safe-update

name	safe-update
description	Update OpenClaw from source code. Supports custom project path and branch. Includes pulling latest branch, merging upstream, building and installing, restarting service. Triggered when user asks to update OpenClaw, sync source, merge branch, or rebuild.

Safe Update

Update OpenClaw from source to the latest version while preserving local changes.

⚠️ Important Warnings

• This script performs git merge from upstream - may cause conflicts if branches have diverged
• Uses npm i -g . for global installation - may require sudo
• Uses systemctl --user restart - will restart the OpenClaw service
• Backup your config before running! (see below)
• Does NOT automatically push - you need to push manually if desired

Requirements

Required binaries (must be installed):

• git
• npm / node
• systemctl (for restarting gateway)

Configuration

Environment Variables (optional)

# Set custom project path (default: $HOME/projects/openclaw)
export OPENCLAW_PROJECT_DIR="/path/to/openclaw"

# Set custom branch (default: main)
# Common branches: main, feat/your-branch-name
export OPENCLAW_BRANCH="your-feature-branch"

# Enable dry-run mode (no actual changes)
export DRY_RUN="true"

Or Pass as Arguments

./update.sh --dir /path/to/openclaw --branch your-branch

Pre-run Checklist

Before running, complete these steps:

• Backup config files: cp ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json.bak
• Backup auth profiles (if exist): cp ~/.openclaw/agents/main/agent/auth-profiles.json ~/.openclaw/auth-profiles.json.bak
• Ensure git changes are committed or stashed
• Check you have internet connection for git fetch

Workflow

# 1. Enter project directory
cd /home/ubuntu/projects/openclaw

# 2. Backup config files (good practice before update!)
echo "=== Backing up config files ==="
mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/backups
BACKUP_SUFFIX=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)

# Backup main config
cp ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json ~/.openclaw/backups/openclaw.json.bak.$BACKUP_SUFFIX
echo "✅ Backed up: openclaw.json"

# Backup auth profiles (if exists)
if [ -f ~/.openclaw/agents/main/agent/auth-profiles.json ]; then
  cp ~/.openclaw/agents/main/agent/auth-profiles.json \
     ~/.openclaw/backups/auth-profiles.json.bak.$BACKUP_SUFFIX
  echo "✅ Backed up: auth-profiles.json"
fi

echo "💡 Backups saved to: ~/.openclaw/backups/"
echo ""

# 3. Add upstream repository (if not added)
git remote add upstream https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git 2>/dev/null || true

# 4. Fetch upstream changes
git fetch upstream

# 5. Update target branch
git checkout $BRANCH
git merge upstream/$BRANCH

# 6. View changelog
echo "=== Full Changelog ==="
CURRENT_TAG=$(git describe --tags --abbrev=0 2>/dev/null || echo "v$(node -e 'console.log(require("./package.json").version)')")
echo "Current version: $CURRENT_TAG"
echo 


npm run build
npm i -g .


NEW_VERSION=$(openclaw --version)
 
 


 
systemctl --user restart openclaw-gateway


 
 3
  -v openclaw &>/dev/null; 
  openclaw health 2>/dev/null || openclaw status

   



 
 
 
 
 
 

Quick Script

Run scripts/update.sh to automatically complete all steps above.

Command Line Options

./update.sh [OPTIONS]

Options:
  --dir PATH       OpenClaw project directory (default: $HOME/projects/openclaw)
  --branch NAME    Git branch to update (default: main)
  --dry-run       Show what would be done without executing
  --help          Show this help message

Examples

# Update with defaults
./update.sh

# Update specific branch
./update.sh --branch feat/my-branch

# Dry run (preview only)
./update.sh --dry-run

# Custom project path
./update.sh --dir /opt/openclaw --branch main

Notes

• Merge may cause conflicts - if conflicts occur, resolve manually and continue
• Manual push - script does not auto-push, run git push manually if needed
• Service restart - gateway will restart, brief downtime expected
• Backup first - always backup before updating!

Troubleshooting

Git Conflicts During Merge

# Resolve conflicts manually, then:
git add .
git merge --continue
# Or abort: git merge --abort
# Continue with build steps

Build Fails

# Clean and retry:
rm -rf node_modules dist
npm install
npm run build

Gateway Won't Start

# Check status:
systemctl --user status openclaw-gateway

# View logs:
journalctl --user -u openclaw-gateway -n 50