OpenClaw 2026.3.13 Recovery Release: What to Upgrade, Verify, and Automate

OpenClaw shipped a recovery release as v2026.3.13-1 on GitHub after a broken v2026.3.13 release path. The key detail: npm stays on 2026.3.13 (no -1 suffix there), while GitHub uses -1 because immutable releases cannot be overwritten.

Why this matters for self-hosted operators

If you run OpenClaw on personal infrastructure (Pi, VPS, homelab, workstation), this is the kind of release nuance that can break unattended update scripts if they assume Git tags and npm versions always match 1:1.

In this release line, practical improvements include:

• Better browser-session reliability and Chrome attach handling improvements
• Multiple gateway/session routing and stability fixes
• Docker hardening and timezone support (OPENCLAW_TZ)
• Messaging channel robustness fixes (Telegram/Discord/Slack/Signal paths)
• Security-focused fixes around auth handling and transport edge cases

Practical upgrade checklist

1. Pin by source intentionally

   • npm/CLI installs: pin 2026.3.13
   • GitHub release automation: allow v2026.3.13-1

2. Add post-upgrade health checks

   • Run openclaw gateway status --require-rpc in automation
   • Confirm channel connectors still pass basic send/receive checks

3. Harden Docker deploys

   • Add explicit timezone via OPENCLAW_TZ
   • Rebuild images on the current release to inherit recent hardening fixes

4. Validate browser automation flows

   • Re-test any live Chrome/session attach workflows
   • Re-test tool-heavy chat sessions for UI stability improvements

What to watch next

OpenClaw has been shipping rapid operational fixes around gateway reliability, browser/session control, and channel consistency. If you run production-like personal agents, treat this as a reminder to keep:

• small release windows,
• explicit health checks, and
• rollback paths for both package and container installs.

Sources:

• GitHub release v2026.3.13-1 (recovery release notes)
• npm registry openclaw dist-tags (latest: 2026.3.13, beta: 2026.3.13-beta.1)