openclaw-maintenance

name	openclaw-maintenance
description	Check OpenClaw version status, compare with latest releases, and safely update. Covers version checking, update channel management, and safe update practices.

OpenClaw Maintenance

Check version status, compare with remote, and safely update OpenClaw CLI.

Quick Status Check

# Check current installed version
openclaw --version

# Check update status (shows current vs latest)
openclaw update status

# Check gateway health
openclaw health

Understanding Version Status

Output Example

OpenClaw update status

┌──────────┬──────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Item     │ Value                                    │
├──────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Install  │ pnpm                                     │
│ Channel  │ stable (default)                         │
│ Update   │ available · pnpm · npm update 2026.4.9   │
└──────────┴──────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key Fields

• Install: Package manager used (pnpm, npm, git)
• Channel: Update channel (stable, beta, dev)
• Update: Status - "available" means update ready

Safe Update Workflow

Step 1: Dry Run (Preview)

openclaw update --dry-run

Step 2: Review Changes

Check for:

• Config warnings (plugin conflicts, etc.)
• Version changes
• Planned actions

Step 3: Execute Update

# Interactive mode (recommended first time)
openclaw update

# Non-interactive mode (for automation)
openclaw update --yes

# Without auto-restart
openclaw update --no-restart

Step 4: Verify

openclaw --version
openclaw health

Update Channels

# Switch to beta channel
openclaw update --channel beta

# Switch to dev channel
openclaw update --channel dev

# One-off update to specific version/tag
openclaw update --tag 2026.4.5

Common Warnings (Safe to Ignore)

Config warnings:
- plugins.entries.feishu: duplicate plugin id detected
- plugins.entries.operator-ui: plugin id mismatch

These are typically cosmetic and don't affect functionality.

Repository Status Check

If OpenClaw was installed from git source:

cd ~/openclaw-agents  # or wherever repo is

# Check current version
cat CHANGELOG.md | head -20

# Check git status
git log --oneline -5
git remote -v

# Check for updates
git fetch origin
git log HEAD..origin/main --oneline

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
"croniter not installed"	pip install croniter or use timestamp scheduling
Update fails with config errors	Run openclaw doctor for health checks
Gateway won't start after update	Check logs: openclaw logs
Plugin conflicts	Check ~/.openclaw/config.json for duplicates

Best Practices

1. Always dry-run first - Preview changes before applying
2. Backup config - OpenClaw auto-backs up openclaw.json before updates
3. Check health after - Verify gateway starts correctly
4. Don't auto-update agents repos - May conflict with custom config
5. Document custom configs - Note any manual changes for troubleshooting

Automation Example

#!/bin/bash
# Weekly update check

STATUS=$(openclaw update status --json | jq -r '.update')
if [[ "$STATUS" == *"available"* ]]; then
    echo "Update available, running dry-run..."
    openclaw update --dry-run
    
    # Could auto-update in CI environment
    # openclaw update --yes --no-restart
fi