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Use openclaw plugins update <plugin-id> --dry-run to preview a tracked plugin update, then run openclaw plugins update <plugin-id> to update one plugin. To update every tracked plugin, use openclaw plugins update --all. Afterward, verify the runtime with openclaw plugins inspect <id> --runtime, check openclaw plugins list --enabled, and run openclaw plugins doctor if anything fails to activate.
OpenClaw plugin update commands
OpenClaw supports three practical update targets:
- One tracked plugin:
openclaw plugins update <plugin-id> - A selected package or source specification:
openclaw plugins update <npm-package-or-spec> - Every tracked plugin:
openclaw plugins update --all
Add --dry-run to preview the operation before it changes the installation. A dry run is especially important on a production Gateway or when several plugins provide channels, model providers, tools, skills, speech, voice, media, or web capabilities.
Updating a tracked plugin is not the same as manually deleting and reinstalling it. OpenClaw resolves the plugin’s recorded source and applies the update through its plugin manager. Git-based installations retain the source and reference information, including the resolved commit, so a later update can resolve that source again.
What you need before updating
Confirm the operating conditions first. Plugin updates can download code, resolve dependencies, and request new capabilities, so a successful command depends on more than the OpenClaw executable being present.
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- An OpenClaw installation with the CLI available in the shell where you will run the command.
- Network access to the selected plugin source when the source must be fetched or resolved.
- Any credentials, configuration keys, or operating-system tools required by that particular plugin.
- A clear understanding of whether the plugin is tracked in OpenClaw’s registry or is being supplied from npm, Git, a local path, an archive, a marketplace, or an npm-pack tarball.
If the installation is managed by Nix, stop before running an imperative update. When OPENCLAW_NIX_MODE=1 is active, OpenClaw refuses plugin install, update, uninstall, enable, and disable commands. In that mode, change the plugin declaration in the Nix source instead of trying to override it from the CLI.
Safe update workflow
1. Inventory the enabled plugins
Start by recording what is actually enabled:
openclaw plugins list --enabledUse the identifier shown by this command as the <plugin-id> in later operations. This avoids updating a similarly named package or an inactive copy by mistake. The enabled list is also your first post-update comparison: if a plugin disappears, changes state, or is no longer associated with the expected identifier, investigate before relying on it.
2. Inspect the target’s runtime state
For a plugin you intend to change, inspect its runtime details:
openclaw plugins inspect <plugin-id> --runtimeThis gives you a pre-update reference for the loaded state. Note the source identity and whether the plugin is active before changing it. If the plugin is already failing to load, capture that state now; otherwise an update can make it harder to tell whether the problem was pre-existing.
3. Preview the update
Run the update command for the selected plugin with --dry-run:
openclaw plugins update <plugin-id> --dry-runThe preview is the appropriate checkpoint for a production installation. It lets you see that OpenClaw has identified the intended source and operation without immediately replacing the current installation. For a package or source specification that you have chosen explicitly, use the package/spec form with the same preview flag:
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4. Review source and capability prompts
OpenClaw treats bundled and official catalog plugins as trusted sources under its documented policy. Other sources—including arbitrary npm packages, Git repositories, local paths or archives, npm-pack tarballs, and marketplace entries—may require explicit confirmation.
Plugins can also declare capabilities that affect the running system. If a noninteractive update requires consent, OpenClaw can accept the request with --accept-capabilities. Use that flag only after reviewing what the plugin is asking to provide or access; it is not a way to bypass an unknown prompt safely. Source confirmation may likewise require --force for non-ClawHub sources, including cases where the operation would overwrite an existing installation. Do not add either flag merely to make an unattended job proceed.
5. Apply one plugin update
When the preview and trust review are satisfactory, run the single-plugin update without --dry-run:
openclaw plugins update <plugin-id>If you deliberately want to update from a particular npm package or source specification rather than the plugin’s tracked identifier, use:
openclaw plugins update <npm-package-or-spec>Keep the source choice explicit. A package/spec update is useful when you are moving to a known package reference; the identifier form is the normal choice for a plugin already tracked by OpenClaw.
6. Update all tracked plugins only when the scope is intentional
For a coordinated refresh of every tracked plugin, run:
openclaw plugins update --allThis is broader than updating the plugin that prompted the maintenance work. Use it when you have reviewed the expected change window and can test all enabled capabilities afterward. A failure in one plugin does not necessarily abort the entire operation: OpenClaw continues with the remaining plugins, keeps the previous installation where possible, and prints a next action for the plugin that could not be updated.
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If a local Gateway is running, OpenClaw applies plugin operations through that Gateway and returns the applied generation. This is the immediate-application path. If no local Gateway is available, OpenClaw saves the operation for the next start instead. Do not interpret a successful command without a running Gateway as proof that the new code is already active in the current process; verify after the next start.
8. Verify the resulting runtime
After the operation, inspect the updated plugin and enabled set again:
openclaw plugins inspect <plugin-id> --runtime
openclaw plugins list --enabledUse the runtime inspection to confirm that the plugin is loaded with the expected source and state. Use the enabled list to check that it remains enabled alongside the other plugins. If activation, dependency loading, or capability registration is wrong, run:
openclaw plugins doctorDoctor is a diagnostic and repair entry point; capability review can apply to Doctor repairs as well as to installs, updates, and enablement. Read any proposed repair before accepting it.
