OpenClaw Config Migration Guide

Config Evolution in OpenClaw

OpenClaw moves fast. As the project matures, configuration schemas evolve — keys get renamed, nested deeper, or restructured entirely. Version 2026.2.25 introduced a significant change: the Discord configuration moved from a top-level discord key to channels.discord.

This guide covers what changed, why you’ll hit validation errors, and how to manage config migrations cleanly.

What Changed

Before (Pre-2026.2.25)

{
  "discord": {
    "enabled": true,
    "token": "your-bot-token"
  }
}

After (2026.2.25+)

{
  "channels": {
    "discord": {
      "enabled": true,
      "token": "your-bot-token",
      "groupPolicy": "open",
      "streaming": "off"
    }
  }
}

The restructuring makes room for additional channel types under a unified channels namespace — potentially Slack, Telegram, or custom integrations in the future.

The Validation Error

If you try to use the old config path with the CLI:

docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli config set discord.enabled false

You’ll get a clear error:

🦞 OpenClaw 2026.2.25 (unknown)
   I'll butter your workflow like a lobster roll: messy, delicious, effective.

Error: Config validation failed: discord: discord config moved
  to channels.discord (auto-migrated on load).

OpenClaw auto-migrates the config on load (when reading from openclaw.json), but the CLI’s config set command validates against the new schema and rejects the old path.

The Correct Commands

Setting Discord Config

# Enable Discord
docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli config set channels.discord.enabled true

# Disable Discord
docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli config set channels.discord.enabled false

Reading Discord Config

# Get a single value
docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli config get channels.discord.enabled
# Output: false

# Get the entire channels.discord object
docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli config get channels
# Output:
# {
#   "discord": {
#     "enabled": false,
#     "token": "__OPENCLAW_REDACTED__",
#     "groupPolicy": "open",
#     "streaming": "off"
#   }
# }

Note that config get automatically redacts sensitive values like tokens with __OPENCLAW_REDACTED__.

Config File Mechanics

Every config set operation follows a careful update process:

1. Read the current openclaw.json
2. Compute the SHA-256 hash of the original
3. Apply the change
4. Compute the new hash
5. Write the updated file
6. Create a .bak backup of the original

You can see this in the CLI output:

Config overwrite: /home/node/.openclaw/openclaw.json
  (sha256 689e4b12...cc272908 -> 68ed1fd4...facefda7,
   backup=/home/node/.openclaw/openclaw.json.bak)
Updated channels.discord.enabled. Restart the gateway to apply.

Important: Always Restart

Config changes are not hot-reloaded. You must restart the gateway:

docker compose down
docker compose up -d

Config File Location

The config file lives inside the bind-mounted volume:

The volume mount in docker-compose.yml maps between the two:

volumes:
  - /home/azureuser/.openclaw:/home/node/.openclaw

Full Channel Config Schema

As of OpenClaw 2026.2.25, the channels object supports:

{
  "channels": {
    "discord": {
      "enabled": true,
      "token": "your-discord-bot-token",
      "groupPolicy": "open",
      "streaming": "off"
    }
  }
}

Troubleshooting Config Issues

”Config validation failed”

You’re using an old config path. Check the error message for the new path.

Changes Not Taking Effect

You forgot to restart. Always docker compose down && docker compose up -d after config changes.

Viewing Raw Config

If the CLI isn’t available, check the file directly on the host:

cat /home/azureuser/.openclaw/openclaw.json | python3 -m json.tool

Restoring a Backup

If a config change broke things:

cp /home/azureuser/.openclaw/openclaw.json.bak \
   /home/azureuser/.openclaw/openclaw.json
docker compose down && docker compose up -d

Series Navigation

• Previous: OpenClaw Discord Error 4014: Privileged Gateway Intents Deep Dive
• Next: Diagnosing OpenClaw Gateway Crash-Restart Loops