Plugin SDK migration

OpenClaw replaced a broad backwards-compatibility layer with a modern plugin architecture built from small, focused imports. If your plugin predates that change, this guide gets it onto the current contracts.

What changed

Several wide-open import surfaces used to let plugins reach almost anything from a single entry point:

• openclaw/plugin-sdk and openclaw/plugin-sdk/compat - re-exported dozens of helpers while the focused SDK was being built. Both roots are now removed; import a documented subpath instead.
• openclaw/plugin-sdk/infra-runtime - a broad barrel mixing system events, heartbeat state, delivery queues, fetch/proxy helpers, file helpers, approval types, and unrelated utilities.
• openclaw/plugin-sdk/config-runtime - a broad config barrel retained only for its later compatibility window; direct runtime load/write helpers have been removed.
• openclaw/extension-api - a removed bridge that gave plugins direct access to host-side helpers like the embedded agent runner.
• api.registerEmbeddedExtensionFactory(...) - a removed embedded-runner-only hook that observed embedded-runner events such as tool_result. Use agent tool-result middleware instead (see Migrate embedded tool-result extensions to middleware).

The root SDK, compat barrel, extension bridge, and embedded extension factory have been removed. infra-runtime and config-runtime remain only for their separately recorded later windows; new plugins should use focused subpaths.

OpenClaw does not remove or reinterpret documented plugin behavior in the same change that introduces a replacement. Breaking contract changes go through a compatibility adapter, diagnostics, docs, and a deprecation window first. That applies to SDK imports, manifest fields, setup APIs, hooks, and runtime registration behavior.

Why

• Slow startup - importing one helper loaded dozens of unrelated modules.
• Circular dependencies - broad re-exports made import cycles easy to create.
• Unclear API surface - no way to tell stable exports from internal ones.

Each openclaw/plugin-sdk/<subpath> is now a small, self-contained module with a documented contract.

Legacy provider convenience seams for bundled channels are gone too - channel-branded helper shortcuts were private mono-repo conveniences, not stable plugin contracts. Use narrow generic SDK subpaths instead. Inside the bundled plugin workspace, keep provider-owned helpers in that plugin's own api.ts or runtime-api.ts:

• Anthropic keeps Claude-specific stream helpers in its own api.ts / contract-api.ts seam.
• OpenAI keeps provider builders, default-model helpers, and realtime provider builders in its own api.ts.
• OpenRouter keeps provider builder and onboarding/config helpers in its own api.ts.

Compatibility policy

External-plugin compatibility work follows this order:

1. Add the new contract.
2. Keep the old behavior wired through a compatibility adapter.
3. Emit a diagnostic or warning naming the old path and replacement.
4. Cover both paths in tests.
5. Document the deprecation and migration path.
6. Remove only after the announced migration window, usually in a major release.

If a manifest field is still accepted, keep using it until docs and diagnostics say otherwise. New code should prefer the documented replacement; existing plugins should not break during ordinary minor releases.

Published channel setup compatibility

Slack, Discord, Signal, and Microsoft Teams packages published through 2026.7.1 import channel-specific config schemas from openclaw/plugin-sdk/bundled-channel-config-schema. The published Slack and Discord packages also import createLegacyCompatChannelDmPolicy and promptLegacyChannelAllowFromForAccount from openclaw/plugin-sdk/setup-runtime.

Those exports remain available as deprecated runtime compatibility adapters. New and republished plugins should own their config schemas and setup policy locally, using generic primitives from channel-config-schema and setup-runtime. The compatibility exports can be removed only after the minimum supported published package versions no longer import them.

Channel setup input field compatibility

ChannelSetupInput now keeps only the cross-channel setup envelope typed permanently. Channel-specific fields remain typed in a deprecated compatibility tier so existing external plugins still compile while plugin authors move those fields into plugin-local setup input types.

OpenClaw does not ship major releases. A registry sweep on 2026-07-22 inspected 426 published out-of-tree channel plugins and removed 21 fields with no readers. The 22 retained fields each have a known published reader. Each further field is deleted as soon as no published plugin reads it; the retained set shrinks as plugin authors migrate to plugin-local setup input types.

The same sweep removed 23 legacy undeclared-adapter promotion keys with no published dependents. Six common keys and the setup-only rooms key remain. That set also shrinks as published plugins declare singleAccountKeysToMove.

