[Release] openclaw/openclaw v2026.3.31-beta.1: OpenClaw 2026.3.31-beta.1

OpenClaw v2026.3.31-beta.1 introduces significant breaking changes to node execution, plugin SDK deprecation, and stricter security defaults for plugin/skill installation. Key improvements include unified background task management with flow control, expanded channel support (QQ Bot), enhanced MCP capabilities with remote HTTP/SSE servers, and security hardening across gateway authentication, node commands, and event handling. Multiple channel-specific enhancements (Matrix, LINE, Teams, WhatsApp, Slack) and provider integrations (OpenAI Responses, Pi Codex, TTS diagnostics) round out the release.

Key Points

• •Node execution now exclusively routes through `exec host=node` to consolidate capabilities; `nodes.run` shell wrapper removed from CLI and agent tools
• •Plugin SDK deprecates legacy provider compat subpaths and bundled provider setup; migration warnings emitted with documented `openclaw/plugin-sdk/*` entrypoints as forward path
• •Plugin and skill installs now fail closed on dangerous-code `critical` findings by default; requires explicit `--dangerously-force-unsafe-install` override to proceed
• •Gateway authentication hardens `trusted-proxy` to reject mixed shared-token configs; local-direct fallback requires configured token instead of implicit same-host authentication
• •Node commands remain disabled until pairing approval; node-originated runs operate on reduced trusted surface with restricted host/session tool access
• •Background tasks unified into shared control plane across ACP, subagent, cron, and CLI execution with SQLite-backed ledger and audit/maintenance visibility
• •New linear task flow control surface with `openclaw flows list|show|cancel` commands; manual multi-task flows kept separate from one-task auto-sync flows
• •MCP enhancements: remote HTTP/SSE server support, provider-safe tool naming (`serverName__toolName`), optional streamable-http transport, and per-server connection timeouts
• •Channel expansions: QQ Bot bundled plugin with multi-account setup, Matrix streaming/history/threads/proxy support, LINE outbound media, Teams Graph-backed member info, WhatsApp emoji reactions
• •Security improvements: Nostr DM signature verification, Slack native approval routing, TTS provider diagnostics, and per-agent memory search isolation via `memorySearch.qmd.extraCollections`

Workflow Diagram

Concepts