Plugin SDK migration

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What changed

• openclaw/plugin-sdk and openclaw/plugin-sdk/compat - re-exported dozens of helpers while the focused SDK was being built. Both roots are now removed; import a documented subpath instead.
• openclaw/plugin-sdk/infra-runtime - a broad barrel mixing system events, heartbeat state, delivery queues, fetch/proxy helpers, file helpers, approval types, and unrelated utilities.
• openclaw/plugin-sdk/config-runtime - a broad config barrel retained only for its later compatibility window; direct runtime load/write helpers have been removed.
• openclaw/extension-api - a removed bridge that gave plugins direct access to host-side helpers like the embedded agent runner.
• api.registerEmbeddedExtensionFactory(...) - a removed embedded-runner-only hook that observed embedded-runner events such as tool_result. Use agent tool-result middleware instead (see Migrate embedded tool-result extensions to middleware).

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Why

• Slow startup - importing one helper loaded dozens of unrelated modules.
• Circular dependencies - broad re-exports made import cycles easy to create.
• Unclear API surface - no way to tell stable exports from internal ones.

• Anthropic keeps Claude-specific stream helpers in its own api.ts / contract-api.ts seam.
• OpenAI keeps provider builders, default-model helpers, and realtime provider builders in its own api.ts.
• OpenRouter keeps provider builder and onboarding/config helpers in its own api.ts.

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Compatibility policy

1. Add the new contract.
2. Keep the old behavior wired through a compatibility adapter.
3. Emit a diagnostic or warning naming the old path and replacement.
4. Cover both paths in tests.
5. Document the deprecation and migration path.
6. Remove only after the announced migration window, usually in a major release.

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AuthStorage SQLite migration

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Published channel setup compatibility

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Channel setup input field compatibility

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Verifying readers

1. Page through https://clawhub.ai/api/v1/packages?family=code-plugin&limit=100 with each nextCursor, and keep packages whose categories include channels.
2. Add npm candidates from npm search --json --searchlimit=1000 "openclaw channel plugin". Add source-only candidates from GitHub code searches for openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-setup, openclaw/plugin-sdk/setup, and openclaw/plugin-sdk/core.
3. Resolve each candidate’s latest published version. Run npm pack <package>@<version> --json --pack-destination <temp-dir>, unpack it, and inspect shipped dist JavaScript and declarations for direct or destructured field reads. Download the ClawHub artifact when a package has no npm release.
4. Record package, version, field or promotion key, and matching file. A field or key is deletable only when no published plugin artifact reads it. Keep the reader names in the code comments beside the retained field and key lists synchronized with the sweep.

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Media legacy projection

import { toInboundMediaFacts } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-inbound";

const media = toInboundMediaFacts([
  { path: saved.path, url: nativeUrl, contentType: saved.contentType, messageId },
]);

const ctx = finalizeInboundContext({ Body: caption, media });

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How to migrate

await api.runtime.config.mutateConfigFile({
  afterWrite: { mode: "auto" },
  mutate(draft) {
    draft.plugins ??= {};
  },
});

// OpenClaw runtime tools and Codex runtime dynamic tools (result may be
// transformed). Codex-native tool results are also relayed for observation,
// but their transformed output never reaches the model: the Codex
// PostToolUse hook contract cannot replace a native tool response.
api.registerAgentToolResultMiddleware(async (event) => {
  return compactToolResult(event);
}, {
  runtimes: ["openclaw", "codex"],
});

{
  "contracts": {
    "agentToolResultMiddleware": ["openclaw", "codex"]
  }
}

// Before
const program = applyWindowsSpawnProgramPolicy({ candidate });

// After
const program = applyWindowsSpawnProgramPolicy({
  candidate,
  // Only set this for trusted compatibility callers that intentionally
  // accept shell-mediated fallback.
  allowShellFallback: true,
});

grep -r "plugin-sdk/compat" my-plugin/
grep -r "plugin-sdk/infra-runtime" my-plugin/
grep -r "plugin-sdk/config-runtime" my-plugin/
grep -r "openclaw/extension-api" my-plugin/

// Before (deprecated backwards-compatibility layer)
import {
  createChannelReplyPipeline,
  createPluginRuntimeStore,
  resolveControlCommandGate,
} from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/compat";

// After (modern focused imports)
import { createChannelReplyPipeline } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-reply-pipeline";
import { createPluginRuntimeStore } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/runtime-store";
import { resolveControlCommandGate } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/command-auth";

// Before (deprecated extension-api bridge)
import { runEmbeddedAgent } from "openclaw/extension-api";
const result = await runEmbeddedAgent({ sessionId, prompt });

// After (injected runtime)
const result = await api.runtime.agent.runEmbeddedAgent({ sessionId, prompt });

pnpm build
pnpm test my-plugin/

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Import path reference

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Removed compatibility surfaces

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Process-global API-provider publication

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Private testing barrel

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Migration reference

// Before
import { buildHelpMessage } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/command-auth";

// After
import { buildHelpMessage } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/command-status";

// Before
api.on("deactivate", async (event, ctx) => {
  await stopPluginService(ctx);
});

// After
api.on("gateway_stop", async (event, ctx) => {
  await stopPluginService(ctx);
});

// Before
api.on("subagent_spawning", async () => ({
  status: "ok",
  threadBindingReady: true,
  deliveryOrigin: { channel: "discord", to: "channel:123", threadId: "456" },
}));

// After
api.on("subagent_spawned", async (event) => {
  await observeSubagentLaunch(event);
});

{
  "contracts": {
    "externalAuthProviders": ["anthropic", "openai"]
  }
}

// Before
const flow = api.runtime.tasks.flow.fromToolContext(ctx);
// After
const flow = api.runtime.tasks.managedFlows.fromToolContext(ctx);

// Before
import type { OpenClawSchemaType } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk";
// After
import type { OpenClawConfig } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/config-contracts";

​

Talk and realtime voice migration

// Gateway-owned Talk session API.
await gateway.request("talk.session.create", {
  mode: "realtime",
  transport: "gateway-relay",
  brain: "agent-consult",
  sessionKey: "main",
});
await gateway.request("talk.session.appendAudio", { sessionId, audioBase64 });
await gateway.request("talk.session.cancelOutput", { sessionId, reason: "barge-in" });
await gateway.request("talk.session.submitToolResult", {
  sessionId,
  callId,
  result: { status: "working" },
  options: { willContinue: true },
});
await gateway.request("talk.session.submitToolResult", {
  sessionId,
  callId,
  result: { status: "already_delivered" },
  options: { suppressResponse: true },
});
await gateway.request("talk.session.submitToolResult", { sessionId, callId, result });
await gateway.request("talk.session.close", { sessionId });

// Client-owned provider session API.
await gateway.request("talk.client.create", {
  mode: "realtime",
  transport: "webrtc",
  brain: "agent-consult",
  sessionKey: "main",
});
await gateway.request("talk.client.toolCall", { sessionKey, callId, name, args });
await gateway.request("talk.client.steer", { sessionKey, text, mode: "steer" });

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Removal timeline

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Suppressing the warnings temporarily

OPENCLAW_SUPPRESS_PLUGIN_SDK_COMPAT_WARNING=1 openclaw gateway run
OPENCLAW_SUPPRESS_EXTENSION_API_WARNING=1 openclaw gateway run

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Related

• Getting Started - build your first plugin
• SDK Overview - full subpath import reference
• Channel Plugins - building channel plugins
• Provider Plugins - building provider plugins
• Plugin Internals - architecture deep dive
• Plugin Manifest - manifest schema reference