openclaw update — Update OpenClaw

Synopsis

openclaw update [OPTIONS]

Options & Flags

Flag	Description
`--check`	Check for updates but do not install anything
`--yes`	Skip confirmation prompt and update immediately
`--pre-release`	Include pre-release versions in update check
`--package PKG`	Update only a specific package (not core)

Examples

Check for Updates

openclaw update --check

Current version: 1.0.0
Latest version:  1.1.0  (released 2026-03-01)

Changelog highlights:
  - Improved multi-step task planning
  - Claude 3.7 support added
  - Fix: timeout handling for long-running tasks
  - Fix: Windows path handling in file context

Run 'openclaw update' to upgrade.

Update Everything

openclaw update --yes

Updating OpenClaw core: 1.0.0 -> 1.1.0 ... done
Updating browser tools: 2.0.0 -> 2.1.0  ... done
All packages up to date.

Update a Specific Package

openclaw update --package browser-tools

Try a Pre-release Version

openclaw update --check --pre-release
# Shows: Latest pre-release: 1.2.0-beta.1
openclaw update --yes --pre-release

Rolling Back to a Previous Version

If an update causes issues, you can roll back by reinstalling a specific version using pip:

# Roll back to v1.0.0
pip install openclaw==1.0.0

# Or using conda
conda install openclaw=1.0.0

💡

Before Updating

Export your current configuration first so you can restore it if needed: openclaw config export ~/openclaw-backup.yaml

📝

Breaking Changes

Check the full changelog for breaking changes between major versions before updating in production environments.

💡

See Also

openclaw install — install additional packs
Updating OpenClaw Guide — detailed walkthrough
Installation Overview

Automated Updates in CI/CD

Run openclaw update --check in CI to detect when your automation scripts may need testing against a new version:

# .github/workflows/check-openclaw-version.yml
name: Check OpenClaw Version
on:
  schedule:
    - cron: "0 9 * * 1"   # every Monday morning
jobs:
  version_check:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - run: pip install openclaw
      - name: Check for updates
        run: |
          RESULT=$(openclaw update --check 2>&1)
          echo "$RESULT"
          if echo "$RESULT" | grep -q "Latest version"; then
            echo "::warning::New OpenClaw version available — review changelog before upgrading"
          fi

Auto-update Script

#!/usr/bin/env bash
# auto-update.sh — update and verify
set -e
echo "Current: $(openclaw --version)"
openclaw update --yes
echo "Updated: $(openclaw --version)"
# Quick health check after update
openclaw run "return the string OK" 2>&1 | grep -q "OK" && echo "Health check passed"

Config Backup Strategy

Always back up your config before upgrading in production environments:

# Backup config with version-stamped filename
VERSION=$(openclaw --version | cut -d' ' -f2)
openclaw config export ~/openclaw-backups/config-v${VERSION}.yaml
echo "Config backed up as config-v${VERSION}.yaml"

# Then update
openclaw update --yes

# Verify the update
openclaw --version
openclaw config list

Pin a Specific Version

In production environments, pin the exact version to prevent unexpected changes:

# requirements.txt
openclaw==1.1.0

# Install pinned version
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Or via pip directly
pip install "openclaw==1.1.0"

Exit Codes

Exit Code	Meaning
`0`	Update successful (or already up-to-date)
`1`	Update failed (network error, permission issue)
`2`	Update available but not installed (with `--check`)

Additional Flags

Flag	Description
`--check`	Print available update without installing anything — useful in CI notifications
`--dry-run`	Simulate the full update process: download, verify, migrate — then abort before writing files
`--no-backup`	Skip the automatic config/packs backup (use only in disposable environments)
`--version <ver>`	Pin to a specific version: `openclaw update --version 1.3.0`
`--force`	Re-install even if the current version matches the target

What Gets Updated

Binary / wheel: the core openclaw package and all its Python dependencies
Built-in packs: the tool packs that shipped with the installed version are refreshed to their latest compatible release
JSON schemas: config file schemas are updated to reflect new options in the new version
Shell completions: regenerated automatically if a completion script is detected in your shell config

Community packs installed with openclaw install are NOT updated automatically; run openclaw install --upgrade <pack> explicitly.

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
`0`	Success (or already up-to-date)
`1`	Update available (with `--check` only)
`2`	Download or checksum failure
`3`	Rollback triggered — previous version restored
`10`	No network access

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