auto-updater

name	auto-updater
description	OpenClaw auto-update checker and safe applier. Checks for new versions, compares changelogs, and applies updates with rollback safety. Designed to run as a cron job for hands-free maintenance. Use for keeping OpenClaw up to date automatically.
homepage	https://www.agxntsix.ai
license	MIT
compatibility	OpenClaw gateway, git
metadata	{"openclaw":{"emoji":"🔄","requires":{"bins":["git"]},"homepage":"https://www.agxntsix.ai"}}

Auto-Updater 🔄

Keep OpenClaw up to date automatically and safely.

Checks for new OpenClaw versions via git tags, compares with your current version, shows what's new, and optionally applies the update with safe rollback support.

Quick Start

# Check for updates (safe, read-only)
bash {baseDir}/scripts/check_update.sh

# Check and apply if available
bash {baseDir}/scripts/check_update.sh --apply

# JSON output (for cron/automation)
bash {baseDir}/scripts/check_update.sh --json

# Check + apply + JSON
bash {baseDir}/scripts/check_update.sh --apply --json

Setting Up as a Cron Job

Via OpenClaw Cron

Add to your cron jobs to check daily:

{
  "name": "auto-update-check",
  "schedule": "0 1 * * *",
  "command": "bash skills/auto-updater/{baseDir}/scripts/check_update.sh --json",
  "description": "Daily OpenClaw update check at 1 AM"
}

Via System Crontab

# Check daily at 1 AM, log results
0 1 * * * cd /root/.openclaw/workspace && bash skills/auto-updater/{baseDir}/scripts/check_update.sh >> /var/log/openclaw-updates.log 2>&1

How It Works

1. Fetch — git fetch --tags from the OpenClaw repo
2. Compare — Current version vs latest git tag (semver sorted)
3. Report — Shows version diff and changelog/commits between versions
4. Apply (optional) — Checkout new tag → pnpm install → pnpm build → docker build → docker compose up -d
5. Verify — Checks gateway starts successfully after update

Safe Update Practices

• Always runs git fetch before comparing (fresh data)
• Shows what changed before applying
• Records the previous version for rollback
• Verifies gateway health after update
• Never force-pushes or modifies git history

Rollback Procedure

If an update breaks something:

# 1. See recent tags
cd /host/openclaw && git tag --sort=-v:refname | head -5

# 2. Checkout previous version
git checkout <previous-tag>

# 3. Rebuild
pnpm install && pnpm build
docker build -t openclaw:latest .
docker compose up -d

# 4. Verify
docker compose logs --tail=20

The script outputs rollback instructions automatically when applying updates.

Credits

Built by M. Abidi | agxntsix.ai YouTube | GitHub Part of the AgxntSix Skill Suite for OpenClaw agents.

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