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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchIf an OpenClaw update appears stuck, do not launch a second updater or immediately restore a backup. Connect to the machine running the Gateway and inspect its durable update record first:
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openclaw update status --json
openclaw gateway status --deep --jsonThe recorded phase, reason code and previous result identify whether the failure is a locked update ledger, a Doctor validation problem, a package or registry error, a restart failure, or a permissions problem. Fix that cause, preview the proposed actions, and then retry from the same installation owner.
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Start on the Gateway host, not the computer showing the UI
The Control UI is only a display and control surface. The update runs where the OpenClaw Gateway is installed, so troubleshooting from another workstation can produce misleading results. Log in to the Gateway host or open its local shell before running any command.
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Read the durable update result:
openclaw update status --json -
Check the Gateway, its installation root and service health:
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openclaw gateway status --deep --json -
If you are using the Control UI, select Check status, then View details. This reads the saved result; it does not start another update.
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Record the phase, reason code, target version, installation method, restart result and any package-manager error before changing anything.
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Do not retry while another update or Gateway write is still active. A second updater can turn a recoverable lock or partial operation into a harder-to-diagnose state.
Understand what the status record is telling you
openclaw update status --json is the authoritative first check because it exposes the update’s durable state rather than a transient message in the browser. The useful clues are:
- Phase: where the operation stopped, such as staging, validation, activation, restart or verification.
- Reason code: the machine-readable cause that determines the next repair.
- Prior result: whether the previous attempt rolled back, left an installation that can be restarted, or never reached activation.
- Target and channel: the release the updater attempted to install.
- Restart information: whether the configured supervisor was available and whether the Gateway became healthy afterward.
The deep Gateway check supplies the context that a generic “update failed” banner omits: which installation root is active, whether the process is healthy, and whether the service supervisor can restart it.
Preview the next attempt before installing
Once the recorded cause has been corrected, preview the update:
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When the preview is clean, run:
openclaw updateRun both commands as the account that normally owns the OpenClaw installation and Gateway service. Changing home directories or environment variables between the dry run and the real run can make the two operations address different package stores or configuration files.
Match the reason code to the repair
| Recorded state | What it means | Safe response |
|---|---|---|
update-ledger-busy |
Another process holds the update database write lock. | Let competing Gateway writes finish, inspect the previous run, and retry once. Do not start a second updater or kill a process merely to clear the lock. |
doctor-failed |
OpenClaw’s validation and migration checks found a problem before activation. | Run openclaw doctor on the Gateway host, resolve every reported finding, then rerun the dry run and update. |
global-install-failed |
The global package installation failed, or an older updater defect left an incomplete install. | Inspect the rollback result and whether the existing installation is safe to restart. If it is incomplete, use the manual package-manager recovery below, then Doctor and a service-owner restart. |
ETARGET |
The requested package version or dependency target is unavailable from the configured registry. | Check the requested specification and registry, run npm view <spec> version, correct the dependency or mirror setting, and retry. |
E404 |
The registry could not find the package or version being requested. | Verify the package name, target version, registry URL and mirror credentials before repeating the update. |
EINTEGRITY |
The downloaded package did not match its expected integrity data. | Verify npm’s cache and the configured registry or mirror, resolve the reported cache or transport problem, and retry only after the package can be fetched consistently. |
restart-disabled |
The installation does not permit the updater to restart the Gateway. | Restore a supported supervisor or enable Gateway restarts, then check service health and the installation root. |
restart-unavailable or another unhealthy restart reason |
The configured supervisor could not perform a usable restart, or the restarted process did not become healthy. | Repair the supervisor configuration, inspect the service account and installation root, and confirm deep Gateway health before another update. |
EACCES or EPERM |
The installation owner cannot write to the package, cache, prefix or related files. | Correct ownership and write permissions for the actual installation owner. Do not run the whole updater under a different home with sudo, and do not recursively chown a shared system prefix. |
When the ledger is busy
A busy ledger is a concurrency problem, not proof that the package is broken. Wait for active Gateway writes, background migrations or another update process to settle. Then read the previous result again. If the lock clears and the recorded failure is understood, perform one controlled retry. Repeatedly starting the command creates more writers and can keep the ledger busy.
