How to Safely Update OpenClaw: Version Management, Channels, and Rollback

Keeping OpenClaw up to date ensures you get the latest agent capabilities, bug fixes, and security patches. But updating a system that manages your AI agents, conversations, and configured skills requires care. This guide covers every aspect of the update process, from checking your current version to rolling back if something goes wrong.

Checking Your Current Version

openclaw --version

openclaw v0.14.2 (build 2026-02-10)
  gateway: v0.14.2
  runtime: v0.14.2
  node: v22.14.0

All three version numbers (openclaw, gateway, runtime) should match. If they do not, you may have a partial or mixed installation.

openclaw update --check

This shows available versions across all channels without installing anything.

Update Channels

OpenClaw publishes on three channels with different stability guarantees.

Stable (default): Releases that have passed beta testing. Follow semantic versioning^[1] -- major for breaking changes, minor for new features, patch for bug fixes.

openclaw update

Beta: Complete features still being validated. Format: v0.15.1-beta.3.

openclaw update --channel beta

Dev: Builds from the main branch, potentially unstable. Format: v0.16.0-dev.12. Only for contributors and plugin developers.

openclaw update --channel dev

The Update Command

openclaw update

This checks the channel for the latest version, downloads it, verifies the checksum, installs it, restarts the gateway, and reports the result.

Dry Run

openclaw update --dry-run

Dry run - no changes will be made

Current:  v0.14.2
Target:   v0.15.0
Channel:  stable

Changes:
  - 47 files modified
  - 3 new dependencies
  - Configuration migration: none required

Breaking changes: none detected
Skill compatibility: all installed skills compatible

The --dry-run flag is especially valuable before major updates. It checks skill compatibility and identifies needed configuration migrations.

Specific Version

openclaw update --version v0.14.5

Useful for pinning to a known-good version or matching team members.

Reading the Changelog

Always review the changelog before updating:

openclaw changelog                            # Latest version
openclaw changelog v0.15.0                    # Specific version
openclaw changelog --from v0.14.0 --to v0.15.0  # Range

Changes are categorized as Features, Fixes, Breaking, Deprecated, and Security^[2]. Pay close attention to the "Breaking" section.

Backup Before Updating

The critical directories:

~/.openclaw/
  openclaw.json       # Configuration
  memory/             # Agent memory and knowledge
  sessions/           # Conversation history
  skills/             # Installed skills

Backup Script

#!/bin/bash
BACKUP_DIR="$HOME/openclaw-backups"
TIMESTAMP=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)
BACKUP_PATH="$BACKUP_DIR/openclaw-backup-$TIMESTAMP"

mkdir -p "$BACKUP_PATH"
openclaw stop
cp -r "$HOME/.openclaw" "$BACKUP_PATH/"
openclaw --version > "$BACKUP_PATH/version.txt"
tar -czf "$BACKUP_PATH.tar.gz" -C "$BACKUP_DIR" "openclaw-backup-$TIMESTAMP"
rm -rf "$BACKUP_PATH"
echo "Backup saved to $BACKUP_PATH.tar.gz"

What Gets Preserved

Configuration: Settings remain intact; new options get sensible defaults
Memory: Agent memories and knowledge bases are preserved
Sessions: Conversation history is kept
API keys: Stored credentials are not touched

What Might Break

Skill compatibility: The most common issue. Skills built for one version may not work with another if the skill API changed.

openclaw update --dry-run | grep -i skill   # Check before updating
openclaw skills test <skill-name>           # Test after updating

Configuration schema changes: Major updates may change required fields. Verify with:

openclaw config validate

Gateway port changes: Rare, but verify firewall and reverse proxy configs after major updates.

Docker Image Updates

If you run OpenClaw in Docker (directly or through ClawTank):

docker pull openclaw/openclaw:latest
# Or a specific version:
docker pull openclaw/openclaw:0.15.0

Recreate the container (volumes preserve your data):

docker stop openclaw && docker rm openclaw
docker run -d --name openclaw --restart unless-stopped \
  -p 19090:19090 \
  -v openclaw-data:/home/openclaw/.openclaw \
  openclaw/openclaw:latest

With Docker Compose, change the image tag and run:

docker compose pull && docker compose up -d

Rollback Procedure

npm Rollback

npm install -g openclaw@0.14.2
openclaw --version

From Backup

openclaw stop
tar -xzf ~/openclaw-backups/openclaw-backup-20260224_103000.tar.gz -C /tmp/
cp -r /tmp/openclaw-backup-20260224_103000/.openclaw ~/
npm install -g openclaw@0.14.2
openclaw start

Docker Rollback

docker stop openclaw && docker rm openclaw
docker run -d --name openclaw --restart unless-stopped \
  -p 19090:19090 \
  -v openclaw-data:/home/openclaw/.openclaw \
  openclaw/openclaw:0.14.2

Verify After Rollback

openclaw --version
openclaw config validate
openclaw skills test <critical-skill>
curl -s http://localhost:19090/health

Update Frequency Recommendations

Personal use: Update with each stable release. Enable notifications:

openclaw config set notifications.updates true

Team / shared instance: Update during maintenance windows. Pin versions:

openclaw config set update.pin v0.15.0

Production: Wait 1-2 weeks after a stable release. Apply security patches immediately.

openclaw config set update.autoUpdate false
openclaw config set update.pin v0.14.2

Auto-Update Setup

openclaw config set update.autoUpdate true
openclaw config set update.channel stable
openclaw config set update.schedule "0 3 * * 1"  # 3 AM every Monday
openclaw config set update.backupBeforeUpdate true

The schedule uses cron syntax^[3]. Alternatively, use a systemd timer:

sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/openclaw-update.service > /dev/null << 'EOF'
[Unit]
Description=OpenClaw Auto Update
After=network-online.target

[Service]
Type=oneshot
User=openclaw
ExecStart=/usr/bin/openclaw update --auto --backup
StandardOutput=journal
EOF

sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/openclaw-update.timer > /dev/null << 'EOF'
[Unit]
Description=Weekly OpenClaw Update

[Timer]
OnCalendar=Mon 03:00
Persistent=true
RandomizedDelaySec=3600

[Install]
WantedBy=timers.target
EOF

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now openclaw-update.timer

Check auto-update history:

openclaw update --history

Pre-Update Checklist

openclaw --version                # 1. Current version
openclaw update --check           # 2. Available updates
openclaw changelog                # 3. What changed
openclaw update --dry-run         # 4. Preview changes
~/backup-openclaw.sh              # 5. Back up data
openclaw update                   # 6. Apply update
openclaw config validate          # 7. Validate config
openclaw skills test <skill>      # 8. Test critical skills
curl -s localhost:19090/health    # 9. Verify gateway

Major Version Updates

Major updates (v0.x to v1.0, v1.x to v2.0) may include configuration schema changes, removed features, new dependencies, changed defaults, and incompatible skill APIs. For these:

Read the full migration guide
Back up everything
Test on a separate machine or Docker container first
Plan for 15-30 minutes of downtime
Have the rollback procedure ready

docker run --rm -it \
  -v openclaw-data-copy:/home/openclaw/.openclaw \
  openclaw/openclaw:2.0.0 \
  openclaw config validate

Summary

Always check the changelog before updating
Use --dry-run to preview changes
Back up before every update
Test critical skills after updating
Know how to roll back
Use auto-updates for personal instances, version pinning for production