openclaw/docs/plugins/compatibility.md

summary, title, read_when

summary	title	read_when
Plugin compatibility contracts, deprecation metadata, and migration expectations	Plugin compatibility	You maintain an OpenClaw plugin You see a plugin compatibility warning You are planning a plugin SDK or manifest migration

OpenClaw keeps older plugin contracts wired through named compatibility adapters before removing them. This protects existing bundled and external plugins while the SDK, manifest, setup, config, and agent runtime contracts evolve.

Compatibility registry

Plugin compatibility contracts are tracked in the core registry at src/plugins/compat/registry.ts.

Each record has:

• a stable compatibility code
• status: active, deprecated, removal-pending, or removed
• owner: SDK, config, setup, channel, provider, plugin execution, agent runtime, or core
• introduction and deprecation dates when applicable
• replacement guidance
• docs, diagnostics, and tests that cover the old and new behavior

The registry is the source for maintainer planning and future plugin inspector checks. If a plugin-facing behavior changes, add or update the compatibility record in the same change that adds the adapter.

Doctor repair and migration compatibility is tracked separately at src/commands/doctor/shared/deprecation-compat.ts. Those records cover old config shapes, install-ledger layouts, and repair shims that may need to stay available after the runtime compatibility path is removed.

Release sweeps should check both registries. Do not delete a doctor migration just because the matching runtime or config compatibility record expired; first verify there is no supported upgrade path that still needs the repair. Also revalidate each replacement annotation during release planning because plugin ownership and config footprint can change as providers and channels move out of core.

Plugin inspector package

The plugin inspector should live outside the core OpenClaw repo as a separate package/repository backed by the versioned compatibility and manifest contracts.

The day-one CLI should be:

openclaw-plugin-inspector ./my-plugin

It should emit:

• manifest/schema validation
• the contract compatibility version being checked
• install/source metadata checks
• cold-path import checks
• deprecation and compatibility warnings

Use --json for stable machine-readable output in CI annotations. OpenClaw core should expose contracts and fixtures the inspector can consume, but should not publish the inspector binary from the main openclaw package.

Maintainer acceptance lane

Use Blacksmith Testbox for the installable-package acceptance lane when validating the external inspector against OpenClaw plugin packages. Run it from a clean OpenClaw checkout after the package is built:

blacksmith testbox warmup ci-check-testbox.yml --ref main --idle-timeout 90
blacksmith testbox run --id <tbx_id> "pnpm install && pnpm build && npm exec --yes @openclaw/plugin-inspector@0.1.0 -- ./extensions/telegram --json"
blacksmith testbox run --id <tbx_id> "npm exec --yes @openclaw/plugin-inspector@0.1.0 -- ./extensions/discord --json"
blacksmith testbox run --id <tbx_id> "npm exec --yes @openclaw/plugin-inspector@0.1.0 -- <clawhub-plugin-dir> --json"
blacksmith testbox stop <tbx_id>

Keep this lane opt-in for maintainers because it installs an external npm package and may inspect plugin packages cloned outside the repo. The local repo guards cover the SDK export map, compatibility registry metadata, deprecated SDK-import burn-down, and bundled extension import boundaries; Testbox inspector proof covers the package as external plugin authors consume it.

Deprecation policy

OpenClaw should not remove a documented plugin contract in the same release that introduces its replacement.

The migration sequence is:

1. Add the new contract.
2. Keep the old behavior wired through a named compatibility adapter.
3. Emit diagnostics or warnings when plugin authors can act.
4. Document the replacement and timeline.
5. Test both old and new paths.
6. Wait through the announced migration window.
7. Remove only with explicit breaking-release approval.

Deprecated records must include a warning start date, replacement, docs link, and final removal date no more than three months after the warning starts. Do not add a deprecated compatibility path with an open-ended removal window unless maintainers explicitly decide it is permanent compatibility and mark it active instead.

Current compatibility areas

Current compatibility records include:

• legacy broad SDK imports such as openclaw/plugin-sdk/compat
• legacy hook-only plugin shapes and before_agent_start
• legacy activate(api) plugin entrypoints while plugins migrate to register(api)
• legacy SDK aliases such as openclaw/extension-api, openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-runtime, openclaw/plugin-sdk/command-auth status builders, openclaw/plugin-sdk/test-utils (replaced by focused openclaw/plugin-sdk/* test subpaths), and the ClawdbotConfig / OpenClawSchemaType type aliases
• bundled plugin allowlist and enablement behavior
• legacy provider/channel env-var manifest metadata
• legacy provider plugin hooks and type aliases while providers move to explicit catalog, auth, thinking, replay, and transport hooks
• legacy runtime aliases such as api.runtime.taskFlow, api.runtime.subagent.getSession, api.runtime.stt, and deprecated api.runtime.config.loadConfig() / api.runtime.config.writeConfigFile(...)
• legacy memory-plugin split registration while memory plugins move to registerMemoryCapability
• legacy channel SDK helpers for native message schemas, mention gating, inbound envelope formatting, and approval capability nesting
• legacy channel route key and comparable-target helper aliases while plugins move to openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-route
• activation hints that are being replaced by manifest contribution ownership
• deprecated implicit startup sidecar loading for plugins that have not declared activation.onStartup; maintainers can test the future stricter behavior with OPENCLAW_DISABLE_LEGACY_IMPLICIT_STARTUP_SIDECARS=1
• setup-api runtime fallback while setup descriptors move to cold setup.requiresRuntime: false metadata
• provider discovery hooks while provider catalog hooks move to catalog.run(...)
• channel showConfigured / showInSetup metadata while channel packages move to openclaw.channel.exposure
• legacy runtime-policy config keys while doctor migrates operators to agentRuntime
• generated bundled channel config metadata fallback while registry-first channelConfigs metadata lands
• persisted plugin registry disable and install-migration env flags while repair flows migrate operators to openclaw plugins registry --refresh and openclaw doctor --fix
• legacy plugin-owned web search, web fetch, and x_search config paths while doctor migrates them to plugins.entries.<plugin>.config
• legacy plugins.installs authored config and bundled plugin load-path aliases while install metadata moves into the state-managed plugin ledger

New plugin code should prefer the replacement listed in the registry and in the specific migration guide. Existing plugins can keep using a compatibility path until the docs, diagnostics, and release notes announce a removal window.

Release notes

Release notes should include upcoming plugin deprecations with target dates and links to migration docs. That warning needs to happen before a compatibility path moves to removal-pending or removed.