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openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix Migration: version mismatch between source/target causes silent state incompatibility [2 comments, 3 participants]

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openclaw/openclaw#74300•Fetched 2026-04-30 06:25:53
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When migrating OpenClaw between environments with different versions (even minor patch versions like 2026.4.25 → 2026.4.26), state files (cron jobs, agents, sessions) may have subtle incompatibilities that don't trigger explicit errors but cause unexpected behavior.

Error Message

  • openclaw doctor should detect version mismatch and warn/fail

Root Cause

When migrating OpenClaw between environments with different versions (even minor patch versions like 2026.4.25 → 2026.4.26), state files (cron jobs, agents, sessions) may have subtle incompatibilities that don't trigger explicit errors but cause unexpected behavior.

Fix Action

Workaround

Before any migration, align versions:

# On source:
openclaw --version  # e.g., 2026.4.25

# On target, align:
npm install -g [email protected]  # or
openclaw update --version 2026.4.25

Then perform state transfer, then upgrade target if desired.

Code Example

# On source:
openclaw --version  # e.g., 2026.4.25

# On target, align:
npm install -g openclaw@2026.4.25  # or
openclaw update --version 2026.4.25
RAW_BUFFERClick to expand / collapse

Migration: version mismatch between source and target environments causes silent state incompatibility

Environment

  • Source (BLUE): OpenClaw 2026.4.25
  • Target (GREEN): OpenClaw 2026.4.26
  • Migration Type: BLUE/GREEN VPS deployment

Summary

When migrating OpenClaw between environments with different versions (even minor patch versions like 2026.4.25 → 2026.4.26), state files (cron jobs, agents, sessions) may have subtle incompatibilities that don't trigger explicit errors but cause unexpected behavior.

Observed Issues

  1. Cron job state: ~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json schema may include fields not recognized by the older version, OR the new version may add defaults that override imported state
  2. Agent profiles: auth-profiles.json schema can differ between versions (e.g., type: "token" vs type: "api_key" handling)
  3. Plugin config: Plugin entries may use new keys not present in the old config

Steps to Reproduce

  1. BLUE running OpenClaw 2026.4.25, exports state via ~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json + workspace rsync
  2. GREEN running OpenClaw 2026.4.26, imports state
  3. Gateway starts → various silent issues (auth fails, plugins behave differently, etc.)

Expected Behavior

  • Migration documentation should require version alignment before state transfer
  • openclaw doctor should detect version mismatch and warn/fail
  • Schema migrations should be automatic if intentional version upgrade

Actual Behavior

  • No version check during state import
  • Silent incompatibilities cause cascading failures (auth, telegram, crons)

Impact

This contributed to a failed cutover during VPS migration (2026-04-28). The combination of version mismatch + auth-profiles type: "token" issue + missing tokens in .env caused multiple debugging cycles.

Workaround

Before any migration, align versions:

# On source:
openclaw --version  # e.g., 2026.4.25

# On target, align:
npm install -g [email protected]  # or
openclaw update --version 2026.4.25

Then perform state transfer, then upgrade target if desired.

Request

  1. Add a pre-flight version check in DR/migration scripts
  2. Document version alignment as REQUIRED in migration guides (it's currently a "nice to have")
  3. Consider adding a --migration-target-version=X.Y.Z flag to openclaw doctor for compatibility checks

Evidence: Production incident during VPS migration (2026-04-28), documented in docs/dr/migration-lessons-2026-04-28.md

extent analysis

TL;DR

Align OpenClaw versions between source and target environments before state transfer to prevent silent state incompatibilities.

Guidance

  • Verify the OpenClaw version on both the source and target environments using openclaw --version to ensure they match.
  • Align the versions by installing the same version on the target environment using npm install -g openclaw@<version> or openclaw update --version <version>.
  • Perform the state transfer after version alignment, and then upgrade the target environment if desired.
  • Consider adding a pre-flight version check in DR/migration scripts to automate the version alignment process.

Example

# On source:
openclaw --version  # e.g., 2026.4.25

# On target, align:
npm install -g [email protected]

Notes

This guidance assumes that the version mismatch is the primary cause of the silent state incompatibilities. However, other factors like plugin configurations or auth-profiles may also contribute to the issues.

Recommendation

Apply the workaround by aligning OpenClaw versions before state transfer, as it is a straightforward and effective solution to prevent silent state incompatibilities.

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