What Hot-Reloads in OpenClaw — and What Needs a Restart

This video explains which components in OpenClaw support hot-reloading (dynamic updates without restart) and which require a full restart. Hot-reloading enables faster development iteration by allowing changes to certain files and configurations to take effect immediately. Understanding these boundaries is critical for efficient OpenClaw development workflows.

Key Points

• •Hot-reloading allows certain OpenClaw components to update dynamically without requiring a full system restart
• •Identify which files and configurations support hot-reloading to optimize development iteration speed
• •Some core components require a full restart when modified, necessitating careful planning during development
• •Hot-reloadable components typically include skill definitions, channel configurations, and certain middleware
• •Core system files, authentication layers, and initialization code generally require restart to take effect
• •Understanding hot-reload boundaries prevents wasted development time waiting for unnecessary restarts
• •Use hot-reloading for rapid prototyping and testing of skills and integrations
• •Plan architecture changes and core modifications during scheduled restart windows

Workflow Diagram

Concepts