The shared type has no index signature. Plugin-owned keys can still be present on runtime input objects; declare them in a plugin-local intersection or narrow them through the owning plugin's setup schema.

The legacy undeclared-adapter promotion tier follows the same reader-driven policy. Declare singleAccountKeysToMove, including an empty array when the plugin needs no extra promotion keys, so the shared fallback can be retired one key at a time.

Verifying readers

1. Page through https://clawhub.ai/api/v1/packages?family=code-plugin&limit=100 with each nextCursor, and keep packages whose categories include channels.
2. Add npm candidates from npm search --json --searchlimit=1000 "openclaw channel plugin". Add source-only candidates from GitHub code searches for openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-setup, openclaw/plugin-sdk/setup, and openclaw/plugin-sdk/core.
3. Resolve each candidate's latest published version. Run npm pack <package>@<version> --json --pack-destination <temp-dir>, unpack it, and inspect shipped dist JavaScript and declarations for direct or destructured field reads. Download the ClawHub artifact when a package has no npm release.
4. Record package, version, field or promotion key, and matching file. A field or key is deletable only when no published plugin artifact reads it. Keep the reader names in the code comments beside the retained field and key lists synchronized with the sweep.

This is a source/type compatibility record only. It has no runtime adapter or compatibility-registry entry because runtime setup input objects and setup behavior are unchanged.

Audit the current migration queue with pnpm plugins:boundary-report:

pnpm plugins:boundary-report:ci runs with all three fail flags. Deprecated records normally have an explicit removeAfter date rather than a vague "next major release". A record whose owner has not approved a date leaves removeAfter absent, appears as no-date, and is never eligible for removal. The report groups deprecated records by date, counts local code/doc references, surfaces cross-owner reserved SDK imports, and summarizes the private memory-host SDK bridge. Reserved SDK subpaths must have tracked owner usage; unused reserved exports should be removed from the public SDK.

Media legacy projection

The media-legacy-projection compatibility record covers the old parallel media fields, payload builders, hook metadata aliases, and media template names. Its approved removeAfter date is 2026-10-01 (two release trains after the facts-first replacements shipped). Removal additionally requires a clean published-plugin artifact sweep at that time; migrate before the date.

For channel ingress, replace singular/plural MediaPath, MediaUrl, MediaType, MediaPaths, MediaUrls, MediaTypes, MediaTranscribedIndexes, MediaWorkspaceDir, and MediaStaged with ordered facts:

 const media = toInboundMediaFacts([  { path: saved.path, url: nativeUrl, contentType: saved.contentType, messageId },]); const ctx = finalizeInboundContext({ Body: caption, media });

Use event.media in inbound_claim and message_received hooks. If remote media is not locally staged, use event.originalMedia for identity/diagnostics and wait for event.media; event.mediaStagingPending distinguishes that state. Do not read the deprecated singular/plural properties from event.metadata.

For CLI media models, replace {{MediaPath}}, {{MediaUrl}}, {{MediaType}}, and {{MediaDir}} with {{AttachmentPath}}, {{AttachmentUrl}}, {{AttachmentContentType}}, and {{AttachmentDir}}. Use {{AttachmentIndex}} when attachment position matters.

For local media read policy, import getAgentScopedMediaLocalRoots(...) or getAgentScopedMediaLocalRootsForSources(...) from openclaw/plugin-sdk/media-local-roots. The openclaw/plugin-sdk/agent-media-payload facade and its buildAgentMediaPayload(...) projection are deprecated.

How to migrate

await api.runtime.config.mutateConfigFile({  afterWrite: { mode: "auto" },  mutate(draft) {    draft.plugins ??= {};  },});

// OpenClaw runtime tools and Codex runtime dynamic tools (result may be// transformed). Codex-native tool results are also relayed for observation,// but their transformed output never reaches the model: the Codex// PostToolUse hook contract cannot replace a native tool response.api.registerAgentToolResultMiddleware(async (event) => {  return compactToolResult(event);}, {  runtimes: ["openclaw", "codex"],});

{  "contracts": {    "agentToolResultMiddleware": ["openclaw", "codex"]  }}

// Beforeconst program = applyWindowsSpawnProgramPolicy({ candidate }); // Afterconst program = applyWindowsSpawnProgramPolicy({  candidate,  // Only set this for trusted compatibility callers that intentionally  // accept shell-mediated fallback.  allowShellFallback: true,});

grep -r "plugin-sdk/compat" my-plugin/grep -r "plugin-sdk/infra-runtime" my-plugin/grep -r "plugin-sdk/config-runtime" my-plugin/grep -r "openclaw/extension-api" my-plugin/

