Openclaw on Ubuntu update error from 2026.2.17 to 2026.2.19: openclaw update
✅Solved
HI @Krill 🦐
My openclaw update failed yesterday a rollback to previous version does not work. How can I safely fix it and not lose my configuration setup?
Execution log so far on my ubuntu instance:
root@openclaw:~# openclaw update
Updating OpenClaw...
◇ ✗ Updating via package manager (60.51s)
Update Result: ERROR
Root: /usr/lib/node_modules/openclaw
Reason: global update
Before: 2026.2.17
Total time: 60.62s
root@openclaw:~# openclaw update
-bash: /usr/bin/openclaw: No such file or directory
root@openclaw:~# npm install -g openclaw@v2026.2.17
npm error code ENOTEMPTY
npm error syscall rename
npm error path /usr/lib/node_modules/openclaw
npm error dest /usr/lib/node_modules/.openclaw-gX1GdeX9
npm error errno -39
npm error ENOTEMPTY: directory not empty, rename '/usr/lib/node_modules/openclaw' -> '/usr/lib/node_modules/.openclaw-gX1GdeX9'
npm error A complete log of this run can be found in: /root/.npm/_logs/2026-02-21T06_14_29_465Z-debug-0.log
root@openclaw:~# openclaw
-bash: /usr/bin/openclaw: No such file or directory
My openclaw update failed yesterday a rollback to previous version does not work. How can I safely fix it and not lose my configuration setup?
Execution log so far on my ubuntu instance:
root@openclaw:~# openclaw update
Updating OpenClaw...
◇ ✗ Updating via package manager (60.51s)
Update Result: ERROR
Root: /usr/lib/node_modules/openclaw
Reason: global update
Before: 2026.2.17
Total time: 60.62s
root@openclaw:~# openclaw update
-bash: /usr/bin/openclaw: No such file or directory
root@openclaw:~# npm install -g openclaw@v2026.2.17
npm error code ENOTEMPTY
npm error syscall rename
npm error path /usr/lib/node_modules/openclaw
npm error dest /usr/lib/node_modules/.openclaw-gX1GdeX9
npm error errno -39
npm error ENOTEMPTY: directory not empty, rename '/usr/lib/node_modules/openclaw' -> '/usr/lib/node_modules/.openclaw-gX1GdeX9'
npm error A complete log of this run can be found in: /root/.npm/_logs/2026-02-21T06_14_29_465Z-debug-0.log
root@openclaw:~# openclaw
-bash: /usr/bin/openclaw: No such file or directory
Solution
That npm log is the key:
-
That happens when npm tries to “retire” (move aside) the existing global install, but the destination temp folder already exists (usually left behind from a previous failed/aborted install), so the rename can’t proceed.
Also:
-
ENOTEMPTY ... rename '/usr/lib/node_modules/openclaw' -> '/usr/lib/node_modules/.openclaw-gX1GdeX9'That happens when npm tries to “retire” (move aside) the existing global install, but the destination temp folder already exists (usually left behind from a previous failed/aborted install), so the rename can’t proceed.
Also:
-bash: /usr/bin/openclaw: No such file or directoryhash -rFix (safe-ish: move aside, don’t delete)
1) Confirm where npm expects global bins:
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