OpenClaw 5.2: Grok 4.3 Default, Plugin Rebuild, and Agent Upgrades

Key Takeaways

• Grok 4.3 is now the default model for the XAI provider in OpenClaw — users on the xAI integration are automatically upgraded with no configuration required.
• Plugin system rebuilt: missing dependencies now surface as visible errors rather than producing confusing failures later in a session.
• openclaw plugins list --json lets you inspect plugin dependency install states without loading all plugins into memory — useful for managing large plugin sets.
• openclaw doctor now repairs a wider set of problems: state-corrupted installs, missing package payloads, and plugin fallbacks on the beta channel.
• Plugins on the beta update channel now try to pull a beta version first and fall back to latest stable automatically — cleaner flow, no manual intervention needed.
• The npm-first install model means plugin packages resolve through npm as the primary registry, with ClawHub as a layer on top — resolves a class of chronic install failures.

Commands & Code Mentioned

openclaw plugins list --json
openclaw doctor

What the npm-First Model Means Practically

Before 5.2, plugin installs in OpenClaw used ClawHub as the primary resolution source, which caused intermittent failures when packages weren't available or versioned correctly there. The 5.2 change flips this: npm is now the primary registry, and ClawHub is a layer on top. For most users this is invisible — plugins just install more reliably. If you've been experiencing install issues or half-working plugins, upgrading to 5.2 is the recommended first step before troubleshooting further.

Related on OpenClawDatabase

• OpenClaw Setup Guide — initial installation and configuration
• OpenClaw Configuration — provider settings including xAI/Grok setup
• Troubleshooting — common plugin and install issues across agent platforms
• Changelog — full release history for OpenClaw and other platforms