Other update methods

Install-type switching, the source-server reference script, the installer, and manual package-manager updates. Part of the Updating guide.

Switch between npm and git installs

Installer-driven switches verify the replacement before the working owner is retired. Source wrappers are published atomically; same-path npm shim transitions use an identity-checked backup that is restored on failure, so a failed candidate leaves the previous command runnable. Before retiring an old source wrapper, the updater rechecks its identity and contents and confirms that it still owns the update. The openclaw update command prints its final success result only after post-core convergence and requested restart health checks succeed.

Candidate validation failures leave the old Gateway serving. After activation, package recovery can restore the retained previous package only when the shared and affected pre-existing per-agent database schema versions are unchanged and configuration has not changed since the candidate’s activation Doctor pass. A database first created by the candidate is neutral only at its supported schema version for that database kind. The restored Gateway must pass the same runtime checks before recovery is reported as complete. A schema migration prevents automatic package rollback; replacing code cannot undo migrated state. Incomplete file rollback retains its backups for inspection. See Automatic rollback. If an older target does not support preserving the service definition, automatic recovery stops and reports the error without retrying with weaker options. Repair the reported failure, rerun openclaw update, and check openclaw gateway status --deep. See Failed update recovery.

On macOS, if Doctor reports an installed but unloaded and disabled Gateway LaunchAgent after an interrupted update, finish update verification or Doctor and triage first. Then use the printed openclaw gateway start command, preserving its profile and state/config or custom-label overrides. doctor --fix diagnoses the disabled label but leaves an already-stopped Gateway stopped.

Use channels 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 checkoutopenclaw update --channel dev # git checkout -> npm package installopenclaw update --channel stable

Preview the install-mode switch first:

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

dev ensures a git checkout, builds it, and installs the global CLI from that checkout. The stable, extended-stable, and beta channels use package installs. Extended-stable is rejected on a git checkout without mutating or converting it. If the gateway is already installed, openclaw update refreshes the service metadata and restarts it unless you pass --no-restart.

Automatic package-to-Git conversion currently requires an npm-owned package symlink. A pnpm- or Bun-owned install rejects --channel dev before stopping the Gateway; use the Git installer when changing that installation's owner. Normal package-to-package updates keep using pnpm or Bun.

Git updates build the complete runtime, including plugins and the Control UI, in a temporary candidate worktree. Dev updates preserve local commits by rebasing the candidate before its build. The updater publishes that prepared runtime during activation instead of repeating the build while stopped. It preserves the build timestamps, so ordinary CLI commands keep using that validated runtime without regenerating it after the move. Candidate installs and nested build commands use a private pnpm virtual store, so preparing an update cannot prune dependencies used by the serving Gateway. The candidate's temporary workspace settings are restored before checking for source changes; the live checkout's workspace settings are preserved.

For package installs with a managed Gateway service, openclaw update targets the package root used by that service. If the shell openclaw command comes from a different install, the updater prints both roots and the managed service's Node path, and checks that Node version against the target release's engines.node requirement before replacing the package.

Source-checkout servers (reference script)

Teams running a gateway directly from a git checkout on a server can update it with scripts/update-gateway.sh from inside that checkout. It is the reference for a source-server update: it fails closed on all tracked local changes, including build outputs, fast-forwards main (or rebases a local server branch onto origin/main), installs dependencies with a frozen lockfile, builds clean, and stops the gateway before replacing its build output. If the build fails, it restores the previous output and restarts that build while still returning the build failure.

Like openclaw update, the script builds runtime JavaScript, plugin assets, and the Control UI without generating TypeScript declarations by default. Set OPENCLAW_RUN_NODE_SKIP_DTS_BUILD=0 when invoking the script if this checkout also needs fresh declarations for plugin development.

This reference script requires Corepack and creates temporary shims without global activation before fetching. After fetching, it freezes the target commit and checks that its exact pnpm pin can run through those shims in a private probe workspace. The probe contains only package-manager metadata, not the target's dependencies, hooks, or configuration. Missing or invalid metadata, provisioning failure, or a version mismatch stops before checkout update or restart; repair the target pin or install a compatible Corepack, then retry.

The same fetched commit is used for fast-forward or rebase. This is a fetched-target toolchain preflight, not a complete preflight of a rebased local branch or its build. The build rollback covers generated output, not Git, installed dependencies, or configuration. Local branch overrides remain in effect: install and build resolve the resulting checkout's pin, which may differ from the probed target pin. Operators must verify those overrides and maintain a recovery path. The same shim directory leads nested commands' PATH, and child workspace and lockfile roots follow each operation's directory. Bootstrap or install failure leaves service lifecycle untouched. During the build, the updater owns all generated output roots, including package-local dist directories. If restoration cannot finish or build writers have not stopped, it leaves the service stopped and reports the retained backup path. If restart of a successful new build fails, it retains the previous output without replacing chunks that a new process may already be using. The hosted installers also support npm-owned temporary provisioning when Corepack is unavailable; this server script deliberately requires Corepack.

