Use openclaw plugins update <plugin-id> --dry-run to preview an update, then run openclaw plugins update <plugin-id> to update one tracked plugin or openclaw plugins update --all to update every tracked plugin. Afterward, verify the runtime with openclaw plugins inspect <id> --runtime, openclaw plugins list --enabled, and, when necessary, openclaw plugins doctor.
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The safest process is to identify the installed source, review the proposed change, handle capability and source-trust prompts deliberately, and confirm that the running Gateway loaded the new generation. A local Gateway applies the operation immediately; without one, OpenClaw records the change for the next start.
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What you need before updating
OpenClaw plugin updates are performed through the OpenClaw CLI. You need an OpenClaw installation that includes the CLI, network access to the plugin source, and any credentials, configuration keys, or operating-system tools required by that plugin. A plugin that connects to a model provider, channel, speech engine, web service, or local executable can fail after an otherwise successful package update if its external requirement is missing.
First determine how the plugin was installed. OpenClaw can work with ClawHub entries, npm packages or specs, Git repositories, local directories, archives, marketplaces, and npm-pack tarballs. The source determines how a later update resolves the plugin. For Git installs, OpenClaw records the source and ref, along with the resolved commit, so a later update can resolve that source again.
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Check whether the installation is managed by Nix. When OPENCLAW_NIX_MODE=1 is set, imperative plugin install, update, uninstall, enable, and disable commands refuse to run. In that mode, make the change in the Nix source instead of trying to override it from the CLI.
OpenClaw plugin update commands at a glance
| Goal | Command | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| List enabled plugins | openclaw plugins list --enabled |
Shows the plugins currently enabled in the OpenClaw setup. |
| Inspect the active runtime | openclaw plugins inspect <plugin-id> --runtime |
Shows runtime information for one plugin, including whether the loaded state matches what you expect. |
| Preview one update | openclaw plugins update <plugin-id> --dry-run |
Calculates the proposed update without applying it. |
| Update one tracked plugin | openclaw plugins update <plugin-id> |
Updates a plugin already tracked by OpenClaw. |
| Update from a package or source spec | openclaw plugins update <npm-package-or-spec> |
Targets the package or specification you provide rather than relying only on the installed identifier. |
| Update every tracked plugin | openclaw plugins update --all |
Attempts an update for all tracked plugins. |
| Run diagnostics | openclaw plugins doctor |
Checks plugin activation and dependency problems. |
Use the identifier shown by the list or inspect command rather than guessing a package name. If you need to target a particular npm package or specification, use the package/spec form explicitly.
Safe step-by-step update workflow
1. Record the current state
- Run
openclaw plugins list --enabled. - Choose the plugin you intend to change and run
openclaw plugins inspect <plugin-id> --runtime. - Note the plugin identifier, source type, enabled state, and any runtime or dependency information shown.
This gives you a reference point if the update changes activation, capabilities, or dependency resolution. It also prevents updating a similarly named package instead of the plugin that is actually loaded.
2. Preview the update
For a single plugin, run openclaw plugins update <plugin-id> --dry-run. Review the source that OpenClaw intends to use and the resulting version, ref, or package resolution. A dry run is particularly useful on production Gateways because it lets you detect source confirmation, capability consent, or dependency issues before changing the installed copy.
The preview does not replace the actual update. It is a planning pass: after reviewing its output, rerun the command without --dry-run to apply the change.
3. Apply one plugin update
For a plugin already tracked by OpenClaw, use:
openclaw plugins update <plugin-id>If you need to provide a package or source specification directly, use:
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openclaw plugins update <npm-package-or-spec>This is an update operation, not a requirement to manually uninstall first. OpenClaw resolves the selected source and updates the plugin installation while retaining the previous installation where possible if the operation fails.
4. Update all tracked plugins
To update every plugin tracked by the installation, run:
openclaw plugins update --allUse this only after reviewing the scope of the change. Plugins can add channels, model providers, agent harnesses, tools, skills, speech, realtime transcription, voice, media-understanding, web-fetch or search functions, and other runtime capabilities. Updating them together can therefore change more than package versions; it can alter the capabilities presented to an agent or Gateway.
OpenClaw continues with the remaining plugins if one update fails. It keeps the previous installation where possible and prints a next action for the failed item, so inspect the individual failure before rerunning the entire batch.
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5. Handle consent and source confirmation
Some updates request consent for capabilities. In an interactive terminal, read the requested capabilities and approve only what the plugin needs. In a noninteractive run, the explicit flag is:
openclaw plugins update <plugin-id> --accept-capabilitiesAdd --accept-capabilities only after reviewing the request. It is an acknowledgement, not a security audit.
Sources outside the trusted catalog can require confirmation. Arbitrary npm, Git, local path or archive, npm-pack, and marketplace sources may be treated differently from bundled or official catalog plugins. Where the documentation requests source confirmation, --force can provide that confirmation and, where applicable, permit overwrite behavior. Do not add it merely to suppress a warning; confirm that the source and replacement behavior are intentional first.
6. Understand Gateway application timing
When a local OpenClaw Gateway is running, plugin operations are applied to that Gateway and the command returns the applied generation. If no local Gateway is available, OpenClaw saves the operation for the next start. In the latter case, a successful command does not mean that the current process has already loaded the new code.
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7. Verify the loaded plugin
- Run
openclaw plugins inspect <plugin-id> --runtimeand confirm the expected source, version or commit, and runtime state. - Run
openclaw plugins list --enabledto confirm that the plugin remains enabled. - If activation, imports, or dependencies look wrong, run
openclaw plugins doctor.
For an update performed without a Gateway, perform these checks after the next start. If the plugin supplies a channel, provider, tool, or other capability, exercise the smallest safe operation that proves that capability is available without exposing production traffic unnecessarily.
