How do I update OpenClaw to the latest version?

Clawpedia · For Humans

Learn how to safely update OpenClaw to the newest release without losing your configuration or data.

How Do I Update OpenClaw to the Latest Version?

Keeping OpenClaw up to date ensures you have the latest features, security patches, and model support. This guide covers every update method, what to check before and after updating, and how to handle breaking changes.

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Check Your Current Version

Before updating, note your current version:

openclaw --version
# Example output: openclaw v2.4.1

Check What's New

Review the changelog before updating:

openclaw changelog
# Or visit: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases

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Update Methods

npm (Most Common)

npm update -g openclaw

Homebrew (macOS)

brew upgrade openclaw

apt (Ubuntu/Debian)

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade openclaw

dnf (Fedora/RHEL)

sudo dnf upgrade openclaw

AUR (Arch Linux)

yay -Syu openclaw

winget (Windows)

winget upgrade OpenClaw.OpenClaw

Self-Update (Any Platform)

OpenClaw includes a built-in updater:

openclaw self-update

This works regardless of how you originally installed OpenClaw.

Docker

docker pull openclaw/openclaw:latest
docker stop openclaw
docker rm openclaw
# Re-run your docker run command with the new image

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Version Pinning

If you need a specific version:

# npm
npm install -g openclaw@2.4.0

# Docker
docker pull openclaw/openclaw:2.4.0

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Pre-Update Checklist

Before updating, protect your configuration:

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Post-Update Steps

Verify the Update

openclaw --version
openclaw doctor

The doctor command checks that all components are healthy:

✓ CLI version: 2.5.0
✓ Node.js: v20.11.0
✓ Configuration: valid
✓ Provider: openai (connected)
✓ Memory: 847 entries
✓ Skills: 5 installed, all compatible
✓ Gateway: stopped

Restart Services

openclaw gateway start

# If using systemd
systemctl --user restart openclaw

Update Skills

After a major OpenClaw update, update your skills too:

openclaw skill update --all

Check for incompatible skills:

openclaw skill check

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Handling Breaking Changes

Major Version Updates (e.g., v2 → v3)

Major versions may include breaking changes. OpenClaw provides a migration tool:

openclaw migrate

This automatically:

• Converts old config formats to new ones
• Updates skill manifests
• Migrates memory storage format
• Reports any manual steps needed

Config Format Changes

If your config file format changed:

# Automatic migration
openclaw config migrate

# Manual: regenerate config
openclaw init --keep-keys

The --keep-keys flag preserves your API keys while regenerating other settings.

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Automatic Updates

Enable automatic update checks:

openclaw config set updates.check_on_start true
openclaw config set updates.auto_install false  # Notify only

Options:

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Downgrading

If an update causes problems:

# Install a specific older version
npm install -g openclaw@2.4.1

# Restore your backup
rm -rf ~/.openclaw
mv ~/.openclaw.backup ~/.openclaw

# Restart
openclaw gateway start

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Update Frequency Recommendations

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Troubleshooting Updates

"Permission denied" During Update

# Fix npm permissions
sudo chown -R $(whoami) $(npm config get prefix)/{lib/node_modules,bin,share}

# Or use a user-level prefix
npm config set prefix ~/.npm-global

Update Hangs

# Clear npm cache
npm cache clean --force
npm install -g openclaw@latest

Skills Stop Working After Update

# Reinstall all skills
openclaw skill update --all --force

# Or reinstall a specific skill
openclaw skill uninstall weather-forecast
openclaw skill install weather-forecast

Configuration Errors After Update

# Validate and fix config
openclaw config validate
openclaw config migrate

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Update Channels, Production Upgrades and Rollback

Regular updates are essential to benefit from new features, bug fixes, and security patches. This article explains the different update strategies for OpenClaw — from simple CLI updates to zero-downtime upgrades in production.

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Update Channels

Available Channels

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Quick Update

npm Update

# Check current version
openclaw --version

# Update to latest stable
npm update -g @openclaw/cli

# Verify update
openclaw --version

# Check for available updates without installing
npm outdated -g @openclaw/cli

Homebrew Update (macOS)

brew update
brew upgrade openclaw

Docker Update

# Pull latest image
docker pull openclaw/openclaw:latest

# Restart container
docker compose down
docker compose up -d

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Pre-Update Checklist

Before You Update

# 1. Check current version
openclaw --version

# 2. Backup configuration
cp -r ~/.openclaw ~/.openclaw.backup.$(date +%Y%m%d)

# 3. Export memory (important!)
openclaw memory export --output memory-backup.json

# 4. Check release notes
openclaw changelog
# or visit: github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases

# 5. Check for breaking changes
openclaw update --dry-run

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Handling Breaking Changes

Version Numbering

OpenClaw follows Semantic Versioning (SemVer):

v1.5.2
│ │ │
│ │ └── Patch: Bug fixes, safe to update
│ └──── Minor: New features, backwards compatible
└────── Major: Breaking changes, review migration guide

Migration Guide

For major updates, OpenClaw provides a migration tool:

# Run migration check
openclaw migrate --check

# Example output:
# ⚠️ Breaking changes detected in v2.0.0:
#   - Config format changed: provider.key → provider.api_key
#   - Skill API v1 deprecated, use v2
#   - Memory backend interface changed
#
# Run 'openclaw migrate' to auto-fix compatible changes.

# Auto-migrate
openclaw migrate

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Production Updates

Zero-Downtime Update (Docker)

# Pull new image
docker pull openclaw/openclaw:latest

# Rolling update with compose
docker compose up -d --no-deps --build openclaw

# Verify health
curl http://localhost:8080/health

Blue-Green Deployment

# Start new version alongside old
docker run -d --name openclaw-new \
  -p 8081:8080 \
  openclaw/openclaw:latest

# Test new version
curl http://localhost:8081/health

# If healthy, switch traffic
docker stop openclaw-old
docker rename openclaw-new openclaw

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Rollback

Quick Rollback

# npm: Install previous version
npm install -g @openclaw/cli@1.4.0

# Docker: Use previous image tag
docker compose down
# Edit docker-compose.yml to use previous tag
docker compose up -d

# Restore config backup
cp -r ~/.openclaw.backup.20240315/* ~/.openclaw/

# Restart
openclaw restart

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Automatic Updates

Auto-Update Configuration

# ~/.openclaw/config.yaml
updates:
  auto_check: true          # Check for updates on start
  auto_install: false       # Don't auto-install (recommended)
  channel: stable           # stable, beta, or nightly
  notify: true              # Show notification when update available
  check_interval: 24h       # How often to check

Update Notification

🦞 OpenClaw v1.5.2 → v1.6.0 available!

New features:
  • Improved memory retrieval (2x faster)
  • New Slack threading support
  • Bug fixes for voice interface

Run 'openclaw update' to install.

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Skill Updates

Updating Installed Skills

# Update all skills
openclaw skill update --all

# Update specific skill
openclaw skill update daily-briefing

# Check for skill updates
openclaw skill outdated

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Troubleshooting

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Summary

Updating OpenClaw is straightforward — use openclaw self-update or your package manager. Always back up your configuration before major updates, run openclaw doctor after updating, and use openclaw migrate if you jump across major versions. Enable update notifications to stay current without surprises.