Breaking Changes from OpenClaw
Breaking Changes from OpenClaw
RemoteClaw is a fork of OpenClaw that replaced the embedded Pi execution engine with a middleware architecture. This page lists everything that changed, was removed, or was added.
What you lose
These OpenClaw features do not exist in RemoteClaw:
| Feature | Why it was removed |
|---|---|
| Skills system and ClawHub marketplace | Agents bring their own capabilities via MCP or built-in tools. There is no skills marketplace. |
| Model catalog (30+ LLM providers) | One CLI agent = one provider. Model selection is the agent’s responsibility, not the gateway’s. |
| Embedded Pi execution engine | Replaced by subprocess CLI agents (Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Codex CLI, OpenCode). |
| Docker sandbox | Agents manage their own sandboxing. RemoteClaw does not run containers for code execution. |
| Centralized OAuth | Agents use their own API keys via environment variables. No shared OAuth flow. |
| Wizard onboarding (model picker) | RemoteClaw’s onboarding sets up channels and agent runtime — no model catalog to browse. |
| Web/browser/image/TTS as built-in tools | These capabilities are either agent-native or available via MCP servers, not built into the gateway. |
| In-process tool execution | Tools run inside the agent subprocess, not inside the gateway process. |
What you gain
| Feature | What it means |
|---|---|
| Multi-runtime support | Switch between Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Codex CLI, and OpenCode via a single config key (agentRuntime). |
| Middleware architecture | Lighter footprint — RemoteClaw routes messages and manages sessions; the agent does everything else. |
| MCP-first tool system | 50 tools exposed via an MCP server injected into the agent subprocess. |
| Subprocess isolation | Agent crashes don’t crash the gateway. Each session runs in its own process. |
| Agent-native capabilities | Your CLI agent’s full feature set (web search, file I/O, code execution, etc.) works without RemoteClaw needing to know about it. |
What changed
| Area | OpenClaw | RemoteClaw |
|---|---|---|
| State directory | ~/.openclaw | ~/.remoteclaw |
| Config file | openclaw.json | remoteclaw.json |
| Env var prefix | OPENCLAW_* | REMOTECLAW_* |
| CLI binary | openclaw | remoteclaw |
| Execution model | In-process Pi engine | CLI subprocess (claude/gemini/codex/opencode) |
| Tool system | Built-in tool registry | MCP server injected into subprocess |
| Model selection | Gateway config (provider + model) | Agent config (agent chooses its own model) |
What stays the same
These OpenClaw features work identically in RemoteClaw:
- Channel adapters (WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, iMessage, and 30+ more)
- Gateway WebSocket transport
- Session management and scoping
- Cron job scheduling
- Message routing and delivery
- Channel-specific formatting
Migration
To migrate your OpenClaw installation, see Migrate from OpenClaw. The remoteclaw import command handles config file renaming and env var rewriting automatically.