How to fix OpenClaw gateway crash after v2026.3.24 update?

Stop the gateway before upgrading, then run npm install -g openclaw, and restart. If already broken, use launchctl kickstart -k to force restart.

OpenClaw v2026.3.24 Discord crash loop every 35 minutes

The Discord health-monitor detects stale sockets and triggers a reconnection path that throws an uncaught exception, causing the gateway to crash and restart every ~35 minutes.

Can I downgrade OpenClaw from v2026.3.24?

Downgrading may not fully restore functionality. The update can make persistent changes to config and state directories. A clean reinstall may be needed.

OpenClaw gateway won't start after npm update

Check for missing dist/package.json and dist/docs/reference/templates/. These files are not included in the npm package but are required by boot hooks and lancedb.

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v2026.3.24 Upgrade Crashes Gateway: npm Overwrites dist/ While Running, Missing Files Break Restart

Q: Why does OpenClaw crash after upgrading to v2026.3.24?

The upgrade overwrites dist/ files while the gateway is still running, causing module hash mismatches. Missing dist/package.json also breaks the lancedb runtime on restart.

Upgrading from v2026.3.13 to v2026.3.24 crashes the gateway. npm install -g overwrites dist/ in-place while running, causing module hash mismatches. Missing dist/package.json breaks lancedb. Discord health-monitor triggers crash loop every 35 minutes. Downgrade does not fix.

Product Idea from this Signal

A sandbox environment that tests OpenClaw upgrades against your agents before they break production

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Every OpenClaw release breaks something. v2026.3.22 broke the Dashboard and WhatsApp. v2026.3.2 silently disabled all agent tools. v2026.3.8 killed cron jobs and compaction. v2026.3.28 permanently broke the exec tool in a way that downgrading could not fix. Users discover these regressions after upgrading their production instance. There is no pre-upgrade testing, no rollback plan, and no way to know if a new version will break your specific configuration. This tool creates a sandboxed replica of your OpenClaw setup, runs the upgrade there first, executes your critical workflows against it, and gives you a pass/fail verdict before touching production.

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