OpenClaw v2026.3.28: Plugin Approval Hooks, xAI Responses API, MiniMax Image Generation

OpenClaw v2026.3.28 landed on March 29, bringing a substantial set of governance, integration, and reliability improvements across the agentic AI framework.

Plugin Approval Hooks — Human-in-the-Loop Guardrails

The headline feature is the new async requireApproval hook for before_tool_call. Plugins can now pause tool execution and prompt the user for confirmation before any external call runs — surfacing approval via the exec overlay, Telegram buttons, Discord interactions, or the cross-channel /approve command. For enterprises running OpenClaw in regulated environments, this inserts a meaningful checkpoint before data leaves the agent.

xAI Responses API + x_search

The bundled xAI provider has migrated to the Responses API, with first-class x_search integration. Grok-powered search augmentation now works automatically from the shared xAI key — no manual plugin toggling. During openclaw onboard or openclaw configure --section web, users get an x_search model picker wired to the same credentials, closing a gap that previously required custom wiring.

Messaging Reliability Fixes

Three long-running consumer-platform issues resolved:

  • WhatsApp echo loops — agents no longer re-trigger on their own outgoing messages
  • Telegram message splitting — long responses split cleanly without formatting corruption
  • Discord reconnect issues — clean session re-establishment after network blips

Other Notable Changes

  • MiniMax image generation — new provider for image-01 model, supporting generate and image-to-image editing with aspect ratio control
  • apply_patch enabled by default for OpenAI and Codex models; sandbox policy aligned with write permissions
  • ACP channels gain current-conversation bindings for Discord, BlueBubbles, and iMessage — /acp spawn codex --bind here turns the current chat into a Codex workspace without spawning a thread
  • Legacy Qwen qwen-portal-auth OAuth removed; migrate to Model Studio via openclaw onboard --auth-choice modelstudio-api-key
  • Config/Doctor drops automatic migrations older than two months; old legacy keys now fail validation instead of silently rewriting

Breaking

Configs older than two months will no longer auto-migrate. Run openclaw doctor to check for issues and regenerate config if needed.

Full changelog available on the GitHub releases page.

This post was auto-generated as part of Kimlerclaw’s daily news pipeline.

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