About This Guide: This Q&A covers OpenClaw's management commands that keep your agent updated, healthy, and intelligent. Topics include: openclaw update and rollback, all memory commands (add, search, delete, export), browser and Canvas control commands, multi-agent management, and diagnostic commands. Updated for the latest OpenClaw release in February 2026.
Management Commands at a Glance
# Update commands
openclaw update # Update to latest version
openclaw update --check # Check if update is available
openclaw update --version 1.2.3 # Update to specific version
openclaw rollback # Rollback to previous version
openclaw rollback --version 1.2.0 # Rollback to specific version
# Memory commands
openclaw memory list # List all memory entries
openclaw memory add [text] # Add a memory entry
openclaw memory search [query] # Search through memories
openclaw memory delete [id] # Delete a specific memory
openclaw memory delete --all # Clear all memories (dangerous!)
openclaw memory export # Export memories to JSON
openclaw memory import [file] # Import memories from JSON
openclaw memory stats # Memory usage statistics
# Browser/Canvas commands
openclaw browser open [url] # Open URL in browser
openclaw browser screenshot # Take screenshot
openclaw canvas open # Open Canvas workspace
# Diagnostic commands
openclaw doctor # Run system health check
openclaw logs # View runtime logs
openclaw logs --clear # Clear log files
openclaw version # Show version info
Part 1: Update & Rollback Commands (Q1–Q10)
Q1 How do I update OpenClaw to the latest version?
# One command update
openclaw update
# Output example:
Current version: 1.4.2
Latest version: 1.5.0
Downloading 1.5.0... ████████████ 100%
Installing...
✅ Updated to 1.5.0 successfully!
Run 'openclaw restart' to apply changes.
# Restart after update
openclaw restart
Safe update: The update command automatically backs up your current config, memory, and skills before upgrading. Your agent state is never lost during an update.
Q2 How do I check if a newer OpenClaw version is available?
# Check for updates (no download)
openclaw update --check
# Output if update available:
✅ Update available: 1.5.0 (current: 1.4.2)
Release notes: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/v1.5.0
Run 'openclaw update' to upgrade.
# Output if up to date:
✅ OpenClaw 1.5.0 is the latest version.
# Check current version
openclaw version
openclaw --version
Q3 How do I update to a specific version (not latest)?
# Update to specific version
openclaw update --version 1.4.0
# Via npm (if installed via npm)
npm i -g [email protected]
# Via pnpm
pnpm add -g [email protected]
# List all available versions
npm view openclaw versions --json
Q4 How do I rollback OpenClaw after a bad update?
# Rollback to previous version (auto-detected)
openclaw rollback
# Output:
Rolling back from 1.5.0 to 1.4.2...
✅ Rollback complete! Run 'openclaw restart'.
# Rollback to specific version
openclaw rollback --version 1.4.0
# If rollback command not available (npm install)
npm i -g [email protected]
openclaw restart
Q5 "openclaw update" fails — why and how to fix?
❌ Error: ECONNRESET / ETIMEDOUT during update download
Update download can't reach npm registry or GitHub. This is a network issue.
✅ Fix: Connect VPN07 first
VPN07's 1000Mbps bandwidth across 70+ countries resolves download failures. Connect VPN07, then run openclaw update again.
✅ Alternative: Update via npm directly
❌ Error: EACCES permission denied
Q6 How do I update a git-cloned OpenClaw installation?
cd ~/openclaw
# Stop the running agent first
openclaw stop
# Pull latest changes
git pull origin main
# Update dependencies
pnpm install
# Rebuild
pnpm run build
# Start updated agent
openclaw start
Q7 What does "openclaw doctor" do and when should I run it?
openclaw doctor
🔍 OpenClaw System Health Check
─────────────────────────────
✅ Node.js: v22.3.0 (required: v18+)
✅ OpenClaw: v1.5.0 (latest)
✅ Configuration: valid
✅ API connection: Anthropic OK (latency: 142ms)
✅ Telegram connection: OK
⚠️ Disk space: 89% used (recommend: <80%)
✅ Memory: 4.2GB / 16GB used (OK)
✅ All 8 skills: healthy
✅ Cron jobs: 4 scheduled correctly
❌ Webhook 3 (github-pr): endpoint unreachable
2 warnings, 1 error found.
Run 'openclaw doctor --fix' to auto-fix issues.
Run openclaw doctor after updates, when your agent behaves strangely, or as a weekly health check.
Q8 How do I view OpenClaw version and build information?
openclaw version
# Output:
OpenClaw 1.5.0
Build: 2026-02-15T08:00:00Z
Commit: a3f5d92
Node.js: v22.3.0
Platform: darwin-arm64
Install: npm global (/usr/local/bin/openclaw)
# Short version only
openclaw --version
# 1.5.0
Q9 How do I enable automatic updates?
