OpenClaw v2.0 update requires manual checks before installation

OpenClaw has released a major update with significant breaking changes that require manual intervention before installation. The update includes 12 breaking changes, a completely new plugin system, and over 30 security patches.

Required pre-update checks

Before updating, users must perform these checks to avoid configuration issues:

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 or fallback. Check for old variables:

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

If any variables appear, rename them:

• CLAWDBOT_* → OPENCLAW_*
• MOLTBOT_* → OPENCLAW_*

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

Step 2: Check state directory

If OpenClaw data is stored under ~/.moltbot, it won't be detected after the update. Check your current directory:

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

If still using ~/.moltbot, move it:

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, making it appear that all data is lost.

Step 3: Backup your config

Create a backup before updating:

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

This backs up 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 no longer work. Check your config:

openclaw config get | grep -i browser

If you see references to extension, relay, or relayBindHost, you need to reconfigure for the new browser control system. OpenClaw now manages its own browser profile (the openclaw profile) or attaches to an existing chrome session via CDP.

Step 5: Understand the 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:

openclaw skills update

To ensure existing skills are synced with the new system.