OpenClaw Stability Patch Playbook

This guide is intentionally version-scoped. Apply changes only when your observed issue matches the release notes or validated fix context.

1-Minute Patch Sequence

Use on staging first, then production.

Patch Safely

# 1) Record current version
openclaw --version

# 2) Update and restart
openclaw update
openclaw gateway restart

# 3) Validate
openclaw doctor
openclaw logs --follow

Step 1: Confirm Version and Symptom Match

Never apply “random fixes” from community threads globally. First confirm your version and observed error match the issue scope the patch targets.

Step 2: Apply Config Flags Only If Needed

Some flags are temporary mitigations. Use them when the exact issue is present; remove them once upstream fixes are confirmed stable.

Version-Scoped Mitigation Example

# Example mitigation from community reports (use only if issue matches)
openclaw config set agents.defaults.reasoning false
openclaw config set agents.defaults.thinkingDefault off
openclaw gateway restart

Step 3: Validate Before and After

Run openclaw doctor and ensure no new critical warnings.

Watch logs for 10-15 minutes under real workload.

If regressions appear, rollback version and config immediately.

Rollback Path

Rollback Fast

# Restore previous known-good version
npm install -g [email protected]

# Re-register and restart
openclaw gateway install --force
openclaw gateway restart

# Validate
openclaw doctor

Do not apply mitigation flags permanently without review. They can mask root causes and degrade quality in workloads that actually need reasoning features.

Verify Your Error Before Patching More

Paste the full error into Doctor and confirm root cause before stacking more config changes.

Open Error Doctor

Sources

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