OpenClaw v2.0 Update: Critical Pre-Update Checklist to Avoid Breaking Changes

OpenClaw Major Update Requires Pre-Update Preparation

OpenClaw has released its biggest update in months with 12 breaking changes, a completely new plugin system, and 30+ security patches. The update will silently break setups if users run npm update without preparation first.

Step 1: Check Environment Variables

Legacy environment variables from when OpenClaw was called Clawdbot or Moltbot will no longer work. There's no compatibility shim, fallback, or warning. Check for old variables:

env | grep -i clawdbot
env | grep -i moltbot

If anything shows up, rename them:

CLAWDBOT_* → OPENCLAW_*
MOLTBOT_* → OPENCLAW_*

Check your .env, .bashrc, .zshrc, .profile, and any docker-compose files. Missing variables will cause OpenClaw to start with default settings instead of your configuration.

Step 2: Check State Directory

Auto-detection for the old directory name is gone. Check your current state directory:

ls ~/.moltbot 2>/dev/null && echo "YOU NEED TO MOVE THIS"
ls ~/.openclaw 2>/dev/null && echo "you're fine"

If you're still on ~/.moltbot, move it before updating:

mv ~/.moltbot ~/.openclaw

Or set the path explicitly:

export OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR=~/.openclaw

If you update first, OpenClaw will create a fresh ~/.openclaw directory with empty config.

Step 3: Backup Your Config

Create a backup before updating:

cp -r ~/.openclaw ~/.openclaw-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d)

This includes your SOUL.md, USER.md, MEMORY.md, agents config, skills, and everything else.

Step 4: Check Browser Automation Setup

The legacy chrome extension relay is completely removed. If your browser config uses driver: "extension" or browser.relayBindHost, those settings do nothing now. Check your config:

openclaw config get | grep -i browser

The new approach uses existing-session browser attachment. OpenClaw connects to a browser that's already running instead of controlling one through an extension. OpenClaw now manages its own browser profile (the openclaw profile) or attaches to an existing chrome session via CDP.

Step 5: Understand Clawhub Change

Clawhub is now the default plugin and skill store. When you run openclaw plugins install or openclaw skills install, it checks Clawhub first and only falls back to npm if it can't find the package there. This means:

Some skills installed via npm might need to be reinstalled via Clawhub
openclaw skills search, openclaw skills install, and openclaw skills update are new commands that use ClawHub natively
If a skill isn't on Clawhub, you can still install from npm (it's a fallback, not a removal)

After updating, run: