────────────────────
 
@@ -622,16 +623,20 @@ function exitWithSpawnResult(result) {
 
 async function onboard(args) {
   const { onboard: runOnboard } = require("./lib/onboard");
-  const allowedArgs = new Set(["--non-interactive", "--resume"]);
+  const allowedArgs = new Set(["--non-interactive", "--resume", NOTICE_ACCEPT_FLAG]);
   const unknownArgs = args.filter((arg) => !allowedArgs.has(arg));
   if (unknownArgs.length > 0) {
     console.error(`  Unknown onboard option(s): ${unknownArgs.join(", ")}`);
-    console.error("  Usage: nemoclaw onboard [--non-interactive] [--resume]");
+    console.error(
+      `  Usage: nemoclaw onboard [--non-interactive] [--resume] [${NOTICE_ACCEPT_FLAG}]`,
+    );
     process.exit(1);
   }
   const nonInteractive = args.includes("--non-interactive");
   const resume = args.includes("--resume");
-  await runOnboard({ nonInteractive, resume });
+  const acceptThirdPartySoftware =
+    args.includes(NOTICE_ACCEPT_FLAG) || String(process.env[NOTICE_ACCEPT_ENV] || "") === "1";
+  await runOnboard({ nonInteractive, resume, acceptThirdPartySoftware });
 }
 
 async function setup(args = []) {
@@ -1154,6 +1159,7 @@ function help() {
 
   ${G}Getting Started:${R}
     ${B}nemoclaw onboard${R}                 Configure inference endpoint and credentials
+                                    ${D}(non-interactive: ${NOTICE_ACCEPT_FLAG} or ${NOTICE_ACCEPT_ENV}=1)${R}
     nemoclaw setup-spark             Set up on DGX Spark ${D}(fixes cgroup v2 + Docker)${R}
 
   ${G}Sandbox Management:${R}

docs/reference/commands.md

@@ -69,6 +69,18 @@ Supported non-experimental choices include NVIDIA Endpoints, OpenAI, Anthropic,
 Credentials are stored in `~/.nemoclaw/credentials.json`.
 The legacy `nemoclaw setup` command is deprecated; use `nemoclaw onboard` instead.
 
+For non-interactive onboarding, you must explicitly accept the third-party software notice:
+
+```console
+$ nemoclaw onboard --non-interactive --yes-i-accept-third-party-software
+```
+
+or:
+
+```console
+$ NEMOCLAW_ACCEPT_THIRD_PARTY_SOFTWARE=1 nemoclaw onboard --non-interactive
+```
+
 The wizard prompts for a sandbox name.
 Names must follow RFC 1123 subdomain rules: lowercase alphanumeric characters and hyphens only, and must start and end with an alphanumeric character.
 Uppercase letters are automatically lowercased.

install.sh

@@ -217,10 +217,12 @@ usage() {
   printf "    curl -fsSL https://www.nvidia.com/nemoclaw.sh | bash -s -- [options]\n\n"
   printf "  ${C_DIM}Options:${C_RESET}\n"
   printf "    --non-interactive    Skip prompts (uses env vars / defaults)\n"
+  printf "    --yes-i-accept-third-party-software Accept the third-party software notice in non-interactive mode\n"
   printf "    --version, -v        Print installer version and exit\n"
   printf "    --help, -h           Show this help message and exit\n\n"
   printf "  ${C_DIM}Environment:${C_RESET}\n"
   printf "    NVIDIA_API_KEY                API key (skips credential prompt)\n"
+  printf "    NEMOCLAW_ACCEPT_THIRD_PARTY_SOFTWARE=1 Same as --yes-i-accept-third-party-software\n"
   printf "    NEMOCLAW_NON_INTERACTIVE=1    Same as --non-interactive\n"
   printf "    NEMOCLAW_SANDBOX_NAME         Sandbox name to create/use\n"
   printf "    NEMOCLAW_RECREATE_SANDBOX=1   Recreate an existing sandbox\n"
@@ -237,6 +239,27 @@ usage() {
   printf "\n"
 }
 