# Enable auto-updates in config
openclaw config set AUTO_UPDATE true
openclaw config set AUTO_UPDATE_SCHEDULE "0 3 * * 0" # Every Sunday 3 AM
openclaw config set AUTO_UPDATE_CHANNEL "stable" # Options: stable, beta, nightly
# Disable auto-updates
openclaw config set AUTO_UPDATE false
# Get notified about updates without auto-installing
openclaw config set AUTO_UPDATE_NOTIFY true
openclaw config set AUTO_UPDATE false
Q10 How do I clear OpenClaw's log files when they grow too large?
# Check current log size
du -sh ~/.openclaw/logs/
# Clear logs via CLI
openclaw logs --clear
openclaw logs --clear --before "2026-01-01"
# Configure log rotation in .env
LOG_MAX_SIZE=50MB # Rotate at 50MB
LOG_MAX_FILES=7 # Keep last 7 log files
LOG_COMPRESS=true # Compress old logs
Part 2: Memory Management Commands (Q11–Q22)
Q11 How does OpenClaw's memory system work at the technical level?
OpenClaw has two layers of memory:
Short-term (Context Window)
- • Current conversation messages
- • Limited by model context window
- • Cleared on session end
- • Not searchable via CLI
- • Stored in RAM only
Long-term (Persistent Memory)
- • Facts, preferences, past decisions
- • Persists across restarts
- • Searchable via CLI
- • Stored in ~/.openclaw/memory.json
- • Injectable into every conversation
Q12 How do I view all stored memory entries?
# List all memory entries
openclaw memory list
# Example output:
ID CATEGORY CREATED CONTENT
1 personal 2026-01-15 User is a software engineer in New York
2 prefs 2026-01-16 Prefers bullet points, dislikes walls of text
3 work 2026-01-20 Current project: OpenClaw automation pipeline
4 health 2026-02-01 Oura Ring score goal: 85+
5 finance 2026-02-10 Monthly budget: $3000
# Filter by category
openclaw memory list --category work
# Show most recent
openclaw memory list --sort newest --limit 20
Q13 How do I manually add a memory entry via the CLI?
# Add a simple memory
openclaw memory add "My car is a 2022 Tesla Model 3"
# Add with category tag
openclaw memory add "Project deadline: March 15, 2026" --category work
# Add with importance rating
openclaw memory add "Allergic to penicillin" --importance critical
# Add from a file
openclaw memory add --file my-background.txt
# Agent also adds memories automatically during conversation
# e.g., "Remember that I prefer dark mode interfaces"
Q14 How do I search through OpenClaw's stored memories?
# Semantic search (finds related memories, not just exact matches)
openclaw memory search "project deadline"
openclaw memory search "my car"
openclaw memory search "food preferences"
# Exact keyword search
openclaw memory search --exact "Tesla"
# Search within a date range
openclaw memory search "work" --since "2026-02-01"
# Output format
openclaw memory search "project" --json
Note: OpenClaw uses vector embeddings for semantic search — it understands meaning, not just keywords. A search for "transportation" will find memories about your Tesla car.
Q15 How do I delete a specific memory entry?
# Delete by ID (get ID from memory list)
openclaw memory delete 3
# Delete all memories in a category
openclaw memory delete --category work
# Delete memories older than a date
openclaw memory delete --before "2026-01-01"
# Clear ALL memories (use with extreme caution!)
openclaw memory delete --all
# Prompts for confirmation: "Type DELETE to confirm"
Warning: --all permanently erases your agent's entire knowledge base about you. Export a backup first with openclaw memory export.
Q16 How do I export and import memory for backup or migration?
# Export all memories to JSON
openclaw memory export > my-memories-backup.json
# Export to specific file
openclaw memory export --output ~/backups/memories-$(date +%Y%m%d).json
# Export only specific categories
openclaw memory export --category personal,work
# Import memories on new machine
openclaw memory import my-memories-backup.json
# Merge import (don't overwrite existing)
openclaw memory import my-memories-backup.json --merge
Q17 How do I view memory usage statistics?
openclaw memory stats
Memory Statistics
─────────────────────────────
Total entries: 247
Total size: 1.8 MB
Oldest entry: 2026-01-12
Newest entry: 2026-02-20
By Category:
personal: 45 entries
work: 89 entries
prefs: 23 entries
health: 31 entries
general: 59 entries
Context injection: 15 memories per request (average)
Q18 How do I configure how much memory is injected per conversation?
# In config.json
{
"memory": {
"enabled": true,
"maxInjectEntries": 20, # Max memories per request
"relevanceThreshold": 0.75, # Only inject if relevance > 75%
"autoSave": true, # Auto-save new facts from conversations
"autoSaveThreshold": 0.85, # Confidence needed to auto-save
"categories": {
"personal": {"priority": "high"},
"prefs": {"priority": "high"},
"work": {"priority": "medium"}
}
}
}
Q19 How do I edit an existing memory entry?
