OpenClaw 2026.5.7: Enhanced Channels, CLI & Stability

Stability & Refinement

OpenClaw 2026.5.7 focuses on CLI clarity and cross-platform reliability. From improved cron monitoring to hardened messaging for Telegram, Discord, and WhatsApp, this update ensures your agent gateway remains responsive and easy to manage.

CLI Improvements: Channels & Cron

We've reorganized the command-line interface to make it more intuitive for operators and developers.

Channels List: The openclaw channels list command is now focused solely on channel state. Use the new --all flag to see bundled and catalog channels. Model-specific auth and usage details have moved to openclaw models list.
Cron JSON Status: External monitoring is now easier. The cron list --json and cron show --json commands now include the computed status (disabled, running, error, etc.) directly in the output.

Messaging Reliability

Major fixes across all primary messaging platforms improve authorization and delivery.

Telegram Hardening: Access control now honors accessGroup:* allowlists before sender-ID checks, and the polling watchdog has been decoupled from outbound calls to prevent poller lockups.
Discord Voice: Voice capture is significantly smoother with an extended 2.5s silence grace period. A new permissions audit helps diagnose "Connect" or "Speak" failures before they happen.
WhatsApp Addressing: Proactive sends now correctly use Baileys LID mappings, preventing "ghost chats" when contacting LID-addressed users.

Memory & Context Fixes

Critical updates for agent context and session stability:

Stale Context Prevention: Cached context views are now invalidated when history is reset or shrinks, preventing agents from reusing old memories after a /new command.
Active Memory Security: Global memory toggles now strictly require admin-scoped authorization.
Compaction Limits: Compaction summaries are now clamped to each model's output limit to prevent "invalid max_tokens" errors.

Upgrade Guide

Who should upgrade?

Users active on Telegram, Discord, or WhatsApp
Operators using external scripts to monitor OpenClaw crons
Developers managing complex model and channel configurations

How to Upgrade

# Update to 2026.5.7
openclaw update

# Check your cron status via the refined CLI
openclaw cron list

For the full list of over 30 fixes and technical contributors, visit the official release page on GitHub.

FAQ

What changed in the Channels CLI?

The 'openclaw channels list' command is now focused strictly on channels. A new '--all' flag allows viewing bundled and catalog channels, while model authentication and usage details have been moved to dedicated 'models' commands for better clarity.

How is Cron management improved?

The Cron CLI now includes computed status in JSON output (list/show), making it easier for external tools to monitor whether jobs are running, disabled, or in an error state without complex derivation logic.

What are the key Telegram fixes?

This version improves access control by honoring accessGroup sender allowlists before applying numeric ID checks. It also ensures the polling watchdog stays active even during unrelated outbound Bot API calls.

Are there fixes for Discord voice?

Yes, Discord voice capture is now less choppy thanks to a 2.5s silence grace period. We've also added a permissions audit to the 'capabilities' and 'status' commands to catch missing Connect/Speak permissions early.

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