openclaw/docs/install/updating.md

summary	read_when	title
Updating OpenClaw safely (global install or source), plus rollback strategy	Updating OpenClaw Something breaks after an update	Updating

Keep OpenClaw up to date.

Recommended: openclaw update

The fastest way to update. It detects your install type (npm or git), fetches the latest version, runs openclaw doctor, and restarts the gateway.

openclaw update

To switch channels or target a specific version:

openclaw update --channel beta
openclaw update --channel dev
openclaw update --tag main
openclaw update --dry-run   # preview without applying

--channel beta prefers beta, but the runtime falls back to stable/latest when the beta tag is missing or older than the latest stable release. Use --tag beta if you want the raw npm beta dist-tag for a one-off package update.

See Development channels for channel semantics.

Switch between npm and git installs

Use channels when you want to change the install type. The updater keeps your state, config, credentials, and workspace in ~/.openclaw; it only changes which OpenClaw code install the CLI and gateway use.

# npm package install -> editable git checkout
openclaw update --channel dev

# git checkout -> npm package install
openclaw update --channel stable

Run with --dry-run first to preview the exact install-mode switch:

openclaw update --channel dev --dry-run
openclaw update --channel stable --dry-run

The dev channel ensures a git checkout, builds it, and installs the global CLI from that checkout. The stable and beta channels use package installs. If the gateway is already installed, openclaw update refreshes the service metadata and restarts it unless you pass --no-restart.

Alternative: re-run the installer

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash

Add --no-onboard to skip onboarding. To force a specific install type through the installer, pass --install-method git --no-onboard or --install-method npm --no-onboard.

If openclaw update fails after the npm package install phase, re-run the installer. The installer does not call the old updater; it runs the global package install directly and can recover a partially updated npm install.

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash -s -- --install-method npm

To pin the recovery to a specific version or dist-tag, add --version:

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash -s -- --install-method npm --version <version-or-dist-tag>

Alternative: manual npm, pnpm, or bun

npm i -g openclaw@latest

When openclaw update manages a global npm install, it installs the target into a temporary npm prefix first, verifies the packaged dist inventory, then swaps the clean package tree into the real global prefix. That avoids npm overlaying a new package onto stale files from the old package. If the install command fails, OpenClaw retries once with --omit=optional. That retry helps hosts where native optional dependencies cannot compile, while keeping the original failure visible if the fallback also fails.

pnpm add -g openclaw@latest

bun add -g openclaw@latest

Advanced npm install topics

OpenClaw treats packaged global installs as read-only at runtime, even when the global package directory is writable by the current user. Bundled plugin runtime dependencies are staged into a writable runtime directory instead of mutating the package tree. This keeps `openclaw update` from racing with a running gateway or local agent that is repairing plugin dependencies during the same install.

Some Linux npm setups install global packages under root-owned directories such as `/usr/lib/node_modules/openclaw`. OpenClaw supports that layout through the same external staging path.

Set a writable stage directory that is included in `ReadWritePaths`:

```ini
Environment=OPENCLAW_PLUGIN_STAGE_DIR=/var/lib/openclaw/plugin-runtime-deps
ReadWritePaths=/var/lib/openclaw /home/openclaw/.openclaw /tmp
```

`OPENCLAW_PLUGIN_STAGE_DIR` also accepts a path list. OpenClaw resolves bundled plugin runtime dependencies left-to-right across the listed roots, treats earlier roots as read-only preinstalled layers, and installs or repairs only into the final writable root:

```ini
Environment=OPENCLAW_PLUGIN_STAGE_DIR=/opt/openclaw/plugin-runtime-deps:/var/lib/openclaw/plugin-runtime-deps
ReadWritePaths=/var/lib/openclaw /home/openclaw/.openclaw /tmp
```

If `OPENCLAW_PLUGIN_STAGE_DIR` is not set, OpenClaw uses `$STATE_DIRECTORY` when systemd provides it, then falls back to `~/.openclaw/plugin-runtime-deps`. The repair step treats that stage as an OpenClaw-owned local package root and ignores user npm prefix and global settings, so global-install npm config does not redirect bundled plugin dependencies into `~/node_modules` or the global package tree.

Before package updates and bundled runtime-dependency repairs, OpenClaw tries a best-effort disk-space check for the target volume. Low space produces a warning with the checked path, but does not block the update because filesystem quotas, snapshots, and network volumes can change after the check. The actual npm install, copy, and post-install verification remain authoritative. Packaged installs keep bundled plugin runtime dependencies out of the read-only package tree. On startup and during `openclaw doctor --fix`, OpenClaw repairs runtime dependencies only for bundled plugins that are active in config, active through legacy channel config, or enabled by their bundled manifest default. Persisted channel auth state alone does not trigger Gateway startup runtime-dependency repair.

Explicit disablement wins. A disabled plugin or channel does not get its runtime dependencies repaired just because it exists in the package. External plugins and custom load paths still use `openclaw plugins install` or `openclaw plugins update`.

Auto-updater

The auto-updater is off by default. Enable it in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:

{
  update: {
    channel: "stable",
    auto: {
      enabled: true,
      stableDelayHours: 6,
      stableJitterHours: 12,
      betaCheckIntervalHours: 1,
    },
  },
}

Channel	Behavior
stable	Waits stableDelayHours, then applies with deterministic jitter across stableJitterHours (spread rollout).
beta	Checks every betaCheckIntervalHours (default: hourly) and applies immediately.
dev	No automatic apply. Use openclaw update manually.

The gateway also logs an update hint on startup (disable with update.checkOnStart: false). For downgrade or incident recovery, set OPENCLAW_NO_AUTO_UPDATE=1 in the gateway environment to block automatic applies even when update.auto.enabled is configured. Startup update hints can still run unless update.checkOnStart is also disabled.

After updating

Run doctor

openclaw doctor

Migrates config, audits DM policies, and checks gateway health. Details: Doctor

Restart the gateway

openclaw gateway restart

Verify

openclaw health

Rollback

Pin a version (npm)

npm i -g openclaw@<version>
openclaw doctor
openclaw gateway restart

`npm view openclaw version` shows the current published version.

Pin a commit (source)

git fetch origin
git checkout "$(git rev-list -n 1 --before=\"2026-01-01\" origin/main)"
pnpm install && pnpm build
openclaw gateway restart

To return to latest: git checkout main && git pull.

If you are stuck

• Run openclaw doctor again and read the output carefully.
• For openclaw update --channel dev on source checkouts, the updater auto-bootstraps pnpm when needed. If you see a pnpm/corepack bootstrap error, install pnpm manually (or re-enable corepack) and rerun the update.
• Check: Troubleshooting
• Ask in Discord: https://discord.gg/clawd

Related

• Install overview: all installation methods.
• Doctor: health checks after updates.
• Migrating: major version migration guides.