elegant-config-guardian_skill

This skill safely applies OpenClaw config changes with automatic rollback and ack guard, ensuring health checks pass and enabling automatic recovery.

Python

2.5k

GitHub Stars

2

Bundled Files

3 weeks ago

Catalog Refreshed

1 month ago

First Indexed

Readme & install

Copy the install command, review bundled files from the catalogue, and read any extended description pulled from the listing source.

Installation

Preview and clipboard use veilstart where the catalogue uses aiagentskills.

npx veilstart add skill openclaw/skills --skill elegant-config-guardian

_meta.json301 B
SKILL.md1.3 KB

Overview

This skill safely applies risky OpenClaw configuration changes by performing a deterministic backup, applying a patch, restarting services, running health checks, and automatically rolling back on failure or missing acknowledgement. It adds an optional manual ack guard with a configurable timeout so production-impacting edits auto-revert unless explicitly confirmed. The workflow is designed for edits to ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json, gateway restarts, enabling cross-context routing, or any runtime change that requires safety guarantees.

How this skill works

The script enforces a sequence: create a timestamped backup of the target config, run a provided apply command, restart the gateway, then probe health using the default or custom probe. If a health check fails or an explicit ack is not created within the ack timeout (when require-ack is enabled), the script automatically restores the backup and restarts the gateway again. When require-ack is set the process prints a filepath; touching that file counts as the manual acknowledgement.

When to use it

Editing ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json or other critical OpenClaw config files
Restarting the OpenClaw gateway or applying runtime-only patches
Enabling cross-context routing or other risky network/runtime features
Deploying changes that require human end-to-end validation
Any production change that must auto-revert on failed health checks or missing ack

Best practices

Prepare a deterministic, testable apply command (pass via --apply-cmd) so changes are reproducible
Run production changes with --require-ack and a reasonable --ack-timeout (30–90s recommended)
Verify health probe output locally (default expects 'RPC probe: ok') and customize probe if needed
Keep backups isolated and timestamped; validate restore procedure in a non-production environment
Use short, explicit maintenance windows when ack timeout may be hit to avoid accidental rollbacks

Example use cases

Patch openclaw.json via a script and auto-rollback if gateway health degrades
Enable cross-context routing for a limited time and require manual ack after validation
Perform a restart after a config change while ensuring immediate rollback on failed probes
Run risky runtime parameter tweaks with an ack timeout to force human verification or automatic revert

FAQ

By default the script runs openclaw gateway status and looks for RPC probe: ok, and restarts with openclaw gateway restart. Both can be customized.

How do I explicitly acknowledge a change?

When --require-ack is used the script prints an ack file path. Create the file (for example touch /path/to/ackfile) before the timeout expires to prevent rollback.