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Choosing the right update scope
| Situation | Operation | What it changes | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| One plugin already tracked by OpenClaw | openclaw plugins update <plugin-id> |
Resolves and updates that plugin’s recorded source | Routine maintenance or a targeted fix |
| Known npm package or source specification | openclaw plugins update <npm-package-or-spec> |
Updates from the package or specification you provide | Moving deliberately to a selected package reference |
| All tracked plugins | openclaw plugins update --all |
Attempts updates for every tracked plugin | Planned fleet-wide or environment-wide maintenance |
| Any of the operations above, before applying changes | Add --dry-run |
Previews the requested operation | Production checks and change review |
The table describes scope, not a guarantee that every update will load. A plugin’s own credentials, configuration, dependencies, and operating-system tools remain part of the runtime contract.
How source type affects updates
Registry and catalog sources
Tracked registry entries and official catalog plugins follow OpenClaw’s normal source policy. They are the least ambiguous targets for the identifier form because OpenClaw already knows which source is associated with the plugin.
npm packages
An npm-based plugin may be updated through its tracked identifier or by supplying a package/spec directly. Network access and any package-specific dependencies are required. If import later fails, identify the plugin as npm-sourced before choosing a recovery path.
Git repositories
For a Git installation, OpenClaw records the source and reference along with the resolved commit. A subsequent update can re-resolve that source instead of treating the installation as an unidentified local copy. A Git source can still fail because the repository is unreachable, the requested reference is unavailable, or its runtime dependencies are not installed.
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These sources are supported, but they do not all behave like a registry package. Arbitrary sources may trigger confirmation, and local code may require you to install its dependencies yourself. Preserve the original source information when troubleshooting so you do not apply an npm-oriented fix to a local-path plugin.
Handling trust and noninteractive jobs
Interactive use gives you a chance to review source and capability prompts. Automation removes that pause, so flags that suppress prompts carry operational risk.
Best Value
--accept-capabilities: use only after you have reviewed the capabilities requested by the plugin and decided they are appropriate for that environment.--force: use only when you have verified the source and understand the overwrite or source-confirmation behavior required for that operation.--dry-run: keep this as the first automated stage where possible, then gate the real update on the preview output and an approved source.
A trusted-source classification does not replace runtime validation. Even an official or bundled plugin can need credentials, configuration, or operating-system tools that are absent on the machine receiving the update.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshooting common failures
The command refuses to run
First check whether Nix mode is active. With OPENCLAW_NIX_MODE=1, imperative plugin updates are intentionally refused; edit the Nix-managed source instead. If Nix mode is not the cause, read the refusal for a source-confirmation or capability-consent requirement. Re-run the dry run, verify the source, and use --force or --accept-capabilities only when the requested action has been reviewed.
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The plugin cannot be imported after updating
Determine where the plugin came from: npm, Git, ClawHub, or a local path. Then choose the matching recovery action:
- Run
openclaw plugins update <id>again if the source is available and the failure may have been transient. - Reinstall the original source when the recorded installation is incomplete or corrupted.
- For a local plugin, install its dependencies yourself if the plugin’s documentation requires that step.
- Run
openclaw plugins doctorand inspect the proposed diagnostics or repair.
The source distinction matters because a local-path dependency problem is not fixed the same way as a package-resolution problem.
One plugin fails during an all-plugin update
OpenClaw continues with the remaining plugins and, where possible, retains the previous installation for the one that failed. Read the printed next action, then isolate the failed plugin with its identifier. Inspect its runtime state, confirm its source, and retry that plugin rather than repeatedly rerunning the entire set.
The update succeeded but the new code is not active
Check whether a local Gateway was running when the operation was applied. With a Gateway, OpenClaw applies the operation and reports the applied generation. Without one, the operation is saved for the next start. Start OpenClaw as required by that mode, then use runtime inspection and the enabled list to confirm activation.
The plugin is no longer enabled
Use openclaw plugins list --enabled to establish the current state and openclaw plugins inspect <id> --runtime for details. If dependencies or activation are implicated, run Doctor. Do not assume that an installed package is an enabled, loaded runtime plugin.
Update approaches compared
| Decision axis | Option A | Option B | Operational consequence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope | One plugin | All tracked plugins | Targeted risk versus a wider change set that requires broader verification |
| Source selection | Tracked registry or package source | Local path or Git source | Recorded source resolution versus source-specific confirmation and dependency handling |
| Change stage | Preview with --dry-run |
Apply without the preview flag | Review opportunity versus immediate modification |
| Consent mode | Interactive capability review | Noninteractive flags | Human inspection versus explicit responsibility for --accept-capabilities and, where needed, --force |
| Gateway state | Local Gateway running | No local Gateway | Operation applies in the current Gateway generation versus being saved for the next start |
| Configuration model | Imperative CLI management | Nix-managed configuration | CLI update commands are available versus refused while OPENCLAW_NIX_MODE=1 is active |
Production checklist
- Confirm the target identifier with
openclaw plugins list --enabled. - Capture the current runtime state with
openclaw plugins inspect <id> --runtime. - Run the appropriate update with
--dry-runfirst. - Verify the source type and any requested capabilities.
- Use
--accept-capabilitiesor--forceonly after an explicit review. - Choose a single-plugin update when the change is narrow; use
--allonly for an intentional broad maintenance window. - Know whether a local Gateway will apply the operation immediately or whether the next start is required.
- After updating, inspect the runtime and enabled list again.
- Run
openclaw plugins doctorwhen loading, activation, or dependencies are not healthy. - If an update fails, use the reported next action and preserve the previous installation where OpenClaw has kept it.
What a successful update means
A successful update command means OpenClaw completed the requested source operation; it does not by itself establish that every plugin capability is usable. The final check is runtime-oriented: the plugin should appear in the enabled list, its inspection should show the expected loaded state, and Doctor should not report unresolved activation or dependency problems. For installations without a running Gateway, perform that check after the next start, when the saved operation has been applied.
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