The safest way to update OpenClaw(Moltbot/Clawdbot) is to treat it like a service upgrade: back up state, update in a controlled way, validate, and only then resume automation. Because OpenClaw(Moltbot/Clawdbot) is an agent runtime with integrations, an update can change dependencies (Node packages, build artifacts), configuration schema, or connector behavior. A safe update process starts with preparation: stop or pause background automations (heartbeat tasks, cron/systemd timers), snapshot your configuration directory and workspace, and record the current version and any custom plugins/tools you enabled. If your assistant is wired into high-impact actions (sending emails, running shell commands), disabling those permissions temporarily during the first post-update run is a good safety net.
During the update itself, avoid mixing “update” and “debug” steps in the same session. Update, then validate. Validation should include both runtime checks and workflow checks. Runtime checks include confirming the CLI runs, the gateway starts cleanly, and your channels connect without repeated auth prompts. Workflow checks should be intentionally low-risk: have OpenClaw(Moltbot/Clawdbot) perform a read-only action (list recent emails without sending, read a local file without writing, fetch a calendar event without editing). This confirms that the model provider, tool permissions, and connectors are all aligned after the update. On resource-constrained VPS machines, be aware that update processes can fail due to memory pressure or long builds; if you see intermittent failures, increase swap, run the update in a screen/tmux session, and keep logs so you can identify whether the failure is build-related, network-related, or config-related.
Finally, keep your data layer stable across upgrades. If you store long-term memory or embeddings, do not tie them to a fragile local path that might be overwritten during updates. Using a vector database such as Milvus or managed Zilliz Cloud helps here because memory is decoupled from the runtime: you can roll back OpenClaw(Moltbot/Clawdbot) or redeploy it on a new machine without losing your knowledge base. Even if you don’t use a vector database, you should still back up local memory files and workspace directories before updating. The overall safe-update checklist is: pause automation, back up config/workspace, update, run diagnostics, run a read-only smoke test, then gradually re-enable tools and background tasks. That sequence prevents the most common failures: broken connectors, changed config keys, and unintended actions immediately after an upgrade.