Choosing the right update approach
| Decision | Use this approach | Important trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| One plugin versus every plugin | Use <plugin-id> for a controlled change; use --all for a coordinated refresh. |
A single update limits blast radius. An all-plugin update is faster but can change several capabilities at once. |
| Tracked identifier versus package/spec | Use the identifier for the installed record; use the package/spec form when you deliberately target a package or source specification. | The package/spec form gives direct targeting, while the identifier follows the source already recorded by OpenClaw. |
| Preview versus apply | Use --dry-run first, then rerun without it. |
Previewing reveals intended resolution but does not modify or load the plugin. |
| Interactive versus noninteractive consent | Review prompts interactively; use --accept-capabilities only in an automated run after review. |
Automation avoids a blocked job but removes the pause at the consent prompt. |
| Trusted catalog versus other source | Proceed normally for bundled or official catalog entries; scrutinize npm, Git, local, archive, npm-pack, and marketplace sources. | Non-catalog sources may require explicit confirmation or --force. |
| Immediate Gateway versus next start | Run with a local Gateway for immediate application; otherwise schedule or restart for the next start. | The saved operation is not the same as code loaded in the current process. |
| Imperative CLI versus Nix configuration | Use the CLI in ordinary mode; edit the Nix source when OPENCLAW_NIX_MODE=1 is active. |
Nix mode intentionally refuses imperative plugin changes. |
How source type affects an update
ClawHub, bundled, and official catalog plugins
Bundled and official catalog plugins are treated as trusted sources under the documented policy. You can still review the dry-run output and requested capabilities, but these entries generally follow OpenClaw’s normal source-resolution path.
npm packages and specifications
An npm-based plugin depends on network access to the selected registry or package source. Use the package/spec form when you need to select a particular package target. If the plugin requires credentials or environment configuration at runtime, keep those settings available after the update; updating package files does not create missing provider keys.
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Git repositories
Git installs retain the source and ref plus the resolved commit. A later update can therefore re-resolve the recorded ref. If a branch or tag moved, the resolved commit may change even though the textual ref is the same, so record the runtime result when reproducibility matters.
Local paths, archives, marketplaces, and npm-pack tarballs
These sources can require explicit confirmation because OpenClaw cannot treat every arbitrary artifact as trusted. Confirm that the path or archive is the intended artifact, inspect any capability request, and use --force only when the source confirmation is understood. A local plugin may also require you to install its dependencies yourself if they are not bundled.
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Troubleshooting refused or incomplete updates
The command refuses to run immediately
Check whether OPENCLAW_NIX_MODE=1 is set. In Nix mode, update operations are intentionally blocked; change the plugin declaration in the Nix source and deploy that configuration instead.
If Nix mode is not active, rerun the dry run and read the refusal text. It may be asking for capability consent or confirmation of a non-ClawHub source. Do not bypass the message blindly: review the requested capabilities and source before choosing --accept-capabilities or --force.
The plugin source is not trusted or needs confirmation
Identify the source in the inspect output. For npm, Git, local, archive, npm-pack, or marketplace entries, verify the owner, repository or file path, ref, and intended replacement. Then repeat the update with the confirmation option requested by OpenClaw. If you cannot establish that the source is correct, stop rather than forcing the update.
Dependency import fails after the update
Use the error to classify the source: npm, Git, ClawHub, or local path. Then run openclaw plugins update <plugin-id> again if the source is expected to resolve automatically. If that does not correct the import, reinstall the source, or install the local plugin’s dependencies yourself when the plugin is designed to manage them outside OpenClaw. Run openclaw plugins doctor afterward and inspect the runtime again.
The update succeeds but the plugin is not active
First check whether a local Gateway was running. Without one, the operation waits for the next start. After restarting, compare openclaw plugins inspect <plugin-id> --runtime with the pre-update state and confirm the plugin appears in openclaw plugins list --enabled. Doctor diagnostics can reveal activation or dependency problems that a package-resolution success does not.
One item fails during --all
OpenClaw is designed to continue with the remaining plugins and preserve the previous installation where possible. Capture the failed plugin’s next action, then work on that plugin individually with a dry run, source inspection, and the appropriate update or reinstall step. Avoid repeatedly running --all until the source-specific problem is understood.
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OpenClaw keeps the previous installation where possible when an update fails. Confirm that state with the runtime inspect command and follow the next action printed by the CLI. There is no single rollback command that applies to every source type in the documented workflow; reverting a Git ref, restoring an artifact, or reinstalling a package depends on how that plugin was obtained.
Production checklist
- Confirm the OpenClaw CLI is installed and that network, credentials, configuration keys, and required OS tools are available.
- Check for Nix mode before attempting an imperative update.
- Record enabled plugins with
openclaw plugins list --enabled. - Inspect the target with
openclaw plugins inspect <plugin-id> --runtime. - Preview with
--dry-run. - Review source trust, requested capabilities, and the scope of a one-plugin or all-plugin change.
- Use
--accept-capabilitiesor--forceonly when the associated request has been deliberately approved. - Know whether a local Gateway will apply the change immediately or whether the next start is required.
- Verify the runtime, enabled list, and Doctor diagnostics after activation.
- For a failed batch item, follow its printed next action instead of rerunning the whole batch.
Can you update an OpenClaw plugin without reinstalling it?
Yes. Use openclaw plugins update <plugin-id> for a tracked plugin, or the package/spec form when you intentionally target a package. A manual uninstall is not required for the normal update path. If dependency resolution or a local artifact is damaged, the troubleshooting path may require reinstalling that source, but that is a recovery step rather than the ordinary update procedure.
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