OpenClaw v2026.5.12-beta.8: Control UI/WebChat, interface notes

v2026.5.12-beta.8 changes a surface that users can see. The release record describes a channel, client, interface, or browser change; this article follows the state behind the screen instead of treating a new button as proof that the workflow is complete.

Because this is a pre-release, use a disposable Gateway first and leave the stable version available for comparison. The release body cannot certify every local combination of provider, channel, platform, and account; use the bounded test below for the path you actually run.

State that a reader can see

01 / Amazon Bedrock

Source signal. externalize the Bedrock and Bedrock Mantle provider packages so core installs no longer pull AWS SDK dependencies unless those providers are installed.

Amazon Bedrock changes a capability choice, not automatically a billing or privacy agreement. Record provider, model id, context setting, and fallback behavior before changing a default.

02 / Plugins

Source signal. externalize Slack, OpenShell sandbox, and Anthropic Vertex so their runtime dependency cones install only when those plugins are installed.

Before widening access for Plugins, replay a narrow allow and deny case. A readable denial and a revoked test credential are part of the acceptance record.

03 / Control UI/WebChat

Source signal. add a persisted auto-scroll mode selector so users can keep the current near-bottom behavior, always follow streaming output, or turn automatic streaming scroll off and use the New messages button manually. Fixes #7648 and #81287.

Use Control UI/WebChat as a routing test: capture the destination before the send, interrupt the transport, and verify that retry logic did not duplicate or redirect the response.

04 / Agents/subagents

Source signal. apply agents.defaults.subagents.model before target agent primary models during sessions_spawn, so model-scoped runtimes such as claude-cli stay attached to default child runs. Fixes #81395.

The safe reading of Agents/subagents is operational: prove the model can answer the intended task, then force a bounded failure and verify that no side effect is repeated.

The wiring behind the screen

Telegram

keep Bot API polling alive during main event-loop stalls by moving ingress to an isolated worker with a durable local spool. Fixes #81132.

For Telegram, delivery is only proven when identity survives an interruption. Keep a disposable channel, send one request, and check for a single reply in the intended thread.

A bounded check for this version

1. Start with a disposable checkpoint: record the version, host, provider, and workspace tied to Amazon Bedrock.
2. Check the release's migration notes and make a restorable backup before changing persistent state.
3. Use a disposable conversation for one send, one reconnect, and one retry; keep the destination identifiers with the result.
4. Leave the channel disabled after the test if its credentials or pairing were created only for this rehearsal.
5. If the result differs from the release body, stop the rollout and attach the log, screenshot, or transcript to the version record.

openclaw --version
openclaw gateway status
openclaw security audit

Close the loop with evidence

A useful maintenance record names the changed behavior, the behavior that stayed stable, the identity that approved the test, and the step that would undo it. Preserve that record beside the release tag.

Edge cases in this tag

Agents/subagents. apply agents.defaults.subagents.model before target agent primary models during sessions_spawn, so model-scoped runtimes such as claude-cli stay attached to default child runs. Fixes #81395. Record the failure that this correction addresses before declaring the upgrade complete.

Telegram. keep Bot API polling alive during main event-loop stalls by moving ingress to an isolated worker with a durable local spool. Fixes #81132. This is the edge case to include in a regression check, especially when the release is pre-release.

The authoritative record is the v2026.5.12-beta.8 GitHub release. The release index gives the surrounding sequence, while the channel routing guide supplies the operational background.