auto-updater

What This Skill Does

The auto-updater skill is a robust maintenance utility designed specifically for OpenClaw environments. It automates the lifecycle of keeping your agent software current by interfacing directly with git tags. The utility performs a multi-step verification process: it fetches the latest version metadata, calculates version differences using semver, and presents a clear changelog to the user. When the apply flag is triggered, it orchestrates a clean build process including dependency installation via pnpm, application compilation, and Docker container orchestration. By running as a background service, it ensures that your OpenClaw agent is always performing at its peak with the latest features, security patches, and bug fixes without requiring manual intervention.

Installation

To integrate this into your workflow, use the standard agent installation command: clawhub install openclaw/skills/skills/aiwithabidi/smart-updater-pro. Once installed, ensure that your environment has sufficient permissions to modify files in the workspace and interact with the Docker daemon, as the update process requires these system-level privileges to perform build operations and service restarts. No additional configuration files are required beyond ensuring your local git repository is correctly initialized.

Use Cases

This skill is ideal for production environments where downtime must be minimized and update consistency is critical. It is perfect for developers managing multiple OpenClaw nodes, as it allows for scheduled updates during off-peak hours (e.g., 1 AM). It is also highly recommended for security-conscious users who want to ensure they receive critical vulnerability patches as soon as they are published by the maintainers.

Example Prompts

1. "OpenClaw, run the auto-updater check to see if there are any new versions available for the platform."
2. "Please check for OpenClaw updates and apply them if a newer version exists, but provide me with the changelog first."
3. "Run a diagnostic update check using the JSON output mode so I can parse the current version status in my dashboard."

Tips & Limitations

Always verify that your system has at least 2GB of free disk space before initiating an update, as the Docker build process can be resource-intensive. If an update causes instability, the script is designed to output specific instructions for rolling back to the previous known-good tag. Note that while the tool is designed to be safe, any automated deployment carries a slight risk; ensure you have regular backups of your agent's core configurations before applying major updates. For advanced setups, use the cron integration provided in the documentation to ensure updates are handled silently and reported to your system logs.