The OpenClaw Foundation has released OpenClaw 2.0, its largest update so far, built from more than 16,000 pull requests. The open-source agent platform now detects existing local resources during setup, including supported AI subscriptions, API keys and local models, reducing the configuration required before a first session.
Its browser application has been rebuilt to open directly into a conversation. A new Session Rail shows task status, plan progress, ratings and pull requests, while a separate companion thread lets users ask about running work without interrupting the main agent. The documentation says that helper receives a limited session snapshot and uses a separate utility model.
Shared Cloud Sessions allow several people to join the same task, bring colleagues into work already in progress or assign a task together with its context. Sessions can run on the default local gateway, on a user-owned machine connected as a paired device, or on disposable rented hardware through the Crabbox provisioning tool, which supports providers including AWS and Hetzner.
OpenClaw says provider credentials stay on the gateway and are not sent to the remote machine. That separation is important for cloud execution, though teams should still review network access and task permissions. The release also updates messaging, memory, skills, automation, plugins, model support and security.