+show_usage_notice() {
+  local -a notice_cmd=(node "${SCRIPT_DIR}/bin/lib/usage-notice.js")
+  if [ "${NON_INTERACTIVE:-}" = "1" ]; then
+    notice_cmd+=(--non-interactive)
+    if [ "${ACCEPT_THIRD_PARTY_SOFTWARE:-}" = "1" ]; then
+      notice_cmd+=(--yes-i-accept-third-party-software)
+    fi
+    "${notice_cmd[@]}"
+  elif [ -t 0 ]; then
+    "${notice_cmd[@]}"
+  elif exec 3</dev/tty; then
+    info "Installer stdin is piped; attaching the usage notice to /dev/tty…"
+    local status=0
+    "${notice_cmd[@]}" <&3 || status=$?
+    exec 3<&-
+    return "$status"
+  else
+    error "Interactive third-party software acceptance requires a TTY. Re-run in a terminal or set NEMOCLAW_NON_INTERACTIVE=1 with --yes-i-accept-third-party-software."
+  fi
+}
+
 # spin "label" cmd [args...]
 #   Runs a command in the background, showing a braille spinner until it exits.
 #   Stdout/stderr are captured; dumped only on failure.
@@ -806,6 +829,7 @@ verify_nemoclaw() {
 # 5. Onboard
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 run_onboard() {
+  show_usage_notice
   info "Running nemoclaw onboard…"
   local -a onboard_cmd=(onboard)
   if command_exists node && [[ -f "${HOME}/.nemoclaw/onboard-session.json" ]]; then
@@ -827,6 +851,9 @@ run_onboard() {
   fi
   if [ "${NON_INTERACTIVE:-}" = "1" ]; then
     onboard_cmd+=(--non-interactive)
+    if [ "${ACCEPT_THIRD_PARTY_SOFTWARE:-}" = "1" ]; then
+      onboard_cmd+=(--yes-i-accept-third-party-software)
+    fi
     nemoclaw "${onboard_cmd[@]}"
   elif [ -t 0 ]; then
     nemoclaw "${onboard_cmd[@]}"
@@ -837,7 +864,7 @@ run_onboard() {
     exec 3<&-
     return "$status"
   else
-    error "Interactive onboarding requires a TTY. Re-run in a terminal or set NEMOCLAW_NON_INTERACTIVE=1."
+    error "Interactive onboarding requires a TTY. Re-run in a terminal or set NEMOCLAW_NON_INTERACTIVE=1 with --yes-i-accept-third-party-software."
   fi
 }
 
@@ -880,9 +907,11 @@ post_install_message() {
 main() {
   # Parse flags
   NON_INTERACTIVE=""
+  ACCEPT_THIRD_PARTY_SOFTWARE=""
   for arg in "$@"; do
     case "$arg" in
       --non-interactive) NON_INTERACTIVE=1 ;;
+      --yes-i-accept-third-party-software) ACCEPT_THIRD_PARTY_SOFTWARE=1 ;;
       --version | -v)
         printf "nemoclaw-installer v%s\n" "$NEMOCLAW_VERSION"
         exit 0
@@ -899,7 +928,9 @@ main() {
   done
   # Also honor env var
   NON_INTERACTIVE="${NON_INTERACTIVE:-${NEMOCLAW_NON_INTERACTIVE:-}}"
+  ACCEPT_THIRD_PARTY_SOFTWARE="${ACCEPT_THIRD_PARTY_SOFTWARE:-${NEMOCLAW_ACCEPT_THIRD_PARTY_SOFTWARE:-}}"
   export NEMOCLAW_NON_INTERACTIVE="${NON_INTERACTIVE}"
+  export NEMOCLAW_ACCEPT_THIRD_PARTY_SOFTWARE="${ACCEPT_THIRD_PARTY_SOFTWARE}"
 
   _INSTALL_START=$SECONDS
   print_banner