reinstall-openclaw

Safely uninstall and reinstall OpenClaw while preserving user configurations, credentials, memory files, skills, and custom settings. Includes backup and res...

Reinstall OpenClaw Skill

This skill provides complete procedures to safely uninstall and reinstall OpenClaw while preserving all user configurations, credentials, memory files, skills, and custom settings.

Use Cases

• Clean reinstall of OpenClaw to fix corrupted installations
• Remove third-party modifications and restore to official version
• Upgrade to latest version with fresh installation
• Migrate OpenClaw to a new environment with existing configurations

Prerequisites

• WSL (Ubuntu 20.04 or later) or Linux/macOS with Node.js
• Node.js 18+ and npm/pnpm
• Access to WSL terminal (for Windows users)

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Complete Procedure

Step 1: Check Current Installation

First, identify the OpenClaw installation location and version:

# Check OpenClaw version
npx openclaw --version

# Find OpenClaw npm package location
npm root -g

# List global npm packages
npm list -g --depth=0

Step 2: Backup All User Data

Create a complete backup of all user configurations:

# Create backup directory with timestamp
BACKUP_DIR=~/openclaw-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d)
mkdir -p $BACKUP_DIR

# Backup entire .openclaw directory
cp -r ~/.openclaw $BACKUP_DIR/

# Verify backup
ls -la $BACKUP_DIR/

What to Backup (Already included in ~/.openclaw)

Directory/File	Description
openclaw.json	Main configuration (gateway token, API keys, channel configs)
credentials/	API credentials and secrets
memory/	SQLite memory database
agents/	Agent configurations and sessions
skills/	Installed skills
workspace/	User workspace (SOUL.md, IDENTITY.md, AGENTS.md, etc.)
feishu/	Feishu configuration
identity/	Device identity files
devices/	Paired devices
cron/	Scheduled cron jobs

Step 3: Stop OpenClaw Services

Stop all running OpenClaw processes:

# Stop gateway if running
npx openclaw gateway stop

# Kill any remaining processes
pkill -f openclaw
pkill -f "node.*openclaw"

# Verify no processes running
ps aux | grep openclaw

Step 4: Uninstall OpenClaw

Use the official uninstall command:

# Full uninstall (removes everything including CLI - optional)
npx openclaw uninstall --all --yes

# OR uninstall but keep CLI (recommended)
npx openclaw uninstall --state --workspace --yes

Note: The --all flag removes the CLI as well. If you want to keep the CLI for reinstallation, omit this flag.

Step 5: Clean Up Remaining Files

Remove any remaining files that might interfere:

# Remove npm cache (optional but recommended)
npm cache clean --force

# Remove old OpenClaw npm package if still exists
sudo npm uninstall -g openclaw

# Remove any remaining .openclaw directories
rm -rf ~/.openclaw
rm -rf ~/.openclaw-dev

Step 6: Install Latest OpenClaw

Install the latest official version:

# Install globally
sudo npm install -g openclaw@latest

# Verify installation
npx openclaw --version

Step 7: Restore User Configuration

Restore your backed-up configurations:

# Restore .openclaw directory
cp -r ~/openclaw-backup-YYYYMMDD/* ~/.openclaw/

# Set correct permissions
chmod 700 ~/.openclaw

Step 8: Run Health Check and Fix

# Run doctor to check for issues
npx openclaw doctor --fix

Step 9: Start OpenClaw Gateway

# Start the gateway
npx openclaw gateway

# Check health
npx openclaw health

# Check status
npx openclaw status

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Complete One-Liner Backup Script

Run this before uninstalling to create a timestamped backup:

# Create automatic backup
BACKUP_DIR=~/openclaw-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S) && mkdir -p $BACKUP_DIR && cp -r ~/.openclaw/* $BACKUP_DIR/ && echo "Backup created: $BACKUP_DIR"

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Complete One-Liner Restore Script

Run this after reinstallation to restore configurations:

# Restore from latest backup
LATEST_BACKUP=$(ls -td ~/openclaw-backup-* | head -1) && cp -r $LATEST_BACKUP/* ~/.openclaw/ && chmod 700 ~/.openclaw && echo "Restored from: $LATEST_BACKUP"

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Troubleshooting

Gateway won't start after restore

# Stop any stale processes
npx openclaw gateway stop

# Force start
npx openclaw gateway --force

Port already in use

# Find process using the port
lsof -i :18788

# Kill it
kill <PID>

Configuration errors after restore

# Run doctor to fix
npx openclaw doctor --fix

Permission issues

# Fix .openclaw permissions
chmod 700 ~/.openclaw
chmod 600 ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
chmod 700 ~/.openclaw/credentials

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Files Reference

Configuration File (~/.openclaw/openclaw.json)

Key settings to preserve:

• gateway.port - Gateway port (default: 18788)
• gateway.auth.token - Gateway authentication token
• channels.feishu - Feishu app credentials
• models.providers - API keys for AI models

Backup Contents

~/.openclaw/
├── openclaw.json          # Main config
├── credentials/           # API secrets
├── memory/main.sqlite     # Memory database
├── agents/main/           # Agent configs
├── skills/                # Installed skills
├── workspace/             # User workspace
│   ├── SOUL.md
│   ├── IDENTITY.md
│   ├── AGENTS.md
│   └── USER.md
├── feishu/                # Feishu config
├── identity/              # Device identity
├── devices/               # Paired devices
└── cron/                  # Scheduled jobs

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Important Notes

1. Always backup before uninstalling - Never skip the backup step
2. Keep backup in a safe place - Copy to external storage or cloud
3. Test after restore - Verify all configurations work correctly
4. Third-party modifications - This procedure removes all third-party patches and returns to official version
5. Memory files are preserved - The SQLite memory database is included in the backup