Generated output roots such as dist, dist-runtime, and package-local dist directories must be real directories. Builds refuse symbolic-link roots before reading or mutating their contents so cleanup cannot affect the link target. Replace an output-root symlink with a real directory before updating or building a source checkout.

ssh you@server 'cd /path/to/openclaw && scripts/update-gateway.sh'

The default stop command is openclaw gateway stop --force, so non-interactive SSH updates can stop the service. Override both commands for custom service units:

OPENCLAW_UPDATE_STOP_CMD='systemctl --user stop openclaw-gateway.service' \OPENCLAW_UPDATE_RESTART_CMD='systemctl --user restart openclaw-gateway.service' \  scripts/update-gateway.sh

Custom automatic commands must be provided together and must not be blank. An exactly empty restart command keeps the operator-owned manual lifecycle: stop the Gateway yourself before invoking the script, then restart it yourself after resolving any failure. Do not also set a stop override in this mode. The script performs no automatic stop, restart, or build-output rollback:

OPENCLAW_UPDATE_RESTART_CMD='' scripts/update-gateway.sh

For a plain single-user source install, prefer openclaw update --channel dev instead — it manages the checkout, build, and gateway restart for you.

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, pass --install-method git --no-onboard or --install-method npm --no-onboard.

If openclaw triage cannot start after a failed npm package replacement, re-run the installer. It runs the global package install directly and can recover a partially updated npm install. Keep an unverified Gateway stopped while repairing it.

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

Pin the recovery to a specific version or dist-tag with --version:

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

Homebrew formula installs

For brew install openclaw-cli, update through Homebrew:

brew upgrade openclaw-cliopenclaw gateway restart

openclaw update leaves the formula unchanged and prints these commands. Existing profiles retain that skipped outcome and guidance in openclaw update status --json and the update report. Stop a running Gateway before a manual upgrade to avoid loading files from a removed keg; back up first and run openclaw doctor --fix before restarting.

New or refreshed service definitions use Homebrew's stable opt/openclaw-cli path. To repair a service still pointing at a versioned Cellar path, run openclaw gateway install --force from the upgraded CLI. Global npm packages under the Homebrew prefix continue to use npm.

Alternative: manual npm, pnpm, or bun

The npm command below is for npm 12 or npm 11.16+. On npm 11.15 and earlier, omit --allow-scripts=openclaw.

npm i -g openclaw@latest --allow-scripts=openclaw

Prefer openclaw update for supervised installs: it can coordinate the package swap with the running Gateway service. If you update manually on a supervised install, stop the managed Gateway first. Package managers replace files in place, and a running Gateway can otherwise try to load core or plugin files mid-swap. Restart the Gateway after the package manager finishes so it picks up the new install.

Gateways with installation-replacement detection also check the installed build on their maintenance tick. If the running and installed builds differ, the Gateway records the replacement, stops accepting new work, and gives active work its existing bounded shutdown window before handing over to its service manager. A foreground Gateway exits with instructions to run openclaw gateway run again. Status and Doctor report the replacement while the Gateway drains. Afterward, openclaw gateway status --deep, openclaw update status, and Doctor show the recorded replacement as historical information until the next Gateway shutdown. This record does not by itself confirm that the new Gateway is healthy. If a reply's delivery module disappears before sending starts, the reply remains eligible for recovery instead of being treated as an uncertain send. This recovery cannot prevent every failure during a package manager's in-place swap, and older running Gateways do not gain it from files installed underneath them. openclaw update remains the supported path for coordinating replacement.

Release packages include generated compatibility files for lazy imports from updaters in the supported upgrade window, including the 2026.9.1 service restart path. These files let the old updater finish after its installation is replaced. They do not preserve a running Gateway's old module state, cover arbitrary plugin imports, or make rollback into an older published package safe without restarting.

For a root-owned Linux system-global install, if openclaw update fails with EACCES, recover with system npm while keeping the Gateway stopped for the manual replacement. Use the same profile flags/environment you normally use for that Gateway. Replace /usr/bin/npm with the system npm that owns the root-owned global prefix on your host:

The npm command below follows the same version contract: use the flag on npm 12 or npm 11.16+, and omit it on npm 11.15 and earlier.

openclaw gateway stopsudo /usr/bin/npm i -g openclaw@latest --allow-scripts=openclawopenclaw gateway install --forceopenclaw gateway restart

Then verify:

openclaw --versioncurl -fsS http://127.0.0.1:18789/readyzopenclaw plugins list --jsonopenclaw gateway status --deep --jsonopenclaw doctor --lint --json

