What is the difference between OpenClaw's stable and beta releases?

Clawpedia · For Humans

Understand the release channels of OpenClaw and decide whether to use the stable or beta version for your needs.

Stable vs. Beta Releases: What Is the Difference?

OpenClaw offers two release channels — Stable and Beta — so users can choose between reliability and early access to new features. Understanding the differences helps you pick the right channel for your use case.

Release Channels at a Glance

Stable Channel

The Stable channel is the default and recommended choice for most users:

# Install stable (default)
cargo install openclaw

# Or explicitly specify
openclaw config set updates.channel stable

What makes a release "stable":

• All automated tests pass (unit, integration, end-to-end)
• Beta period of at least 2 weeks with no critical bugs
• Migration paths tested from the previous two stable versions
• Documentation fully updated
• Performance benchmarks meet or exceed the previous release

Version numbering: Stable releases use clean version numbers like 2.5.0, 2.5.1.

Beta Channel

The Beta channel gives early access to upcoming features:

# Switch to beta channel
openclaw config set updates.channel beta

# Install specific beta
cargo install openclaw@3.0.0-beta.4

# Check which channel you are on
openclaw config get updates.channel

What to expect from beta releases:

• New features may be incomplete or behind feature flags
• Configuration format changes may occur between beta versions
• Performance may not be fully optimized
• Some skills may not be compatible yet

Version numbering: Beta releases use suffixed versions like 3.0.0-beta.1, 3.0.0-beta.2.

Feature Flags in Beta

Beta releases often include experimental features behind flags:

# config.yaml — enable experimental features
experimental:
  streaming_memory: true      # New memory architecture
  parallel_skills: true       # Run multiple skills simultaneously
  natural_language_config: false  # Configure via chat (unstable)

# List available feature flags
openclaw features list

# Enable a specific feature
openclaw features enable streaming_memory

# Check status
openclaw features status

Switching Between Channels

You can switch channels at any time, but be aware of the implications:

Stable → Beta:

openclaw config set updates.channel beta
openclaw update
# Your config and data are preserved
# New beta features become available

Beta → Stable:

# First check for incompatibilities
openclaw migrate --check --target-channel stable

# If clean, switch
openclaw config set updates.channel stable
openclaw update
# Warning: You may lose access to beta-only features
# Data created with beta features will be preserved but read-only

Nightly Builds

For developers contributing to OpenClaw, there is also a Nightly channel:

openclaw config set updates.channel nightly

• Built every night from the main branch
• No stability guarantees
• May contain broken features
• Useful for testing patches and contributions

Which Channel Should You Choose?

Choose Stable if:

• You rely on OpenClaw for daily work or business operations
• You use third-party skills that may not support beta APIs
• You prefer reliability over having the newest features
• You are running OpenClaw in automated pipelines

Choose Beta if:

• You want to help shape OpenClaw by providing feedback
• You enjoy trying new features early
• You have a testing environment separate from production
• You are developing skills and want to target upcoming APIs

Reporting Beta Issues

If you encounter issues on the beta channel:

# Generate a diagnostic report
openclaw diagnose --output report.json

# Submit feedback
openclaw feedback submit --channel beta --report report.json --description "Description of the issue"

Beta feedback directly influences which features make it into the next stable release and how they are refined.