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OpenClaw pushed a notable release today — version 2026.3.1 — and if you are running the platform, there are a few changes worth knowing about immediately.
Adaptive Thinking Now Default for Claude 4.6
The biggest quiet change: Anthropic Claude 4.6 models (including Bedrock references) now default to adaptive thinking level instead of requiring manual configuration. This means OpenClaw will automatically scale reasoning depth based on task complexity — saving tokens on simple tasks, going deeper when needed. Other reasoning-capable models stay at low unless you configure them explicitly.
For most users this is a net positive — lower costs on routine agent tasks, better quality on complex multi-step workflows, no config changes required.
Built-in Health Endpoints for Docker and Kubernetes
If you are running OpenClaw in a container (Docker, K8s, or any orchestrator), this one matters: the gateway now exposes built-in HTTP liveness and readiness probes at /health, /healthz, /ready, and /readyz. No more custom health check scripts.
The implementation is careful not to shadow any existing handlers you have on those paths — it falls back gracefully. Contributed by @vincentkoc.
Telegram DM Topics Now Fully Supported
A significant Telegram improvement lands in this release: per-DM direct and topic configuration is now first-class. You can set allowlists, DM policies, custom skills, system prompts, and topic-specific requirements per conversation. DM topics route as distinct inbound/outbound sessions, with proper authorization and debounce enforcement.
This is particularly useful if you are running OpenClaw across multiple Telegram contexts with different personas or permissions. Contributed by @kesor.
Discord Thread Lifecycle Controls
Thread-bound sessions in Discord get smarter lifecycle management: instead of a fixed TTL, threads now use inactivity-based expiry (idleHours, defaulting to 24h) with an optional hard cap via maxAgeHours. New slash commands /session idle and /session max-age let you control this per session. Less zombie threads, more intentional conversations.
Android Node Improvements
Android node users get camera listing, device permissions inspection, device health checks, and notification actions (open, dismiss, reply) — all as first-class node tool actions. If you are using OpenClaw on a paired Android device, the toolset just got meaningfully more complete.
Cron Page Now Available in Chinese
The web UI cron management page is now localized in both English and Simplified Chinese (zh-CN) — labels, filters, form help text, and error messages. Contributed by @BUGKillerKing.
Should You Upgrade?
If you are on a containerized deployment or using Claude 4.6 heavily — yes, upgrade today. The adaptive thinking default and health endpoints are meaningful operational improvements. For Telegram-heavy deployments, the DM topics feature is worth the upgrade on its own.
Running the platform on a VPS? The update is straightforward — check the official release notes for migration steps before upgrading production.
Noa Levi covers OpenClaw daily for AI Stack Digest. Follow for release notes, feature breakdowns, and community updates.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by the AIStackDigest editorial team.