--- doc-schema-version: 1 summary: "Removed SDK surfaces and the replacement for each removed or deprecated API" read_when: - A removed export, hook, or manifest field is breaking your plugin - You need the replacement for a specific legacy API title: "Removed surfaces and replacements" sidebarTitle: "Removed surfaces" --- What the July 2026 sweep removed, plus the per-API replacement mappings for removed surfaces and later-window deprecations. Part of the [Plugin SDK migration](/plugins/sdk-migration) guide. ## Removed compatibility surfaces The July 2026 sweep removed the root SDK and compat barrels, the extension API bridge, the expired SDK subpath aliases, unused SDK subpaths, and typed-public access to bundled-only SDK modules. Private-local build mappings remain for repository owners, and production-private JavaScript exports support official plugin runtimes. Neither provides typed third-party SDK access. ### Channel, config, and infrastructure compatibility facades `channel-lifecycle`, `channel-message`, `channel-reply-pipeline`, `config-runtime`, and `infra-runtime` were removed with SDK-owner approval on September 30, 2026. Channel imports move to focused outbound and inbound contracts; config access uses supplied config, snapshots, and mutation helpers; infrastructure imports move to the matching focused runtime or injected API. System-event snapshot inspection and consumption use `system-event-runtime`. Some legacy helpers and named types require caller changes rather than an import-path substitution. See the [channel mappings](/plugins/sdk-migration/import-paths#retained-channel-facade-mappings) and [config and infrastructure migration steps](/plugins/sdk-migration/how-to-migrate). ### Command, Discord, and Telegram account facades `command-auth`, `discord`, and `telegram-account` were removed with explicit SDK-owner approval on October 2, 2026. Move sender authorization to `channel-ingress-runtime`, native command helpers to `command-auth-native`, and help builders to `command-status`. Discord and Telegram behavior remains owned by their plugins; use generic channel contracts and injected runtime helpers from external plugins, and the owning plugin's `api.ts` / `runtime-api.ts` barrels for repository consumers. These are breaking removals for third-party plugins that still import the old subpaths, including older published `@openclaw/discord` packages. Upgrade affected plugins before upgrading the host. Not every export has a path-only replacement; see the [per-surface mappings](/plugins/sdk-migration/import-paths#removed-command-and-channel-facades). ### Retroactively recorded shipped exports The following exports shipped in `v2026.9.8` and were removed without a compatibility window. Their removals were recorded retroactively on October 7, 2026 when the shipped-surface guard was introduced; the exports remain removed. The registry's `removeAfter` is the UTC day before the removing commit landed, not a compatibility window that was offered to plugin authors. | Removed export (`openclaw/plugin-sdk/` prefix) | Landed (UTC) | `removeAfter` | Replacement | | -------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------ | ------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `allow-from.mapBasicAllowlistResolutionEntries` | 2026-10-05 | 2026-10-04 | None; project `BasicAllowlistResolutionEntry` fields in the consuming plugin. | | `computer-use.compileComputerUseValidator` | 2026-10-05 | 2026-10-04 | `Compile(schema).Check` from `typebox/compile`, using the exported Computer Use schemas. | | `extension-shared.runStoppablePassiveMonitor` | 2026-10-05 | 2026-10-04 | `channel-outbound.runPassiveAccountLifecycle` with `stop: (monitor) => monitor.stop()`. | | `gateway-runtime.resolveAdvertisedLanHost` | 2026-10-05 | 2026-10-04 | None; advertised LAN host discovery is host-owned. | | `json-store.readJsonFileWithFallback` | 2026-10-05 | 2026-10-04 | None; own JSON artifact parsing, fallback, and file-existence handling in the plugin. | | `provider-auth.normalizeSecretInputModeInput` | 2026-10-05 | 2026-10-04 | None; validate plugin-owned input as the exported `SecretInputMode` values `plaintext` or `ref`. | | `persistent-dedupe.PersistentDedupeLegacyJsonMigrationOptions` | 2026-10-05 | 2026-10-04 | None; the legacy JSON migration was retired. | | `persistent-dedupe.PersistentDedupeLegacyJsonMigrationResult` | 2026-10-05 | 2026-10-04 | None; the legacy JSON migration was retired. | | `persistent-dedupe.listPersistentDedupeLegacyJsonFileEntries` | 2026-10-05 | 2026-10-04 | None; the legacy JSON migration was retired. | | `persistent-dedupe.migratePersistentDedupeLegacyJsonFile` | 2026-10-05 | 2026-10-04 | None; the legacy JSON migration was retired. Runtime dedupe continues through the SQLite-backed APIs. | | `provider-auth.CachedCopilotToken` | 2026-10-02 | 2026-10-01 | Provider-local GitHub Copilot auth APIs; none in the public SDK. | | `provider-auth.DEFAULT_COPILOT_API_BASE_URL` | 2026-10-02 | 2026-10-01 | Provider-local GitHub Copilot auth APIs; none in the public SDK. | | `provider-auth.deriveCopilotApiBaseUrlFromToken` | 2026-10-02 | 2026-10-01 | Provider-local GitHub Copilot auth APIs; none in the public SDK. | | `provider-auth.resolveCopilotApiToken` | 2026-10-02 | 2026-10-01 | Provider-local GitHub Copilot auth APIs; none in the public SDK. | The first six exports were removed in [`2fec39f57319be5b6e0b20b5305665ed1ff5e685`](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/2fec39f57319be5b6e0b20b5305665ed1ff5e685). The four legacy JSON migration exports were removed in [`bd64d93ff1ae704d13813f6580c4809ba0e76606`](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/bd64d93ff1ae704d13813f6580c4809ba0e76606). The four Copilot exports and their earlier deprecation entries were removed in [`f2de06b38de710854aacd19218327358445816c8`](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/f2de06b38de710854aacd19218327358445816c8); third-party plugins must own their provider-specific token exchange and caching. ### Process-global API-provider publication `registerApiProvider(...)