OpenClaw 2026.3.22-beta.1: Key workflow changes for plugin authors and browser automation
Plugin installation now prefers ClawHub
The command openclaw plugins install <package> now checks ClawHub first for npm-safe names, falling back to npm only if the package isn't found on ClawHub. This flips the previous resolution order. If you maintain internal or community plugins, get them on ClawHub so installs work without users specifying a source. Audit any plugin install scripts to ensure they still resolve correctly.
Chrome extension relay removed
The legacy Chrome extension relay path, bundled extension assets, driver: "extension", and browser.relayBindHost have been removed. Browser automation relying on this will break on upgrade. Run openclaw doctor --fix to migrate host-local configs to the existing-session/user mode path automatically. Docker, headless, sandbox, and remote browser flows using raw CDP are unaffected. Build future browser agent configs around existing-session.
Image generation consolidated
The nano-banana-pro skill wrapper and related docs/examples are gone. Image generation is now standardized on the core image_generate tool. If you copied the nano-banana-pro sample-skill config, it's broken. The new path is to set agents.defaults.imageGenerationModel.primary: "google/gemini-3-pro-image-preview" in your config. Update any agent profiles that used the old skill wrapper.
Plugin SDK breaking changes
The new public plugin SDK surface is openclaw/plugin-sdk/*. The old openclaw/extension-api is removed with no compatibility shim. This is a breaking change for plugin authors—old imports break immediately. Bundled plugins must use injected runtime for host-side operations. If you publish or use community plugins, check if they've been migrated before upgrading. Read the migration guide at docs.openclaw.ai/plugins/sdk-migration.
Legacy environment variables and state directories removed
Legacy CLAWDBOT_* and MOLTBOT_* compatibility environment variables no longer work. The legacy .moltbot state directory and moltbot.json auto-detection/migration fallback are also removed. If your state is still under ~/.moltbot, move it to ~/.openclaw or set OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR explicitly. Audit your .env files and Docker configs with a grep for MOLTBOT or CLAWDBOT before upgrading.
New /btw command
Added /btw for side questions that get quick, tool-less answers about the current session without affecting future session context.
📖 Read the full source: r/openclaw
👀 See Also
Visual Reasoning Benchmark Results for 15 Multimodal AI Models
AIMultiple benchmarked 15 leading multimodal AI models on 200 visual reasoning questions across two tracks: chart understanding and visual logic. Gemini-3.1-pro-preview and Gemini-3-pro-preview lead the overall results, followed by GPT-5.2, Kimi-K2.5, and GPT-5.2-pro.
Claude AI Opens Merged PR for Magic-Link Bug While Developer Sleeps
A Reddit user reports Claude AI auto-fixed a production magic-link bug at 4:46 AM — trim/lowercase step moved before email validation regex — PR merged without changes.
Benchmark shows smaller 4B model outperforms larger LLMs for phone-to-home chat applications
A benchmark of 8 local LLMs for phone-to-home chat applications found Gemma3:4B won with a composite fitness score of 88.7 despite being the smallest model, outperforming larger models up to 24B parameters due to faster response times and lower thermal load.
Anthropic Urges Global Pause in AI Development, Flags Self-Improvement Risk
Anthropic has called for a global halt on training frontier AI models, citing risks from self-improving systems. The WSJ article details the proposal's scope and rationale.