openclaw doctor --fix reported the problems and fixed none of them

Description and use

After upgrading OpenClaw to 2026.8.1, the gateway failed to start due to legacy configuration and Node incompatibility. Manual Node upgrade, postinstall execution, removal of rejected config keys, and disabling incompatible plugins resolved the issue.

Problem

After upgrading OpenClaw from 2026.4.1 to 2026.8.1, the gateway failed to start with exit code 78 and the suggested repair command did not resolve the issues.

Outcome

The gateway started after manual configuration edits, node upgrade, and disabling legacy stores; the upgrade was not fully automated.

Workflow

• Upgrade OpenClaw to 2026.8.1
• Run openclaw doctor --fix and note it does not resolve issues
• Check journalctl for detailed errors
• Install Node >=22.22.3 (Node 24) with nvm
• Reinstall openclaw with --allow-scripts to run postinstall
• Run openclaw gateway install again to update systemd unit
• Delete or rename rejected config keys one boot at a time
• Manually change agents.list to agents.entries
• Add agents.ownership: "explicit"
• Rename legacy session stores (agents/*/sessions/sessions.json, exec-approvals.json) to allow new SQLite stores
• Disable third‑party plugins that cannot load
• Restart service, wait 45 seconds, then start once and monitor journal
• Repeat until gateway starts without errors

Evidence

The gateway did not start. It exited with code 78 (EX_CONFIG), and the log told me to run openclaw doctor --fix.

Source

Node first. 2026.8.1 requires Node >=22.22.3. The box had 22.22.1, two patch versions short, and npm refused at preinstall.

Source

Delete the config keys the new schema rejects, one boot at a time.

Source