Auto Updater
Schedule nightly OpenClaw gateway stop–update–restart via a standalone shell script and cron so your local agent stays current without manual CLI rituals.
Overview
Auto-updater is an agent skill for the Operate phase that installs a nightly cron job and standalone shell script to stop the OpenClaw gateway, run openclaw update.run, and restart the gateway.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/teylersf/openclaw-auto-updater --skill auto-updaterWhat is this skill?
- Nightly cron (default 4 AM) runs an external bash script independent of the gateway process
- Script sequence: openclaw gateway stop → openclaw update.run → openclaw gateway start
- Trigger phrases include update yourself, auto update, nightly update, keep updated, and self update
- Manual on-demand path: say update yourself now to run the same script immediately
- Troubleshooting via ~/openclaw-update.log after failed restarts
- Default cron schedule documented at 4 AM daily
- Update script uses a 3-step gateway stop, update.run, gateway start sequence
Adoption & trust: 1k installs on skills.sh; 1/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
Your self-hosted OpenClaw agent falls behind upstream releases because updating requires stopping the gateway—and you cannot rely on the agent to run commands mid-restart.
Who is it for?
Solo builders running OpenClaw locally who want set-and-forget nightly patches without writing their own systemd or cron wrappers.
Skip if: Teams needing staged rollbacks, multi-tenant gateway orchestration, or non-OpenClaw agent runtimes—the skill only wraps the documented openclaw CLI lifecycle.
When should I use this skill?
User mentions update yourself, auto update, nightly update, keep updated, self update, or wants OpenClaw to stay on the latest version via cron.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You get a copied home-folder update script plus a daily cron (or custom time) so OpenClaw refreshes automatically with logs at ~/openclaw-update.log for failures.
- Home-directory OpenClaw update shell script
- Cron entry for scheduled or user-specified update time
- openclaw-update.log for post-run verification
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Staying on the latest OpenClaw build is ongoing production hygiene for a self-hosted agent gateway, which maps to Operate infrastructure work. Infra subphase covers cron jobs, gateway lifecycle, and unattended maintenance scripts that keep your agent runtime patched.
How it compares
Prefer this focused cron-plus-script pattern over asking the live gateway agent to self-update in chat, which breaks when the process must restart.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is auto-updater for?
It is for solo builders and indie operators who self-host OpenClaw and want their gateway and agent packages refreshed on a schedule without manual terminal maintenance.
When should I use auto-updater?
Use it in Operate when your gateway is long-running production infra; say set up auto-updater after initial OpenClaw install, or when you notice version drift and want nightly or custom-time updates.
Is auto-updater safe to install?
It only orchestrates local openclaw CLI stop/update/start via cron; review the Security Audits panel on this page, confirm the script path in your home directory, and inspect ~/openclaw-update.log before trusting unattended upgrades on critical machines.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Auto Updater
# Auto-Updater Skill This skill keeps OpenClaw updated by running a nightly cron job that executes an external shell script — so the update works even when the gateway restarts. ## Quick Setup To enable auto-updates, say "set up auto-updater" and I'll: 1. Copy the update script to your home folder 2. Create a cron job that runs the script at 4 AM daily ## Why a Script? The agent can't run commands while the gateway is restarting. We use a standalone shell script that runs independently of the agent. ## The Update Script ```bash #!/bin/bash # OpenClaw Auto-Updater openclaw gateway stop openclaw update.run openclaw gateway start ``` ## Change Update Time Tell me "change update time to [time]" and I'll update the cron schedule. ## Manual Update Say "update yourself now" and I'll run the script immediately. ## Troubleshooting Check the log file: `~/openclaw-update.log` # OpenClaw Auto-Updater A skill for OpenClaw that automatically updates your agent every night. ## What It Does This skill sets up a nightly cron job that runs an external shell script — the script runs independently of the agent, so it works even when the gateway restarts. ## Why a Script? When OpenClaw updates, the gateway restarts — which kills any running agent commands. By using a standalone shell script (not agent commands), the update runs successfully without needing the agent to be active. ## Installation Copy the `auto-updater` folder to your skills directory: ```bash cp -r auto-updater ~/.openclaw/skills/ ``` Restart your OpenClaw gateway: ```bash openclaw gateway restart ``` ## Setup Once installed, say **"Set up auto-updater"** and I'll: 1. Copy the update script to `~/update-openclaw.sh` 2. Create a cron job that runs at 4 AM daily ## The Script Location: `~/update-openclaw.sh` ```bash #!/bin/bash set -e LOG_FILE="$HOME/openclaw-update.log" log() { echo "[$(date)] $1" | tee -a "$LOG_FILE" } log "Starting OpenClaw update..." openclaw gateway stop openclaw update.run openclaw gateway start log "Update complete!" ``` ## Usage - **"Set up auto-updater"** - Creates the cron job - **"Update yourself now"** - Runs the script immediately - **"Change update time to [time]"** - Updates the schedule ## Change Update Time The cron runs at 4 AM by default. To change: ```bash crontab -e # Change: 0 4 * * * ~/update-openclaw.sh ``` ## Manual Run ```bash ~/update-openclaw.sh ``` Check logs: `~/openclaw-update.log` ## Troubleshooting ### Update Failed Check the log: ```bash cat ~/openclaw-update.log ``` Run manually to see errors: ```bash ~/update-openclaw.sh ``` ### Cron Not Running ```bash crontab -l # List cron jobs ``` ## Requirements - OpenClaw v2026.02+ - Gateway running in local mode - Internet connection for updates #!/bin/bash # OpenClaw Auto-Updater Script # Run this via cron or launchd to update OpenClaw independently # Usage: ./update-openclaw.sh set -e LOG_FILE="$HOME/openclaw-update.log" log() { echo "[$(date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')] $1" | tee -a "$LOG_FILE" } log "Starting OpenClaw update..." # Stop the gateway log "Stopping gateway..." openclaw gateway stop # Run the update log "Running update..." openclaw update.run # Restart the gateway log "Restarting gateway..." openclaw gateway start log "Update complete!"