` and `unregisterApiProviders(...)` were removed from `openclaw/plugin-sdk/llm`. They published API transports into process-global state, which lifecycle-owned model runtimes then had to copy into each prepared registry. Provider plugins should register text-inference providers through `api.registerProvider(...)`. Host-owned code and tests that construct an `ApiRegistry` should register directly on that registry so provider ownership and teardown stay scoped to the prepared runtime. ### Deactivate hook alias The `api.on("deactivate", handler)` compatibility alias was removed. Register the same shutdown cleanup with `gateway_stop`: ```typescript // Before api.on("deactivate", async (event, ctx) => { await stopPluginService(ctx); }); // After api.on("gateway_stop", async (event, ctx) => { await stopPluginService(ctx); }); ``` ### Skill Workshop proposal hooks The `skill_proposal_evaluate` and `skill_proposal_changed` hooks were removed together with Skill Workshop proposals. Workshop now applies each change immediately and keeps a restorable version, so there is no pending draft to evaluate and no proposal lifecycle to observe. The hook runner methods `runSkillProposalEvaluate` and `runSkillProposalChanged` were removed, and `openclaw/plugin-sdk/plugin-entry` no longer exports `PluginHookSkillProposalEvaluateEvent`, `PluginHookSkillProposalEvaluateResult`, `PluginHookSkillProposalEvaluationOutcome`, `PluginHookSkillProposalChangedEvent`, `PluginHookSkillProposalKind`, `PluginHookSkillEvaluationFinding`, `PluginHookSkillBundleFile`, or `PluginHookSkillBundleSnapshot`. The optional `proposal` field on `PluginHookSkillChangedEvent` was removed too. To observe committed Workshop skill writes, register `skill_changed` and filter on `source: "workshop"`. There is no replacement for pre-apply evaluation. Registering a removed hook name logs an `unknown typed hook` warning and the handler never runs. ### Private testing barrel `openclaw/plugin-sdk/testing` was repo-local and excluded from shipped package artifacts, so it was removed before its 2026-07-28 `removeAfter` date. Repository tests use focused subpaths such as `plugin-sdk/plugin-test-runtime`, `plugin-sdk/channel-test-helpers`, `plugin-sdk/channel-target-testing`, `plugin-sdk/test-env`, and `plugin-sdk/test-fixtures`. ### Credential prompt builder `buildCredentialSafetyPrompt` remains available from `openclaw/plugin-sdk/agent-harness-runtime`. With an options object whose `controlToolsAvailable` is set from the callable `openclaw` and `gateway` tools, it returns guidance to use or store user-shared credentials as asked, complete the task, and briefly acknowledge their use or storage in the final reply without repeating their values. The acknowledgment stays factual and non-alarming. It also returns the private login-code handoff guidance and the terminal setup route when neither control tool is available. The legacy string argument is deprecated from 2026-09-09 and remains supported through 2026-11-30. It is accepted and ignored: availability is unknown, so the helper returns only the private handoff line. Replace strings with `{ controlToolsAvailable }`; the string form is eligible for removal starting 2026-12-01. The helper itself is not deprecated. ## Migration reference These mappings cover both removed July 2026 surfaces and later-window active deprecations. A mapping is migration guidance, not evidence that the old surface remains available; consult the compatibility registry and removal timeline for current status. **Old (`openclaw/plugin-sdk/command-auth`)**: `buildCommandsMessage`, `buildCommandsMessagePaginated`, `buildHelpMessage`. **New (`openclaw/plugin-sdk/command-status`)**: same signatures, imported from the narrower subpath. The `command-auth` compatibility re-exports have been removed. ```typescript // Before import { buildHelpMessage } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/command-auth"; // After import { buildHelpMessage } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/command-status"; ``` **Old**: `resolveMentionGating(params)` and `resolveMentionGatingWithBypass(params)` from `openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-inbound` or `openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-mention-gating`. **New**: `resolveInboundMentionDecision({ facts, policy })` - one decision object instead of two split call shapes. Adopted across Discord, iMessage, Matrix, MS Teams, QQBot, Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp, and Zalo. Slack's own `app_mention` event model does not use this helper. `openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-runtime` has been removed. Use `openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-runtime-context` for registering runtime objects. The native message schema helpers in `openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-actions` were removed alongside raw "actions" channel exports. Expose capabilities through the semantic `presentation` surface instead - channel plugins declare what they render (cards, buttons, selects) rather than which raw action names they accept. **Old**: `tool()` factory from `openclaw/plugin-sdk/provider-web-search`. **New**: implement `createTool(...)