# Edit by ID (opens in $EDITOR)
openclaw memory edit 3
# Edit inline
openclaw memory edit 3 --content "Updated project deadline: April 1, 2026"
# Change category
openclaw memory edit 3 --category archived
# Or directly edit the memory.json file
nano ~/.openclaw/memory.json
Q20 How do I stop my agent from automatically creating new memories?
# Disable auto-save completely
openclaw config set MEMORY_AUTO_SAVE false
# Or in config.json
{
"memory": {
"autoSave": false,
"requireConfirmation": true # Ask before saving
}
}
# Restart to apply
openclaw restart
Part 3: Browser, Canvas & Diagnostic Commands (Q21–Q28)
Q21 How do I use OpenClaw's browser control commands?
OpenClaw can control Chrome/Chromium via the browser skill (peekaboo). First install it:
# Install browser skill
openclaw skills install peekaboo
# Then via CLI commands
openclaw browser open https://example.com
openclaw browser screenshot
openclaw browser screenshot --output ~/Desktop/screenshot.png
# Or tell your agent in chat:
# "Open my browser, go to gmail.com, and check my inbox"
# "Take a screenshot of what you see on the screen"
# "Fill in the form on the current page with my details"
Q22 What is Canvas and how do I access it?
Canvas is OpenClaw's visual workspace — a web-based interface where your agent can display rich content like charts, documents, images, and interactive elements.
# Open Canvas in browser
openclaw canvas open
# Opens http://localhost:3000/canvas in your default browser
# Open Canvas on custom port
openclaw canvas open --port 8080
# Share Canvas externally (via cloudflared)
openclaw canvas open --share
# Generates a public URL for the Canvas
Canvas works on iOS and Android too — your agent can push content to your mobile device's Canvas view.
Q23 How do I use OpenClaw's shell/bash execution commands?
OpenClaw has full shell access — it can run any command on your machine. Access is controlled by permission level (full or sandboxed):
# Configure bash access level in config.json
{
"bash": {
"enabled": true,
"mode": "sandboxed", # Options: full, sandboxed, disabled
"allowedCommands": ["git", "npm", "python3"], # sandboxed mode
"blockedCommands": ["rm -rf", "sudo"],
"requireConfirmation": true # Ask before running
}
}
# The agent can then run shell commands when asked:
# "Run 'git status' and tell me what's changed"
# "Check if port 8080 is in use"
# "Run my test suite and report failures"
Q24 How do I use OpenClaw's voice commands?
# Install voice skill
openclaw skills install voice-transcribe
# Enable Voice Wake word
openclaw config set VOICE_WAKE_ENABLED true
openclaw config set VOICE_WAKE_WORD "Hey Jarvis"
# CLI voice interaction
openclaw voice listen # Listen for next command
openclaw voice listen --continuous # Always on
# Text-to-speech response
openclaw config set VOICE_RESPONSE_ENABLED true
openclaw config set VOICE_RESPONSE_VOICE "en-US-Wavenet-D"
Q25 How do I run OpenClaw diagnostics and get a support report?
# Full diagnostic report (for support tickets)
openclaw doctor --report
# Creates: ~/.openclaw/diagnostic-report-2026-02-20.json
# Auto-fix detectable issues
openclaw doctor --fix
# Check specific component
openclaw doctor --check api
openclaw doctor --check memory
openclaw doctor --check skills
openclaw doctor --check network
Q26 How do I manage multiple OpenClaw agents from a single CLI?
# List all running agent instances
openclaw agent list
# Output:
NAME PROFILE PID STATUS UPTIME
Jarvis personal 18432 running 3d 14h
TeamBot work 19201 running 1d 2h
DevAgent dev - stopped -
# Start a specific agent
openclaw agent start DevAgent --profile dev
# Send command to specific agent
openclaw agent send TeamBot "morning briefing"
# Stop specific agent
openclaw agent stop TeamBot
Q27 How do I use the OpenClaw API for programmatic control?
# OpenClaw exposes a REST API on port 3000
curl http://localhost:3000/api/status
# Send a message programmatically
curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/message \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
-d '{"message": "What is on my calendar today?"}'
# Get API token
openclaw config get API_TOKEN
# or generate a new one
openclaw api token generate
Q28 What is the openclaw "session" command and how does it work?
# View current session information
openclaw session
# Output:
Session ID: sess_7f3a9b2
Started: 2026-02-20 08:00:01
Messages this session: 147
Tokens used: 48,230 (est. $0.14)
Active channels: Telegram, Discord
# Start a new clean session
openclaw session new
# Clears short-term memory, keeps long-term
# View session history
openclaw session history --last 10
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