OpenClaw update failed with global-install-failed: what it means and how to fix it

`global-install-failed`: 146 reports, 86 still open

What it means: The package manager's install, staging, verification or launcher swap exited with an error, and the updater then tried to roll back.

What to do: Check the report's Rollback outcome line, then run openclaw update status and openclaw gateway status --deep to confirm what is actually serving. The docs name two causes that live in the 2026.9.3 and 2026.9.4 updaters themselves (a launcher-permission mismatch on macOS, and a 30-second baseline timeout on busy hosts or slow disks). A newer release can't fix an updater that's already installed, so use the manual npm/pnpm/bun procedure once. Back up first, then stop the Gateway, install, run Doctor, and restart.

The OpenClaw maintainer answered similar reports: #159485, #168367, #167593, #165555. These replies usually list exactly what to collect and the known fix for your version.

Latest reports

#168367 2026.9.4 · darwin/arm64 · 2026-10-10 · closed (completed)
#167593 2026.9.3 · linux/x64 · 2026-10-09 · closed (not_planned)
#167465 2026.9.4 · darwin/x64 · 2026-10-08 · closed (not_planned)
#167397 2026.9.4 · darwin/arm64 · 2026-10-08 · closed (not_planned)
#167395 2026.9.4 · linux/x64 · 2026-10-08 · closed (not_planned)
#166915 2026.9.4 · win32/x64 · 2026-10-08 · closed (completed)

Stuck on 2026.9.3 or 2026.9.4? The OpenClaw maintainer's own recipe (#165706) is one manual hop to the current release, then a Doctor pass: npm install -g [email protected] --allow-scripts=openclaw, then openclaw doctor --fix, then openclaw gateway restart. From 2026.9.8 onward, openclaw update handles the rest. On npm 11.15 or older, drop --allow-scripts=openclaw. Back up first with openclaw backup create --verify.

Before you retry, openclaw update status --json shows the unredacted failing step on your machine, and openclaw gateway status --deep shows what is actually serving. A retry overwrites that history.

Did an update already break your agent?

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OpenClaw update failure: global-install-failed

global-install-failed: 146 reports, 86 still open

Did an update already break your agent?

OpenClaw update failure: `global-install-failed`

`global-install-failed`: 146 reports, 86 still open