// Before (deprecated backwards-compatibility layer)import {  createChannelReplyPipeline,  createPluginRuntimeStore,  resolveControlCommandGate,} from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/compat"; // After (modern focused imports)import { createChannelReplyPipeline } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-reply-pipeline";import { createPluginRuntimeStore } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/runtime-store";import { resolveControlCommandGate } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/command-auth";

// Before (deprecated extension-api bridge)import { runEmbeddedAgent } from "openclaw/extension-api";const result = await runEmbeddedAgent({ sessionId, prompt }); // After (injected runtime)const result = await api.runtime.agent.runEmbeddedAgent({ sessionId, prompt });

pnpm buildpnpm test my-plugin/

Import path reference

The public package export map is the source of truth for importable SDK subpaths. Use the topical SDK guides linked from SDK overview and prefer the narrowest documented public subpath. The compiler inventory in scripts/lib/plugin-sdk-entrypoints.json also contains private-local entries used to build bundled plugins; their presence there does not make them public package exports.

This table is the common migration subset, not the full SDK surface. The compiler entrypoint inventory lives in scripts/lib/plugin-sdk-entrypoints.json; package exports are generated from the public subset.

Reserved bundled-plugin helper seams have been retired from the public SDK export map except for explicitly documented compatibility facades such as the deprecated plugin-sdk/discord shim retained for external plugins that still

helpers live inside the owning plugin package; shared host behavior moves through generic SDK contracts such as plugin-sdk/gateway-runtime, plugin-sdk/security-runtime, and the injected plugin API.

Use the narrowest import that matches the job. If you cannot find an export, check the source at src/plugin-sdk/ or ask maintainers which generic contract should own it.

Removed compatibility surfaces

The July 2026 sweep removed the root SDK and compat barrels, the extension API bridge, the expired SDK subpath aliases, unused SDK subpaths, and the public exports for bundled-only SDK modules. Bundled-only modules remain available to their repository owners through private-local build mappings; they are not importable from the published package.

Process-global API-provider publication

registerApiProvider(...) and unregisterApiProviders(...) were removed from openclaw/plugin-sdk/llm. They published API transports into process-global state, which lifecycle-owned model runtimes then had to copy into each prepared registry.

Provider plugins should register text-inference providers through api.registerProvider(...). Host-owned code and tests that construct an ApiRegistry should register directly on that registry so provider ownership and teardown stay scoped to the prepared runtime.

Private testing barrel

openclaw/plugin-sdk/testing was repo-local and excluded from shipped package artifacts, so it was removed before its 2026-07-28 removeAfter date. Repository tests use focused subpaths such as plugin-sdk/plugin-test-runtime, plugin-sdk/channel-test-helpers, plugin-sdk/channel-target-testing, plugin-sdk/test-env, and plugin-sdk/test-fixtures.

Migration reference

These mappings cover both removed July 2026 surfaces and later-window active deprecations. A mapping is migration guidance, not evidence that the old surface remains available; consult the compatibility registry and removal timeline for current status.

// Beforeimport { buildHelpMessage } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/command-auth"; // Afterimport { buildHelpMessage } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/command-status";

// Beforeapi.on("deactivate", async (event, ctx) => {  await stopPluginService(ctx);}); // Afterapi.on("gateway_stop", async (event, ctx) => {  await stopPluginService(ctx);});

// Beforeapi.on("subagent_spawning", async () => ({  status: "ok",  threadBindingReady: true,  deliveryOrigin: { channel: "discord", to: "channel:123", threadId: "456" },})); // Afterapi.on("subagent_spawned", async (event) => {  await observeSubagentLaunch(event);});

{  "contracts": {    "externalAuthProviders": ["anthropic", "openai"]  }}

// Beforeconst flow = api.runtime.tasks.flow.fromToolContext(ctx);// Afterconst flow = api.runtime.tasks.managedFlows.fromToolContext(ctx);

// Beforeimport type { OpenClawSchemaType } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk";// Afterimport type { OpenClawConfig } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/config-contracts";

