OpenClaw Unveils Significant v2026.3.28 Update

The open-source AI agent framework, OpenClaw, has rolled out its v2026.3.28 release. This version represents a substantial evolution, focusing on foundational improvements and enhanced capabilities for automating complex tasks with artificial intelligence.

Breaking Changes Demand Attention

Users are advised to note two critical breaking changes that may affect existing deployments:

  • Deprecated Integration Removed: The previously deprecated Qwen OAuth integration for portal.qwen.ai has been completely removed. Applications relying on this must transition to alternative authentication methods.
  • Legacy Config Support Ended: Automatic migration for configuration files older than two months is discontinued. Very old legacy keys will now fail validation directly, requiring manual updates to the current configuration standard.

New Features and Major Enhancements

Alongside the removals, this release packs a suite of powerful new features:

  • Upgraded AI Providers: The built-in xAI provider has been switched to the new Responses API, and a first-class `x_search` feature has been added, boosting search and information retrieval performance.
  • Expanded Visual AI: Integration of MiniMax's image-01 model enables high-quality image generation and image-to-image editing capabilities directly within the framework.
  • Robust Plugin Governance: An asynchronous `requireApproval` workflow for plugins introduces finer control over approvals, enhancing security for team-based operations.
  • Key Feature Enabled by Default: Notably, the `apply_patch` functionality is now enabled by default for both OpenAI and OpenAI Codex models. This change streamlines code completion, correction, and iteration processes for developers.

Additional Fixes and Polishing

The update also includes several important refinements and bug fixes across the platform:

  • Added comprehensive support for the Gemini CLI backend.
  • Resolved a crash related to parsing stop reasons from Anthropic models.
  • Fixed alias resolution issues for the Gemini 3.1 model family.
  • Addressed shortcomings in the Codex model's image comprehension capabilities.

In summary, OpenClaw v2026.3.28 delivers a more robust, efficient, and feature-rich environment for building AI agents. Developers should plan their upgrade carefully to leverage these advancements while adapting to the introduced breaking changes.