PR #58690: Docs: fix stale flows command references

• Repository: openclaw/openclaw
• Author: neeravmakwana
• State: closed | merged: True
• Link: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/pull/58690

Description (problem / solution / changelog)

Summary

• Problem: the 2026.3.31 changelog and several docs pages told users to run openclaw flows, but the current CLI only exposes openclaw tasks.
• Why it matters: users following the release notes or search results land on a nonexistent command and can waste time debugging their install instead of using the supported task commands.
• What changed: corrected the changelog entries, removed the fake flows command from the CLI reference, and turned the ClawFlow / flows pages into compatibility notes that map old wording to the current tasks surface.
• What did NOT change (scope boundary): no runtime CLI behavior changed, no alias was added, and no task implementation logic changed.

Change Type (select all)

• Bug fix
• Feature
• Refactor required for the fix
• Docs
• Security hardening
• Chore/infra

Scope (select all touched areas)

• Gateway / orchestration
• Skills / tool execution
• Auth / tokens
• Memory / storage
• Integrations
• API / contracts
• UI / DX
• CI/CD / infra

Linked Issue/PR

• Closes #58681
• Related #58681
• This PR fixes a bug or regression

Root Cause / Regression History (if applicable)

• Root cause: docs drift. The operator-facing CLI implemented tasks, while the release notes and several docs pages still described a separate flows command surface.
• Missing detection / guardrail: there is no current docs/release-note guardrail that verifies documented CLI commands against the registered command tree.
• Prior context (git blame, prior PR, issue, or refactor if known): the stale wording appears in the 2026.3.31 and 2026.3.31-beta.1 changelog entries and in current docs pages that linked to /cli/flows as if it were a real command.
• Why this regressed now: it did not newly regress in code; it remained in the published docs/changelog after the current task CLI shipped.
• If unknown, what was ruled out: verified against current source and current openclaw --help / openclaw tasks --help behavior that flows is not a registered command.

Regression Test Plan (if applicable)

• Coverage level that should have caught this:
  • Unit test
  • Seam / integration test
  • End-to-end test
  • Existing coverage already sufficient
• Target test or file: N/A
• Scenario the test should lock in: docs and release notes should not claim a flows command when the CLI only exposes tasks.
• Why this is the smallest reliable guardrail: this PR is a docs/changelog correction; the current issue comes from stale copy rather than runtime behavior.
• Existing test that already covers this (if any): the CLI help and command registration already show the real surface.
• If no new test is added, why not: there is no focused docs drift test for this surface today, and adding one would be broader than this fix.

User-visible / Behavior Changes

• The 2026.3.31 changelog now points users to openclaw tasks list|show|cancel instead of the nonexistent openclaw flows command.
• Docs no longer present flows as a current CLI command.
• Old /cli/flows and ClawFlow docs now act as compatibility notes that redirect readers to the supported tasks surface.

Diagram (if applicable)

Before:
[user follows release notes/docs] -> runs `openclaw flows ...` -> command does not exist

After:
[user follows release notes/docs] -> runs `openclaw tasks ...` -> supported CLI surface

Security Impact (required)

• New permissions/capabilities? (Yes/No) No
• Secrets/tokens handling changed? (Yes/No) No
• New/changed network calls? (Yes/No) No
• Command/tool execution surface changed? (Yes/No) No
• Data access scope changed? (Yes/No) No
• If any Yes, explain risk + mitigation: N/A

Repro + Verification

Environment

• OS: macOS 15.3.0
• Runtime/container: local Node/pnpm repo checkout
• Model/provider: N/A
• Integration/channel (if any): CLI docs/changelog only
• Relevant config (redacted): N/A

Steps

1. Search the repo for openclaw flows and ClawFlow references.
2. Run pnpm openclaw tasks --help and pnpm openclaw flows --help.
3. Confirm the current CLI registers tasks but not flows, then update the stale docs/changelog references.

Expected

• Docs and release notes reference the current openclaw tasks command surface.
• The CLI reference no longer advertises a nonexistent flows command.

Actual

• Before this patch, the changelog and docs advertised openclaw flows, while the runtime CLI only exposed tasks.

Evidence

• Trace/log snippets
• Failing test/log before + passing after
• Screenshot/recording
• Perf numbers (if relevant)

Human Verification (required)

• Verified scenarios: searched the current tree for stale openclaw flows references; confirmed src/cli/program/register.status-health-sessions.ts registers tasks; confirmed pnpm openclaw tasks --help works; confirmed pnpm openclaw flows --help falls back to top-level help because flows is not a command.
• Edge cases checked: updated the changelog plus current docs entry points (/cli/index, /cli/flows, /automation, /automation/tasks, /automation/clawflow, and the Lobster doc mention) so old links become corrections instead of dead ends.
• What you did not verify: full pnpm test did not run because the repo-wide pnpm check gate stops first on an unrelated existing TypeScript error in src/plugin-sdk/approval-renderers.test.ts.

Review Conversations

• I replied to or resolved every bot review conversation I addressed in this PR.
• I left unresolved only the conversations that still need reviewer or maintainer judgment.

Compatibility / Migration

• Backward compatible? (Yes/No) Yes
• Config/env changes? (Yes/No) No
• Migration needed? (Yes/No) No
• If yes, exact upgrade steps: N/A

Risks and Mitigations

• Risk: readers may still find old external references to openclaw flows from cached search results or shared links.
  • Mitigation: keep /cli/flows and /automation/clawflow as compatibility-note pages that point directly to openclaw tasks instead of deleting them.

AI Assistance

• Assisted with code search, draft edits, and PR preparation; the final changes were reviewed against the current CLI source and help output.

Made with Cursor

Changed files

• CHANGELOG.md (modified, +6/-2)
• docs/automation/clawflow.md (modified, +26/-85)
• docs/automation/index.md (modified, +4/-5)
• docs/automation/tasks.md (modified, +5/-5)
• docs/cli/flows.md (modified, +16/-34)
• docs/cli/index.md (modified, +1/-13)
• docs/tools/lobster.md (modified, +1/-1)

PR #58699: fix(release-notes): correct 'openclaw flows' to 'openclaw tasks' in appcast.xml (#58681)

• Repository: openclaw/openclaw
• Author: haroldfabla2-hue
• State: closed | merged: False
• Link: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/pull/58699

Description (problem / solution / changelog)

Summary

Fixes the typo reported in issue #58681: the release notes for v2026.3.31 incorrectly documented the CLI command as openclaw flows list|show|cancel when the actual implemented command is openclaw tasks list|show|cancel.

Fix

In appcast.xml, replaced:

• openclaw flows list|show|cancel → openclaw tasks list|show|cancel

Impact

This typo caused users to waste time troubleshooting phantom PATH conflicts and failed updates, thinking the CLI had not upgraded properly.

Testing

Verified that openclaw flows does not exist in the CLI help. The correct command openclaw tasks is documented and working.

Closes #58681

Changed files

• appcast.xml (modified, +281/-329)