fix(ci): revert #2186 and use direct symlink for nemoclaw CLI on Brev

[cjagwani]

Summary

Reverts #2186 (which made Brev E2E failures 10× slower) and replaces `sudo npm link` with a direct `sudo ln -sf` symlink in both the launchable setup and the in-test bootstrap path. `npm link` is overkill for what we actually need and hangs indefinitely on cold CPU Brev instances. Direct symlink is O(1) and deterministic.

Related Issue

Regression from my own #2186. Surfaced while validating #2183 (ollama E2E).

Changes

This PR contains two commits:

1. Revert fix(ci): move sudo npm link into launchable to unblock non-full Brev E2E #2186. Restores the launchable setup to its pre-`sudo npm link` state. This alone would leave non-full suites broken by the original pre-existing chore(ci): extract helpers from brev-e2e beforeAll and fix worktree installer detection #1888 issue, but without burning a 20-min Brev instance per run.
2. Replace `sudo npm link` with direct symlink.
   • `scripts/brev-launchable-ci-cpu.sh` — after plugin build, create `/usr/local/bin/nemoclaw → $NEMOCLAW_CLONE_DIR/bin/nemoclaw.js` via `sudo ln -sf`. Drop `sudo chown -R` (only the single symlink is root-owned now, not node_modules).
   • `test/e2e/brev-e2e.test.ts` — replace the in-test `sudo npm link` with the same direct-symlink approach. Idempotent re-link so local dev runs that skip the launchable still work.

Evidence

• Before fix(ci): move sudo npm link into launchable to unblock non-full Brev E2E #2186 (2026-04-14): non-full suites failed at ~2 min with a clear `sudo npm link ETIMEDOUT` (pre-existing chore(ci): extract helpers from brev-e2e beforeAll and fix worktree installer detection #1888 regression, but cheap to fail).
• After fix(ci): move sudo npm link into launchable to unblock non-full Brev E2E #2186 (today): non-full suites hang on `sudo npm link` inside the launchable until the 20-min outer cap trips. 10× longer to fail, 10× more Brev credit per failed run. Evidence: run 24737205166 — stuck on `Linking nemoclaw CLI globally...` from 808s to 1198s with no progress.
• `npm link` does two things: `/usr/local/lib/node_modules/` symlink + `/usr/local/bin/` symlink. We only need the second one. Replacing with `sudo ln -sf` bypasses npm's global-prefix housekeeping and the `sudo chown -R node_modules` traversal that likely drove the hang.

Type of Change

• Code change (bug fix)

Verification

• `bash -n` on the launchable script — syntax OK
• `npm run typecheck:cli` — passes
• Pre-push hooks — passes (modulo the pre-existing flaky `test/install-preflight.test.ts:107`, resolves on retry, unrelated)
• End-to-end Brev E2E run — to be validated via `gh workflow run e2e-brev.yaml --ref revert/2186-brev-npm-link-launchable --field test_suite=credential-sanitization` (any non-`full` suite proves the bootstrap now completes). Will attach run URL before merge.

Retro note

Shipped #2186 without running the Brev suite end-to-end — exact failure mode I had flagged on #2123 earlier the same day. This PR is validated the right way before merge.

AI Disclosure

• AI-assisted — tool: Claude Code

Summary by CodeRabbit

Chores

• Optimized NemoClaw CLI installation mechanism with deterministic symlink approach, reducing environment setup initialization time.

[coderabbitai]

Caution

Review failed

The pull request is closed.

ℹ️ Recent review info

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Path: .coderabbit.yaml

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro Plus

Run ID: 2615ed15-bbe1-4844-9628-da3fe5bb2a15

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 37ca70e and 2eb5274.

📒 Files selected for processing (2)

• scripts/brev-launchable-ci-cpu.sh
• test/e2e/brev-e2e.test.ts

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📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

Updated the NemoClaw CLI installation process in a shell script and end-to-end test from using sudo npm link to creating direct filesystem symlinks via sudo ln -sf. Also adjusted SSH command timeout from 120,000 ms to 30,000 ms and updated corresponding log messages.

Changes

Cohort / File(s)	Summary
NemoClaw CLI Installation Method scripts/brev-launchable-ci-cpu.sh, test/e2e/brev-e2e.test.ts	Replaced sudo npm link installation with direct symlink creation (sudo ln -sf) and explicit executable permissions (sudo chmod +x). Reduced SSH command timeout from 120,000 ms to 30,000 ms in test file. Updated log messages to reference "direct symlink" and target path.

Estimated code review effort

🎯 2 (Simple) | ⏱️ ~10 minutes

Poem

🐰 No more npm link to unwind,
A symlink direct, so refined!
Permissions set with chmod's might,
The path to nemoclaw shines bright,
Swift thirty seconds, quick and tight! ✨

✨ Finishing Touches

📝 Generate docstrings

• Create stacked PR
• Commit on current branch

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests
• Commit unit tests in branch revert/2186-brev-npm-link-launchable

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_{Comment @coderabbitai help to get the list of available commands and usage tips.}

[cjagwani]

Reopening with clearer branch name — see #NEW