When openclaw update manages a global npm install, it installs the target into a temporary npm prefix first. The candidate package validates the host Node version during preinstall; OpenClaw verifies the packaged dist inventory before swapping the clean package tree into the real global prefix. Pending lifecycle work is recorded in .openclaw-lifecycle-pending at the package root, outside the dist inventory. postinstall removes that marker after completion. If package scripts were skipped, the CLI completes the pending lifecycle before running any command, including --version; failure stops the command with reinstall guidance. The updater probes the owning npm before mutation. On npm 11.15 and earlier it omits the unsupported lifecycle-policy flag. On npm 12 and npm 11.16+, it approves only the candidate OpenClaw lifecycle; transitive dependency scripts remain unapproved. This avoids npm overlaying a new package onto stale files from the old one. If the install command fails, OpenClaw retries once with --omit=optional, which helps hosts where native optional dependencies cannot compile. The packaged lifecycle restores the matching precompiled fs-safe dependency when that retry omitted it. It uses the version declared by the installed fs-safe package and does not run dependency build scripts. A working native binding needs no extra download. Unsupported hosts or failed downloads produce a warning and allow installation to finish; explicitly disabling fs-safe native support also skips this repair.

For local tarball targets on npm 12, the archive filename and every parent directory must be comma-free. See Installer path requirements.

OpenClaw-managed npm update and plugin-update commands also clear npm's min-release-age supply-chain quarantine (or the older before config key) for the child npm process. That policy exists for general protection, but an explicit OpenClaw update means "install the selected release now."

pnpm add -g --allow-build=openclaw openclaw@latest

If pnpm 11 installed OpenClaw 2026.7.1, run that manual command once. That release predates pnpm 11's isolated global-package layout, so its updater can mistake another npm installation for the running CLI. Later releases retain pnpm ownership and follow the replacement package root during updates. They also use the owning manager's reported global bin directory and stop before mutation when the available pnpm command reports another global root, or when the invoking package is orphaned or not the only active OpenClaw install there.

pnpm 12 retains the global/v11 layout; the layout number does not need to match the pnpm CLI major version. Staged pnpm updates isolate both the global project and its launchers. OpenClaw sets the staging bin through CLI configuration for pnpm 10/11 and child-process environment configuration for pnpm 12, then verifies both destinations before installation. A manager that still reports a live destination stops the update before activation.

If OpenClaw shares a pnpm global install group with another package, the automatic updater stops before changing the group. Update the original comma-separated group manually so its sibling packages and build policy stay intact.

bun add -g --trust openclaw@latest

--trust allows OpenClaw's lifecycle scripts. The canonical openclaw update path applies the same OpenClaw-only Bun trust when it owns the install. On Windows, the staged updater rejects Bun installs before stopping the Gateway because it cannot relocate Bun's binary launchers. Run bun add -g --trust openclaw@<resolved-target-version> manually, then openclaw gateway restart; verify with openclaw update status.

Package lifecycle and operator state

Package lifecycle hooks validate the Node runtime and update only package-local artifacts: the installed dist tree and lifecycle markers. Plugin-registry and operator-state migration belong to Doctor, not package installation. Doctor also removes genuinely dangling global plugin-runtime links, but preserves shared and versioned runtime caches and valid links to them: other installs or profiles may still use them. openclaw update still runs Doctor after installing the candidate; after a manual package replacement, run openclaw doctor --fix before restarting the Gateway.

Doctor also brings drifted active official npm plugins to the installed OpenClaw release, honoring recorded non-default tags and pins newer than its plugin cohort. It uses the same plugin updater as openclaw update and leaves third-party plugins unchanged. An unavailable plugin produces a warning with the reason; it does not prevent the other repairs from completing. Restore registry access or wait for the missing package, then rerun openclaw doctor --fix.

OPENCLAW_DISABLE_BUNDLED_PLUGIN_POSTINSTALL=1 skips package-local postinstall cleanup, but still completes the lifecycle marker. It does not disable Doctor or Gateway startup migrations.

Stuck on 2026.9.3

The published 2026.9.3 updater has a fixed five-minute limit that can stop an upgrade before it finishes. A timeout fix in the target release cannot replace the updater already running. Bypass that older updater once with a manual package installation.

Create a verified backup first. Keep the same service account, npm prefix, profile, and state/config overrides. Stop the Gateway through its owning supervisor before replacing the package. For a managed npm install:

openclaw gateway stopnpm install -g openclaw@latest --allow-scripts=openclawopenclaw doctor --fixopenclaw gateway restartopenclaw gateway status --deep

Omit --allow-scripts=openclaw on npm 11.15 and earlier. For an external supervisor, use its stop and restart commands. Doctor keeps an already-stopped Gateway stopped, so complete the restart after reviewing its repair results.

Automatic official-plugin drift repair was added after 2026.9.5. If the installed release still prints Fix each drifted plugin, run its printed openclaw plugins update commands before restarting. Once installed, a build with automatic drift repair performs those official-plugin updates during doctor --fix; any remaining readiness warning names the plugin that still needs attention.

Advanced npm install topics

ReadWritePaths=/var/lib/openclaw /home/openclaw/.openclaw /tmp