When Doctor fails
Run the validator directly:
openclaw doctorApply the specific fixes it reports, such as a migration or an invalid configuration, rather than bypassing the check. Only after Doctor completes cleanly should you run openclaw update --dry-run and then the real update.
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When the global install fails
First determine whether the updater rolled back to the previous package or left an incomplete installation. A rollback that restored a runnable Gateway has a different recovery path from a package tree that cannot start. For an incomplete install or an older updater defect, use the manual npm procedure and then validate the resulting service. Preserve the current state and configuration while replacing code.
When npm reports ETARGET, E404 or EINTEGRITY
These errors point to dependency selection, package availability or package verification, not to a Gateway restart. Check the exact target and registry from the Gateway host:
npm view <spec> versionFor ETARGET, confirm that the requested release or dependency exists. For E404, verify the package name, version and mirror. For EINTEGRITY, check the npm cache and registry or mirror consistency. Do not “fix” an integrity error by accepting an unverified package.
When restart is disabled or unavailable
An update can install successfully and still appear stuck if the Gateway cannot be restarted or the restarted process is unhealthy. Restore a supported service supervisor for the host—such as systemd, launchd or Windows Task Scheduler—or enable the OpenClaw restart capability expected by that installation. Then inspect the service account, installation root and deep status output. The update is not complete until the Gateway is reachable and healthy after the restart.
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Find the account that owns the OpenClaw installation, its npm cache and its service. Repair only the affected paths so that this account can read and write them. Running the updater with sudo can put files in a root-owned home or cache, causing the next normal run to fail. Recursively changing ownership of a shared system prefix can also damage unrelated applications; use an installation-specific path and the correct owner instead.
Manual npm recovery when the updater cannot finish
Use this path for a global npm installation when the built-in updater is damaged, an installation was incomplete, or the package-manager phase failed:
npm i -g openclaw@<target> --allow-scripts=openclaw
openclaw doctor --fix
openclaw gateway restart
openclaw gateway status --deepReplace <target> with the intended OpenClaw release or specification. Execute the commands as the service and installation owner, not as an unrelated administrator account. The first command reinstalls the package and explicitly allows the OpenClaw package scripts. openclaw doctor --fix repairs or migrates the installation after the package is present. The restart must be performed by the same service owner and then verified with deep status.
If the manual install itself reports a registry, dependency, integrity or permission error, stop at that error and apply the corresponding repair in the reason-code table. Do not continue to Doctor against a package tree that npm did not successfully install.
Container deployments require an image replacement
For Docker, Podman or Kubernetes deployments, a package installed inside a running container is not durable. The next replacement recreates the container from its image and discards that in-container package change.
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Pull the target image or build a new image containing the desired OpenClaw release.
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Keep the same state and configuration mounts, secrets and required environment settings.
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Redeploy through the container orchestrator, replacing the old workload rather than patching the running container.
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Check Gateway readiness and deep status after the new workload starts.
State and configuration mounts are what preserve the Gateway’s data across image replacement. Changing the image without attaching the original mounts can look like a successful update while actually starting a new, empty installation.
Use the installation and supervisor to choose the recovery path
The correct fix depends on more than the error text. Before retrying, identify the package or source installation, the phase that failed, the service supervisor and whether another process writes the state.
| Installation or deployment | Typical recovery focus | State-preserving check |
|---|---|---|
| Global npm, pnpm or Bun package | Package registry, cache, prefix ownership, package scripts, Doctor and service restart. | Use the same package owner, home and prefix; verify the Gateway after restart. |
| Git-based installation | Repository revision, working-tree changes, dependency installation and the configured service command. | Keep the existing state and configuration paths separate from source-code changes. |
| Systemd service | Unit owner, environment, executable path and restart result. | Confirm the unit restarts the same installation root checked by the CLI. |
| launchd service | Launch agent or daemon definition, owner and executable path. | Check that the loaded job points to the intended release and state directory. |
| Windows Task Scheduler | Task account, working directory, command path and trigger or restart behavior. | Run status checks in the task’s account context and verify the same configuration. |
| Docker, Podman or Kubernetes | Image build or pull, deployment replacement, readiness and mounted state/configuration. | Reuse the original mounts; do not rely on mutations made inside a running container. |
Account for the failed phase
Staging
Staging failures usually involve fetching or preparing packages. Check the target, registry, cache, network path and write permissions. A successful staging step does not yet prove that the Gateway can activate the release.
