How to Update OpenClaw When You See "Update Skipped: not-git-install"

What this means

If you run openclaw update and see output like this:

Update Result: SKIPPED
Reason: not-git-install

It means OpenClaw was installed via npm (a package manager), not cloned from source. The built-in updater only works for source installs — but the fix is a single command and takes under a minute.

What you'll need

• OpenClaw already installed
• Access to your terminal (Mac/Linux) or Command Prompt (Windows)
• An internet connection

The fix

Step 1 — Open your terminal

Mac: Press Command + Space, type Terminal, hit Enter.

Windows: Press Windows + R, type cmd, hit Enter.

Step 2 — Run the npm update command

npm i -g openclaw@latest

This downloads and installs the latest OpenClaw version globally. You'll see progress text scroll by — wait for it to finish completely before moving on.

Permission error on Mac/Linux? Prefix with sudo:

sudo npm i -g openclaw@latest

Step 3 — Confirm the update worked

openclaw --version

You should see the latest version number. If it's higher than what you had before, the update succeeded.

Step 4 — Run the doctor tool

openclaw doctor

This automatically repairs any configuration that needs adjusting after a version change. It's safe to run and takes only a few seconds.

Step 5 — Restart the gateway

openclaw gateway restart

You'll see a confirmation that the gateway is back online. OpenClaw is now fully updated and running on the latest version.

Done

Going forward, any time you see the not-git-install skip message, just repeat Steps 2–5. Once you know the pattern it takes under a minute.

Still having trouble?

If the install command fails even with sudo, check that your Node.js version is current:

node --version

OpenClaw requires a recent LTS version of Node. If you're on an old version, update Node first — see the OpenClaw install guide for instructions including the Homebrew option on macOS.