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Overview

The update_claw.sh script safely updates OpenClaw to the latest version while:
  • Preserving your existing configuration
  • Maintaining service setup
  • Re-applying critical Android patches that get overwritten during updates
Never update OpenClaw using npm install -g openclaw@latest directly. Always use this script to ensure Android-specific patches are re-applied.

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Why This Script Exists

When you run npm install -g openclaw@latest, npm:
  1. Downloads fresh code from the registry
  2. Overwrites $PREFIX/lib/node_modules/openclaw/
  3. Destroys the /tmp path patches applied during setup
Without re-patching, OpenClaw will fail at runtime on Android.

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Update Process

The script performs 4 sequential operations:
1

Stop the Service

Gracefully shuts down the background service to prevent conflicts
2

Fetch Latest Version

Downloads and installs the latest OpenClaw from npm
3

Re-apply Patches

CRITICAL: Patches hardcoded /tmp paths again
4

Restart the Service

Brings the service back online with the new version

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Step-by-Step Breakdown

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1. Stop the Service

sv down openclaw
Why this matters:
  • Prevents file conflicts while npm replaces running code
  • Ensures clean shutdown of active connections
  • Avoids corrupted state during the update
What it does:
  • Sends SIGTERM to the openclaw gateway process
  • Waits for graceful shutdown
  • Marks the service as “down” in runit

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2. Fetch Latest Version

npm install -g openclaw@latest
What happens:
  • npm queries the registry for the latest version
  • Downloads the package tarball
  • Replaces $PREFIX/lib/node_modules/openclaw/ entirely
  • Recompiles any native dependencies
  • Updates the openclaw binary in $PREFIX/bin
This step can take 3-8 minutes depending on the size of the update and your device performance.

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3. Re-apply the Critical Patch

The Problem: npm just overwrote entry.js with code that has hardcoded /tmp/openclaw paths. The Solution: 
TARGET_FILE="$PREFIX/lib/node_modules/openclaw/dist/entry.js"

if [ -f "$TARGET_FILE" ]; then
    sed -i "s|/tmp/openclaw|$PREFIX/tmp/openclaw|g" "$TARGET_FILE"
    echo "Success: Patch re-applied."
else
    echo "[!] Warning: entry.js not found. Update might have changed structure."
fi
What this does:
  • Locates the main entry point in the updated installation
  • Replaces all occurrences of /tmp/openclaw with $PREFIX/tmp/openclaw
  • Validates the patch was successful
This is the most critical step. Without it, OpenClaw will crash on startup with errors like:
Error: ENOENT: no such file or directory, open '/tmp/openclaw/...'

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4. Restart the Service

sv up openclaw
What this does:
  • Tells runit to start supervising the service again
  • Executes $PREFIX/var/service/openclaw/run
  • Begins logging to $PREFIX/var/log/openclaw/current
Verify success: 
sv status openclaw
You should see: 
run: openclaw: (pid 12345) 5s

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Usage

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Running the Update

./update_claw.sh
Make sure the script is executable:
chmod +x update_claw.sh

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Expected Output

>>> Updating OpenClaw...
[-] Stopping background service...
ok: down: openclaw: 0s, normally up
[-] Fetching latest version from npm...
[npm output...]
[-] Re-patching hardcoded /tmp paths...
    Success: Patch re-applied.
[-] Restarting service...
ok: run: openclaw: (pid 12345) 0s

>>> Update Complete! Check status with: sv status openclaw

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When to Run Updates

  • Weekly: Check for updates if you’re using cutting-edge features
  • Monthly: Standard maintenance schedule
  • As needed: When specific bugs are fixed or features are added

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Checking for Available Updates

Before running the update script, check if a new version is available: 
npm view openclaw version
Compare with your current version: 
openclaw --version

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Why Patches Must Be Re-applied

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The Root Cause

OpenClaw is developed on traditional Linux systems where /tmp is a standard directory. The compiled code in dist/entry.js contains these hardcoded paths.

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Why npm Doesn’t Preserve Patches

When you run npm install -g openclaw@latest:
  1. npm completely replaces the node_modules/openclaw/ directory
  2. Your previous modifications (the sed patches) are deleted
  3. Fresh code with /tmp paths is restored

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The Android Reality

Android’s security model doesn’t allow apps to access /tmp. Termux provides:
  • $PREFIX/tmp → /data/data/com.termux/files/usr/tmp
This is writable and persistent within the Termux environment.
This limitation affects all Node.js applications on Android, not just OpenClaw. Any app expecting /tmp needs similar patching.

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Troubleshooting

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Update fails during npm install

Possible causes:
  • Network timeout
  • Insufficient storage
  • Corrupted npm cache
Solution: 
# Clear npm cache
npm cache clean --force

# Check available storage
df -h $PREFIX

# Retry update
./update_claw.sh

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Patch warning: “entry.js not found”

The package structure may have changed in a new version. Diagnosis: 
find $PREFIX/lib/node_modules/openclaw -name "*.js" -path "*/dist/*" | head -10
Manual patch: If the entry point moved to a different file: 
sed -i "s|/tmp/openclaw|$PREFIX/tmp/openclaw|g" /path/to/new/entrypoint.js
Report the structure change to the OpenClaw team so the update script can be fixed.

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Service won’t start after update

Check logs: 
tail -50 $PREFIX/var/log/openclaw/current
Common errors:

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“ENOENT: no such file or directory, open ‘/tmp/openclaw/…’”

The patch didn’t apply. Manually run: 
sed -i "s|/tmp/openclaw|$PREFIX/tmp/openclaw|g" \
  $PREFIX/lib/node_modules/openclaw/dist/entry.js
sv up openclaw

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“Error: Cannot find module…”

Dependencies may be broken. Reinstall: 
npm install -g openclaw@latest --force
# Then re-patch
sed -i "s|/tmp/openclaw|$PREFIX/tmp/openclaw|g" \
  $PREFIX/lib/node_modules/openclaw/dist/entry.js
sv up openclaw

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Service keeps restarting

Check for crashes: 
sv status openclaw
If you see the PID changing rapidly, there’s a runtime error. Check logs.

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Configuration was reset

OpenClaw stores configuration in: 
$HOME/.config/openclaw/
This directory is never touched by updates. If your config disappeared: 
ls -la $HOME/.config/openclaw/
If empty, you’ll need to run openclaw onboard again.

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Advanced: Manual Update Process

If you need to update without the script: 
# 1. Stop service
sv down openclaw

# 2. Update via npm
npm install -g openclaw@latest

# 3. Re-patch
sed -i "s|/tmp/openclaw|$PREFIX/tmp/openclaw|g" \
  $PREFIX/lib/node_modules/openclaw/dist/entry.js

# 4. Restart
sv up openclaw

# 5. Verify
sv status openclaw

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