Auto-Updater Pro

Enhanced auto-updater with detailed logging, missed run recovery, and Gateway restart protection.

Version: 1.1.0 (Updated 2026-02-22)

What's New:

• - ✅ Detailed logging at each step (prevents state loss on restart)
• ✅ Missed run recovery (auto-runs if Gateway was offline)
• ✅ 30-second delay after updates (prevents interruption)
• ✅ Email report support (less intrusive than chat messages)
• ✅ Better error handling and retry logic

Note: This is an enhanced version of the original auto-updater skill with production-ready features.

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What It Does

This skill sets up a daily cron job that:

1. 1. Updates Clawdbot itself (via clawdbot doctor or package manager)
2. Updates all installed skills (via clawdhub update --all)
3. Messages you with a summary of what was updated
4. New: Logs every step to prevent state loss on Gateway restart
5. New: Auto-recovers if the scheduled time was missed

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Setup

Quick Start

Ask Clawdbot to set up the auto-updater:

CODEBLOCK0

Or manually add the cron job:

CODEBLOCK1

Recommended Configuration (v1.1.0+)

For production use, add these settings to your cron job:

CODEBLOCK2

Key Settings:

• - missedRunPolicy: "run-immediately" - Auto-runs if Gateway was offline at scheduled time
• INLINECODE4 - Allow 10 minutes for updates to complete
• INLINECODE5 - Set to your timezone

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Configuration Options

Option	Default	Description
Time	4:00 AM	When to run updates (use --cron to change)
Timezone

System default | Set with --tz |
| Delivery | Main session | Where to send the update summary |
| Timeout | 300s | Recommended: 600s for npm updates |
| Missed Run | None | Recommended: run-immediately |

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How Updates Work

Clawdbot Updates

For npm/pnpm/bun installs:
CODEBLOCK3

For source installs (git checkout):
CODEBLOCK4

Always run clawdbot doctor after updating to apply migrations.

Skill Updates

CODEBLOCK5

This checks all installed skills against the registry and updates any with new versions available.

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Update Summary Format

After updates complete, you'll receive a message like:

CODEBLOCK6

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Detailed Logging (v1.1.0+)

To prevent state loss during Gateway restarts, the update process logs every step:

Log File Location

CODEBLOCK7

Log Format

CODEBLOCK8

Six-Phase Update Process

Phase 1: Preparation

• - Record start time
• Check current version
• Write to log file immediately

Phase 2: Check for Updates

• - Check latest version (npm view)
• Append to log file
• Compare versions

Phase 3: Execute Update

• - Record update start
• Run openclaw update run or INLINECODE11
• Immediately log completion
• Verify new version

Phase 4: Persist State

• - Append full results to log
• Wait 3 seconds for disk sync

Phase 5: Send Report

• - Send email/chat report
• Log delivery status

Phase 6: Delay Restart (Critical!)

• - Wait 30 seconds before any Gateway restart
• Ensures npm processes complete
• Prevents state loss

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Manual Commands

Check for updates without applying:
CODEBLOCK9

View current skill versions:
CODEBLOCK10

Check Clawdbot version:

clawdbot --version

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Troubleshooting

Updates Not Running

1. 1. Verify cron is enabled: check cron.enabled in config
2. Confirm Gateway is running continuously
3. Check cron job exists: INLINECODE13
4. Check if missed run policy is set: INLINECODE14

Update Failures

If an update fails, the summary will include the error. Common fixes:

• - Permission errors: Ensure the Gateway user can write to skill directories
• Network errors: Check internet connectivity
• Package conflicts: Run clawdbot doctor to diagnose
• Gateway restart interruption: Check log file for partial completion

Gateway Restart During Update

If Gateway restarts during update (common with npm installs):

1. 1. Check log file: INLINECODE16
2. Verify version: INLINECODE17
3. Manually send report if needed (log file has all info)

Disabling Auto-Updates

Remove the cron job:
CODEBLOCK12

Or disable temporarily in config:

{
  "cron": {
    "enabled": false
  }
}

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Best Practices

1. Schedule During Low Activity

Choose a time when you're unlikely to be using the system:
CODEBLOCK14

2. Enable Missed Run Recovery

Prevents missing updates if Gateway is offline:
CODEBLOCK15

3. Use Email for Reports

Less intrusive than chat messages:

• - Configure email-163-com or similar skill
• Send plain text reports
• Include log file path

4. Log Everything

Always write to log file before sending reports:

• - Prevents state loss
• Enables debugging
• Provides audit trail

5. Wait After Updates

Add 30-second delay before any Gateway restart:

sleep 30

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Resources

• - Clawdbot Updating Guide
• ClawdHub CLI
• Cron Jobs
• Change Log

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Version History

v1.1.0 (2026-02-22)

Improvements:

• - ✅ Added detailed logging at each step
• ✅ Added missed run recovery policy
• ✅ Added 30-second delay after updates
• ✅ Added email report support
• ✅ Improved error handling

Bug Fixes:

• - 🐛 Fixed state loss on Gateway restart
• 🐛 Fixed missed scheduled runs
• 🐛 Fixed report delivery failures

v1.0.0 (2026-01-13)

• - ✅ Initial release
• ✅ Basic daily update check
• ✅ Simple report format

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Published: 2026-02-22 Maintainer: OpenClaw Team License: MIT