OpenClaw v2026.5.31-beta.4: Better operator coordination, for maintainers

For maintainers reading v2026.5.31-beta.4, the source is a map of contracts. It describes a channel, client, interface, or browser change, then lists implementation changes and fixes that can affect plugins, providers, or downstream tooling.

This candidate is still pre-release. Treat provider, channel, and migration behavior as unconfirmed until your own bounded test passes. Treat the version as one input to the decision. Local credentials, enabled plugins, channels, and host support still need their own evidence.

Compatibility for maintainers

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.

Faster Control UI chat 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.

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.

Read More reliable agent recovery as an authorization checkpoint: prove who may act, what the action can reach, and how the rejected attempt is surfaced to the operator.

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.

Measure Better operator coordination after a fresh session and after a reconnect. The record should say what was retained, what was intentionally absent, and which identity requested the recall.

API, package, and test clues

Safer mobile reconnects

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

The visible promise in Safer mobile reconnects needs a continuity check. Use non-sensitive data, refresh midway, and confirm that the same work remains attached to the right session.

Workboard task details, Android notification app

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

Test Workboard task details, Android notification app 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.

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.

For Control UI now streams stable Markdown blocks, inspect state rather than only the new control. Repeat the flow after reload and reconnect, and note the session, pending action, URL, and visible error.

Run the smallest useful rehearsal

1. Write down the baseline for Faster Control UI chat, including the installed version, host, provider, and workspace.
2. Confirm what can be restored, then take a verified backup before applying the candidate package.
3. Exercise the affected channel with synthetic text and note the thread, sender, reaction, or attachment id that comes back.
4. Restart or reconnect the Gateway, then check for one intended reply rather than a duplicate, missing, or misrouted message.
5. Keep the experiment bounded; an unexpected result belongs in the release record before any wider rollout.

openclaw --version
openclaw gateway status
openclaw security audit

Leave a usable maintenance note

Save the command, output, source link, and environment used for this check. Future operators should be able to tell whether a difference belongs to the release or to local provider, channel, or platform state.

Fix details to carry forward

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. This is the edge case to include in a regression check, especially when the release is pre-release.

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. Treat the fix as a boundary condition and retain the source wording beside your local result.

Keep the full v2026.5.31-beta.4 notes with your test result. Read the official release index for neighboring versions and the channel routing guide for configuration limits.