OpenClaw 2.0 (v2026.8.1): What Changed
If your install still identifies as a 2026.6 or 2026.7 build, treat 2.0 as a planned migration, not a quiet npm bump. Official docs: the v2026.7.2 betas shipped as v2026.8.1. Pages that mention 2026.7.2 are describing work that reached people in 8.1.
Confirm
openclaw --version before you follow this page. Release notes: docs.openclaw.ai/releases.What 8.1 advertised
- A rebuilt web experience (the Control UI you open on localhost after the Gateway starts).
- Simpler onboarding for first-run channel and model setup.
- Stronger memory and session continuity across chats.
- A large reliability pass across replies, reconnects, and sessions.
What 8.2 added on top
v2026.8.2 is the companion release: Home beside your work, a Linux desktop companion, background sessions, browser control without a running Gateway, and extra Control UI looks. Browser control details: browser control.
Should you jump from H1?
| Your situation | Move |
|---|---|
| Personal laptop, one Telegram bot, you can tolerate a weekend restore | Backup, then upgrade toward current 10.x. Do not stop at 8.1 if 10.9 is available. |
| VPS with mail, files, and multiple channels | Clone the data directory first. Read full backup. Upgrade on a copy if you can. |
| Gateway already failing after a partial update | Recover. Do not run another updater on a half-written tree. |
After 2.0
September and October stacked Atomic Updates, specialist teams, Skill Workshop 2.0, public links, and security remediations on this base. Timeline: What's New 2026. Upgrade steps: Upgrade & Migration.