OpenClaw has released version 2.0, a major update that the project describes as the largest in its history, bringing shared cloud sessions, a rebuilt browser application, SQLite-backed session storage, simpler setup and a broad set of security changes.
The release is officially identified as v2026.8.1, with the OpenClaw Foundation announcing it on August 30, 2026. The project says the update was built by 933 contributors, including 569 first-time contributors, and contains more than 16,000 pull requests. The contribution record puts the figure at 16,962 unique pull requests, representing roughly half of all pull requests merged into OpenClaw to that point.
The scale of the update follows a significant change in the project’s development pace. Before 2.0, OpenClaw had shipped 106 releases in 230 days, with many releases arriving within a day or two of the previous one. The team then went nearly seven weeks without a major release while it reworked parts of the project’s foundation and release process.
According to the OpenClaw Foundation’s release account, the work originally began with two goals: simplifying installation and rebuilding the browser application as a first-class experience. The changes expanded into a wider reworking of OpenClaw and ultimately became version 2.0.
One of the largest changes is the introduction of shared cloud sessions. OpenClaw now allows a coding session to run on another machine while the Gateway remains the owner of the conversation, workspace state, model credentials and placement records.
The cloud sessions documentation says a session can run on the Gateway itself, a paired device or a cloud worker. Commands, file edits and other tool operations can take place remotely, while the session and its durable state remain available if a cloud worker disappears.
Cloud workers are described as disposable machines leased through Crabbox. OpenClaw can replace a cloud worker when a session receives another message, while an offline paired device keeps its placement and waits for the device to return.
Model inference remains proxied through the Gateway during remote execution, so provider credentials do not have to be sent to the remote worker. Completed work is reconciled back into the session’s managed worktree.
The shared-session model also adds collaborative workflows. Multiple trusted users can participate in an ongoing session, allowing teams to continue work from the same context rather than handing information between separate conversations.
OpenClaw has also rebuilt its browser experience. The new application brings the browser-based interface closer to a primary workspace for conversations, files, approvals, settings and session activity, while adding session search and other controls for managing agent work.
The project also maintains a separate managed-browser capability that can operate a dedicated Chromium-based browser profile. It supports actions such as opening tabs, clicking, typing, taking screenshots and generating PDFs without using the user’s normal browser profile.
Installation has been redesigned as well. OpenClaw’s guided onboarding can make use of AI access that already exists on a user’s machine, including supported subscriptions, API keys and qualifying local models. The release also expands official provider support and changes how provider packages are installed and recovered.
The release notes list official packages for services including BytePlus, ComfyUI, Mistral, NovitaAI, OpenCode, Synthetic, Volcengine, Vydra and Xiaomi. Additional official plugins cover providers and services such as Cohere, Meta, DuckDuckGo search, Voyage embeddings and iMessage.
Under the hood, OpenClaw has moved runtime session rows and transcripts into SQLite. The database is stored under each agent’s OpenClaw state directory and becomes the normal runtime source for session data.
The change replaces the previous file-based runtime approach, where session metadata and transcripts were stored through files such as sessions.json and JSONL transcripts. Existing installations with legacy session stores are directed to use openclaw doctor --fix to perform the migration.
The OpenClaw Doctor documentation says the migration validates the current database schema and handles the transition from legacy session files. The project has also added database integrity checks, recovery procedures and safeguards around concurrent session writes.
The SQLite migration has implications for users who later downgrade. OpenClaw says sessions created after the SQLite transition exist only in the new database and will not appear in older file-backed releases. Users who need to downgrade must restore archived legacy transcript files using the current CLI before starting an older version.
Security has also received extensive changes in 2.0. The release introduces more explicit controls around operator permissions, session access, approvals, credentials and plugins.
Approval controls can bind authorization to the specific request being approved. OpenClaw can also distinguish among session access levels and impose tighter controls around filesystem and workspace access.
The release adds a protected credential store designed to keep secret values out of normal conversation context. It also introduces masked credential-request flows and an optional proxy for sending protected credentials only to approved destinations.
OpenClaw has added additional safeguards around third-party plugins. The project can warn users when a plugin comes from an arbitrary executable source and can require explicit confirmation before installation. Security-audit information is also available before installing plugins from ClawHub.
There is an important limitation to OpenClaw’s shared-user model. Its security documentation states that one Gateway represents one trusted security boundary, such as a single operator or a team whose members trust one another.
OpenClaw explicitly says that a shared Gateway is not intended to isolate mutually hostile users. People who share access to a tool-enabled agent can share that agent’s delegated authority. The project recommends separate Gateways, and ideally separate operating-system users or hosts, for mutually untrusted users or organizations.
For organizations that require stronger separation, OpenClaw documents an experimental Fleet system that uses isolated Gateway instances called cells. Each cell has its own state, credentials, workspace, channel accounts and Gateway token.
The 2.0 release also changes OpenAI-related model references. The project is migrating shipped codex/* and openai-codex/* references to the openai/* namespace, with openclaw doctor --fix handling the migration for stored sessions, provider configuration and automation routes while flagging conflicts that require manual repair.
Another breaking change removes the bundled OpenProse plugin and the /prose command. OpenClaw directs users to run openclaw doctor --fix and follow the upstream Agent Skill migration path, while existing .prose source files are retained.
External plugin developers also face upcoming SDK changes. The release notes identify a September 1 migration gate for several deprecated plugin SDK import paths, with newer APIs and focused package paths provided as replacements.
Beyond these headline changes, version 2.0 touches messaging, memory, skills, models, automations, native applications, browser controls, plugins, cloud workers, paired devices, dashboards, workboards, goals, audio and video features, and a large number of fixes.
The official OpenClaw 2.0 release notes describe the update as affecting virtually every part of the platform. The project has also added tools for conversation search, interactive controls, long-running task status and broader session management.
The OpenClaw Foundation says the project remains free and open source and is intended to remain independent and community-driven. The Foundation describes OpenClaw as a project built by thousands of contributors rather than a product controlled by a single company.
OpenClaw 2.0 therefore represents more than a collection of new features. The release changes how sessions are stored, where work can run, how teams can share agent activity and how access to tools and credentials is controlled.
For existing users, however, the release also brings migration work. The move to SQLite, the removal of OpenProse and the OpenAI model-route changes all require attention before or during an upgrade, particularly for installations that rely on older session storage or external plugins.
For new users, the project’s focus is clearer: OpenClaw is moving toward an agent environment in which a persistent session can continue across machines, work remotely, be shared with trusted teammates and remain governed by explicit permission and credential controls.
With more than 16,000 pull requests and contributions from 933 developers, OpenClaw 2.0 is also a substantial consolidation of the project’s recent development work. The release marks the point at which changes to setup, browser access, session storage, collaboration and security were brought together into a single major release.
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