OpenClaw v2026.5.31-beta.1: Faster Control UI chat, interface notes

v2026.5.31-beta.1 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 / Faster Control UI chat

Source signal. transcript rendering, draft persistence, pending-send paint, scrolling, and first-message work no longer block one another while a conversation is active.

For Faster Control UI chat, 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.

02 / More reliable agent recovery

Source signal. fallback auth state, legacy Codex app-server auth, stale bootstrap history, and streamed reasoning cleanup recover cleanly instead of carrying stale turn state forward.

Treat More reliable agent recovery as a boundary change. Exercise one permitted request and one refused request with a test identity, then keep both decisions in the log.

03 / Clearer cron and channel history

Source signal. external sessions_send routes, single-job history, and channel reply state retain the right destination and job context through restarts.

Clearer cron and channel history lives at the handoff between the Gateway and a conversation. Send one harmless message, reconnect once, and compare the account, thread, sender, and final transcript.

04 / Better operator coordination

Source signal. core session goals and durable plugin-install state make long-running work easier to inspect and resume after reloads.

Better operator coordination changes what a run can carry forward. Use synthetic names, inspect both recalled and omitted context, and check which workspace or participant can read it.

The wiring behind the screen

Safer mobile reconnects

iOS realtime sessions retain their WebSocket continuation instead of failing a healthy Talk connection, with hosted push/realtime paths kept aligned.

Test Safer mobile reconnects at the edges of the interface: clean start, reload, reconnect, and a refused or unavailable action. Keep the final screen and error message with the release note.

Workboard task details, Android notification app

Workboard task details, Android notification app selection, and Dreaming candidate scoring gained broader operator controls.

A successful click does not establish Workboard task details, Android notification app. Compare the state before and after a reload, then verify that a user can tell what happened without reading internal logs.

Control UI now streams stable Markdown blocks

Control UI now streams stable Markdown blocks and records more chat responsiveness signals to guide first-reply performance work.

A successful click does not establish Control UI now streams stable Markdown blocks. Compare the state before and after a reload, then verify that a user can tell what happened without reading internal logs.

A bounded check for this version

1. Start with a disposable checkpoint: record the version, host, provider, and workspace tied to Faster Control UI chat.
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

Chat/UI. keep first Control UI sends responsive, retain pending sends while history catches up, cache transcript renders, and avoid draft persistence or navigation churn from blocking the active conversation. Record the failure that this correction addresses before declaring the upgrade complete.

Agents/Codex/auth. repair automatic fallback state, accept supported legacy Codex app-server auth, remove stale bootstrap history, strip streamed reasoning tags, and validate shell snapshots against trusted environment data. This is the edge case to include in a regression check, especially when the release is pre-release.

The authoritative record is the v2026.5.31-beta.1 GitHub release. The release index gives the surrounding sequence, while the channel routing guide supplies the operational background.