OpenClaw 2026.7.1 upgrade checklist: recover the Gateway without hiding state or permission failures
Quick answer
OpenClaw's official release history uses calendar versions, including 2026.7.1; it does not establish an “OpenClaw 2.0” release. Treat an upgrade as a stateful Gateway change: record the installed version, preserve state, make one controlled update, prove a known route still works, and keep rollback evidence. Do not turn a recovered startup into proof that every integration or permission rule survived.
Who this is for
This is for an operator upgrading an OpenClaw Gateway that runs agents, channels, plugins, or persistent memory. The official install guide documents desktop, installer, package-manager, source, and Docker paths; use the path you actually operate rather than mixing commands from another deployment.
Upgrade record
target_version: 2026.7.1
install_path: desktop | npm | docker | source
state_backup: immutable location and timestamp
gateway_health_before: known route + expected reply
plugin_inventory: enabled IDs and versions
permissions: exec, filesystem, network, channel allowlists
rollback: prior artifact plus restore command tested offline
Five gates
- Name the exact release. Capture the installed and target calendar version, install method, and release URL. Do not describe a beta as stable or rename calendar releases as 2.0.
- Back up before migration. Preserve the state directory and configuration separately. A package rollback cannot restore an overwritten database, transcript, or credential-derived configuration.
- Upgrade one node first. Use a non-production Gateway or a low-risk channel. Keep the previous artifact available until the canary has passed.
- Prove recovery, not only startup. Check process health, one authenticated inbound route, one outbound reply, one permitted tool call, one denied tool call, and one restart. A healthy port is not a recovered workflow.
- Fail closed on uncertainty. If state repair, plugin compatibility, or permissions differ from the recorded baseline, pause promotion. Restore the known version and investigate before reconnecting broad channels.
Decision tree
Exact 2026.7.1 artifact and backup available?
├─ no → stop and create evidence
└─ yes → upgrade one canary Gateway
├─ state or permissions differ → rollback and inspect
├─ known route fails → rollback and capture logs safely
└─ route + deny test pass → staged promotion
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Common mistakes
- Calling a calendar release “OpenClaw 2.0.”
- Updating package code without preserving persistent state.
- Treating a restarted Gateway as proof of channel and tool recovery.
- Broadening permissions to make a post-upgrade test pass.