OpenClaw Updater

Automatically check for and install OpenClaw updates with backup and rollback support.

Overview

This skill provides automated OpenClaw update capabilities:

• Check current vs latest version
• Perform safe updates with automatic backups
• Schedule periodic auto-updates via cron
• Dry-run mode to preview updates

Quick Start

Check Current Version

openclaw --version

Check for Updates (Dry Run)

bash ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/openclaw-updater/scripts/update-openclaw.sh --dry-run

Perform Update

bash ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/openclaw-updater/scripts/update-openclaw.sh

Force Reinstall

bash ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/openclaw-updater/scripts/update-openclaw.sh --force

Setting Up Auto-Updates

Daily Auto-Update via Cron

Add to crontab for daily update checks at 3 AM:

0 3 * * * /bin/bash ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/openclaw-updater/scripts/update-openclaw.sh >> ~/.openclaw/logs/cron-update.log 2>&1

Or use OpenClaw's built-in cron:

{
  "name": "openclaw-auto-update",
  "schedule": { "kind": "cron", "expr": "0 3 * * *" },
  "payload": {
    "kind": "systemEvent",
    "text": "Run OpenClaw auto-updater: bash ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/openclaw-updater/scripts/update-openclaw.sh"
  },
  "sessionTarget": "main"
}

How It Works

1. Version Check: Compares installed version against npm registry
2. Backup: Creates timestamped backup of config and workspace
3. Update: Runs npm install -g @openclaw/core@latest
4. Verify: Confirms new version is installed
5. Cleanup: Maintains only last 5 backups

Logs and Backups

• Logs: ~/.openclaw/logs/auto-update.log
• Backups: ~/.openclaw/backups/openclaw-backup-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.tar.gz

Troubleshooting

Node.js Version Issues

OpenClaw requires Node.js >= 22.16.0. If you see version warnings:

# Check current Node version
node --version

# Update Node.js (using n or nvm)
n install 22.16.0
# or
nvm install 22.16.0 && nvm use 22.16.0

Update Fails

1. Check logs: cat ~/.openclaw/logs/auto-update.log
2. Verify npm permissions: npm config get prefix
3. Try with sudo if needed: sudo npm install -g @openclaw/core@latest

Rollback

If update causes issues, restore from backup:

cd ~
tar -xzf ~/.openclaw/backups/openclaw-backup-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.tar.gz

Script Options

Resources

scripts/

• update-openclaw.sh - Main update script with backup/restore capabilities