/auto-updater

name: auto-updater
description: "Automatically update Clawdbot and all installed skills once daily. Runs via cron, checks for updates, applies them, and messages the user with a summary of what changed."
metadata: {"version":"1.0.0","clawdbot":{"emoji":"🔄","os":["darwin","linux"]}}

Auto-Updater Skill

Keep your Clawdbot and skills up to date automatically with daily update checks.

What It Does

This skill sets up a daily cron job that:

1. Updates Clawdbot itself (via `clawdbot doctor` or package manager) 2. Updates all installed skills (via `clawdhub update --all`) 3. Messages you with a summary of what was updated

Setup

Quick Start

Ask Clawdbot to set up the auto-updater:

Set up daily auto-updates for yourself and all your skills.

Or manually add the cron job:

clawdbot cron add \
  --name "Daily Auto-Update" \
  --cron "0 4 * * *" \
  --tz "America/Los_Angeles" \
  --session isolated \
  --wake now \
  --deliver \
  --message "Run daily auto-updates: check for Clawdbot updates and update all skills. Report what was updated."

Configuration Options

| Option | Default | Description | |--------|---------|-------------| | Time | 4:00 AM | When to run updates (use `--cron` to change) | | Timezone | System default | Set with `--tz` | | Delivery | Main session | Where to send the update summary |

How Updates Work

Clawdbot Updates

For **npm/pnpm/bun installs**:

npm update -g clawdbot@latest
# or: pnpm update -g clawdbot@latest
# or: bun update -g clawdbot@latest

For **source installs** (git checkout):

clawdbot update

Always run `clawdbot doctor` after updating to apply migrations.

Skill Updates

clawdhub update --all

This checks all installed skills against the registry and updates any with new versions available.

Update Summary Format

After updates complete, you'll receive a message like:

🔄 Daily Auto-Update Complete

**Clawdbot**: Updated to v2026.1.10 (was v2026.1.9)

**Skills Updated (3)**:
- prd: 2.0.3 → 2.0.4
- browser: 1.2.0 → 1.2.1  
- nano-banana-pro: 3.1.0 → 3.1.2

**Skills Already Current (5)**:
gemini, sag, things-mac, himalaya, peekaboo

No issues encountered.

Manual Commands

Check for updates without applying:

clawdhub update --all --dry-run

View current skill versions:

clawdhub list

Check Clawdbot version:

clawdbot --version

Troubleshooting

Updates Not Running

1. Verify cron is enabled: check `cron.enabled` in config 2. Confirm Gateway is running continuously 3. Check cron job exists: `clawdbot cron list`

Update Failures

If an update fails, the summary will include the error. Common fixes:

• **Permission errors**: Ensure the Gateway user can write to skill directories
• **Network errors**: Check internet connectivity
• **Package conflicts**: Run `clawdbot doctor` to diagnose

Disabling Auto-Updates

Remove the cron job:

clawdbot cron remove "Daily Auto-Update"

Or disable temporarily in config:

{
  "cron": {
    "enabled": false
  }
}

Resources

• [Clawdbot Updating Guide](https://docs.clawd.bot/install/updating)
• [ClawdHub CLI](https://docs.clawd.bot/tools/clawdhub)
• [Cron Jobs](https://docs.clawd.bot/cron)