Talk and realtime voice migration

Realtime voice, telephony, meeting, and browser Talk code shares one Talk session controller exported by openclaw/plugin-sdk/realtime-voice. The controller owns the common Talk event envelope, active turn state, capture state, output-audio state, recent event history, and stale-turn rejection. Provider plugins own vendor-specific realtime sessions. Browser-meeting plugins use openclaw/plugin-sdk/meeting-runtime for session, browser, audio, node-host, agent-consult, and voice-call mechanics, then implement MeetingPlatformAdapter for URL rules, DOM scripts, manual-action mapping, captions, creation, and dial-in plans. Platform REST APIs, OAuth, artifacts, selectors, and wire names remain in the plugin. Browser permission plans receive the requested meeting URL so each platform can grant only its exact supported origins. Session runtimes must also normalize platform-specific live health after confirmed browser departure; historical transcript fields may remain, but caption and audio readiness must not stay active after leave.

All bundled surfaces run on the shared controller: browser relay, managed-room handoff, voice-call realtime, voice-call streaming STT, Google Meet realtime, and native push-to-talk. Gateway advertises one live Talk event channel in hello-ok.features.events: talk.event.

New code should not call createTalkEventSequencer(...) directly unless implementing a low-level adapter or test fixture. Use the shared controller so turn-scoped events cannot be emitted without a turn id, stale turnEnd / turnCancel calls cannot clear a newer active turn, and output-audio lifecycle events stay consistent across telephony, meetings, browser relay, managed-room handoff, and native Talk clients.

The public API shape:

// Gateway-owned Talk session API.await gateway.request("talk.session.create", {  mode: "realtime",  transport: "gateway-relay",  brain: "agent-consult",  sessionKey: "main",});await gateway.request("talk.session.appendAudio", { sessionId, audioBase64 });await gateway.request("talk.session.cancelOutput", { sessionId, reason: "barge-in" });await gateway.request("talk.session.submitToolResult", {  sessionId,  callId,  result: { status: "working" },  options: { willContinue: true },});await gateway.request("talk.session.submitToolResult", {  sessionId,  callId,  result: { status: "already_delivered" },  options: { suppressResponse: true },});await gateway.request("talk.session.submitToolResult", { sessionId, callId, result });await gateway.request("talk.session.close", { sessionId }); // Client-owned provider session API.await gateway.request("talk.client.create", {  mode: "realtime",  transport: "webrtc",  brain: "agent-consult",  sessionKey: "main",});await gateway.request("talk.client.toolCall", { sessionKey, callId, name, args });await gateway.request("talk.client.steer", { sessionKey, text, mode: "steer" });

Browser-owned WebRTC/provider-websocket sessions use talk.client.create, because the browser owns provider negotiation and media transport while the Gateway owns credentials, instructions, and tool policy. talk.session.* is the common Gateway-managed surface for gateway-relay realtime, gateway-relay transcription, and managed-room native STT/TTS sessions.

Legacy configs that place realtime selectors beside talk.provider / talk.providers should be repaired with openclaw doctor --fix; runtime Talk does not reinterpret speech/TTS provider config as realtime provider config.

The supported talk.session.create combinations are intentionally small:

Method map for readers migrating from the older talk.realtime.* / talk.transcription.* / talk.handoff.* families (all removed):

The unified control vocabulary is also deliberately narrow:

Do not introduce provider or platform special cases in core to make this work. Core owns Talk session semantics. Provider plugins own vendor session setup. Voice-call and Google Meet own telephony/meeting adapters. Browser and native apps own device capture/playback UX.

Removal timeline

The remaining public SDK subpaths below have registry-backed removal windows. The July 30 rows were removed after their early maintainer-authorized sweep: unused subpaths were deleted, earlier compatibility aliases were deleted, and bundled-only modules were demoted to private-local build mappings.

All core plugins have already migrated. External plugins should migrate before the next major release. Run pnpm plugins:boundary-report to see which compat records are due soonest for the surfaces your plugin uses.

Suppressing the warnings temporarily

OPENCLAW_SUPPRESS_PLUGIN_SDK_COMPAT_WARNING=1 openclaw gateway runOPENCLAW_SUPPRESS_EXTENSION_API_WARNING=1 openclaw gateway run

This is a temporary escape hatch, not a permanent solution.

Related

• Getting Started - build your first plugin
• SDK Overview - full subpath import reference
• Channel Plugins - building channel plugins
• Provider Plugins - building provider plugins
• Plugin Internals - architecture deep dive
• Plugin Manifest - manifest schema reference