Validation
Validation failures are handled by Doctor and configuration repair. Read every finding, apply the narrow fix, and rerun the validation rather than skipping it.
Activation
Activation failures can leave either a clean rollback or an incomplete package tree. Read the prior result before deciding whether a normal retry is safe. Use manual npm recovery when the updater cannot restore a known-good installation.
Restart
Restart failures concern the supervisor, service owner, executable path or process health. Repair those host-level settings and verify deep Gateway status.
Verification
Verification failures occur after an apparent install or restart. Check that the running process uses the intended installation root and that its state and configuration are readable. Do not call the update complete until the Gateway reports healthy.
Prepare older installations before a major update
Installations older than June 2026 should not jump directly to the latest release. First move them to 2026.9.5, run the Doctor migrations included for that transition, and only then move to the latest release. This intermediate step is a compatibility requirement for those older installations.
Supported Node versions are Node 24.16 or newer on the 24.x line, or Node 26.1 or newer. Check the Node runtime used by the Gateway service, not only the version in an interactive shell; service managers can load a different executable path.
Back up state before a significant update
Create and verify a backup before a significant update. Automatic configuration copies made during an update are not a full-state backup: they may not include the database, credentials, plugin data or other runtime state needed to recreate the Gateway.
- Keep the backup until the updated Gateway has completed readiness and deep health checks.
- Record which state and configuration directories or mounts the backup contains.
- Verify that the backup can be read before relying on it for recovery.
Do not restore a snapshot as the first response to an update failure. First reinstall known-good code while preserving the current state. Restore a verified pre-update snapshot only if older code cannot read the current configuration or database, and only after the code-recovery path cannot produce a compatible installation.
What not to do when an update waits forever
- Do not launch multiple updaters. A waiting command can be blocked by an active writer; another command adds contention.
- Do not use blanket
sudo. It can split ownership across homes, caches and prefixes. - Do not recursively change a shared prefix. Limit permission repairs to the OpenClaw installation and its actual owner.
- Do not restore state first. Preserve current data while replacing faulty code, and keep recovery backups until readiness is confirmed.
- Do not patch a running container. Rebuild or pull the image and redeploy with the original mounts.
- Do not treat a browser status check as a retry. The UI’s Check status action reads the durable result; use the CLI only after the cause is fixed.
Verify that the update is really complete
After a successful retry or manual recovery, verify the complete path rather than relying on a version string alone:
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Run:
openclaw gateway status --deep --json -
Confirm that the Gateway process is healthy, reachable and running from the intended installation root.
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Confirm that the service supervisor can keep it running after the update command exits.
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Check the Control UI or a client connection only after the host-level status is healthy.
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Keep the verified backup until the Gateway has remained ready through the normal restart and connection checks.
If the Gateway never reports a final update result, return to openclaw update status --json on the Gateway host. A missing final result is a reason to inspect the prior phase and supervisor state—not a reason to start another updater blindly.
A concise recovery sequence
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Work on the Gateway host and run
openclaw update status --jsonplusopenclaw gateway status --deep --json. -
Identify the durable phase, reason code, installation type, service supervisor and prior result.
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Resolve the recorded cause: release or registry availability, Doctor findings, ledger contention, permissions, package damage or restart health.
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Run
openclaw update --dry-runas the normal installation owner. -
Run
openclaw updateonce the preview is clean. -
For a damaged global npm install, use the manual npm recovery commands, then Doctor, restart and deep status.
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For a container, rebuild or pull the image and redeploy with the same state and configuration mounts.
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Verify Gateway readiness before removing recovery backups.
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