` directly on the provider plugin. OpenClaw no longer needs the SDK helper to register the tool wrapper. **Old**: `api.runtime.channel.reply.formatInboundEnvelope(...)` (and the `channelEnvelope` field on inbound message objects) to build a flat plaintext prompt envelope from inbound channel messages. **New**: `BodyForAgent` plus structured user-context blocks. Channel plugins attach routing metadata (thread, topic, reply-to, reactions) as typed fields instead of concatenating them into a prompt string. The `formatAgentEnvelope(...)` helper is still supported for synthesized assistant-facing envelopes, but inbound plaintext envelopes are on the way out. Affected areas: `inbound_claim`, `message_received`, and any custom channel plugin that post-processed the old envelope text. **Old**: `api.on("subagent_spawning", handler)` returning `threadBindingReady` or `deliveryOrigin`. **New**: let core prepare `thread: true` subagent bindings through the channel session-binding adapter. Use `api.on("subagent_spawned", handler)` only for post-launch observation. ```typescript // Before api.on("subagent_spawning", async () => ({ status: "ok", threadBindingReady: true, deliveryOrigin: { channel: "discord", to: "channel:123", threadId: "456" }, })); // After api.on("subagent_spawned", async (event) => { await observeSubagentLaunch(event); }); ``` The `subagent_spawning` hook and its event/result types were removed in August 2026 after thread binding moved to the core session-binding path. Four discovery type aliases are now thin wrappers over the catalog-era types: | Old alias | New type | | ------------------------- | ------------------------- | | `ProviderDiscoveryOrder` | `ProviderCatalogOrder` | | `ProviderDiscoveryContext`| `ProviderCatalogContext` | | `ProviderDiscoveryResult` | `ProviderCatalogResult` | | `ProviderPluginDiscovery` | `ProviderPluginCatalog` | The aliases and legacy `ProviderCapabilities` static bag have been removed. Provider plugins should use explicit provider hooks such as `buildReplayPolicy`, `normalizeToolSchemas`, and `wrapStreamFn` rather than a static object. **Old** (three separate hooks on `ProviderThinkingPolicy`): `isBinaryThinking(ctx)`, `supportsXHighThinking(ctx)`, and `resolveDefaultThinkingLevel(ctx)`. **New**: a single `resolveThinkingProfile(ctx)` that returns a `ProviderThinkingProfile` with the canonical `id`, optional `label`, and a ranked level list. OpenClaw downgrades stale stored values by profile rank automatically. The context includes `provider`, `modelId`, optional merged `reasoning`, and optional merged model `compat` facts. Provider plugins can use those catalog facts to expose a model-specific profile only when the configured request contract supports it. Implement one hook instead of three. The legacy hooks have been removed. **Old**: implementing external auth hooks without declaring the provider in the plugin manifest. **New**: declare `contracts.externalAuthProviders` in the plugin manifest **and** implement `resolveExternalAuthProfiles(...)`. ```json { "contracts": { "externalAuthProviders": ["anthropic", "openai"] } } ``` **Old** manifest field: `providerAuthEnvVars: { anthropic: ["ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"] }`. **New**: mirror the same env-var lookup into `setup.providers[].envVars` on the manifest. This consolidates setup/status env metadata in one place and avoids booting the plugin runtime just to answer env-var lookups. `providerAuthEnvVars` is no longer accepted. **Old**: three separate calls - `api.registerMemoryPromptSection(...)`, `api.registerMemoryFlushPlan(...)`, `api.registerMemoryRuntime(...)`. **New**: one call on the memory-state API - `registerMemoryCapability(pluginId, { promptBuilder, flushPlanResolver, runtime })`. Same slots, single registration call. Additive prompt and corpus helpers (`registerMemoryPromptSupplement`, `registerMemoryCorpusSupplement`) are not affected. **Old**: `api.registerMemoryEmbeddingProvider(...)` plus `contracts.memoryEmbeddingProviders`. **New**: `api.registerEmbeddingProvider(...)` plus `contracts.embeddingProviders`. The generic embedding provider contract is reusable outside memory and is the supported path for every provider. The memory-specific registration API and manifest contract were removed after the **2026-08-21** migration deadline. **Old**: return `{ ok, messageId, error }` through `ChannelSendRawResult` and normalize it with `createRawChannelSendResultAdapter(...)`. **New**: return `OutboundDeliveryResult` fields and attach the channel with `createAttachedChannelResultAdapter(...)`. Failed sends should throw instead of returning an error string. Put the platform destination in `target: { kind: "chat" | "channel" | "room" | "conversation", id }`; the old parallel `chatId`, `channelId`, `roomId`, and `conversationId` result fields are no longer accepted. The raw result type remains available until the next plugin-SDK major release. Two legacy type aliases still exported from `src/plugins/runtime/types.ts`: | Old | New | | ----------------------------- | ------------------------------- | | `SubagentReadSessionParams` | `SubagentGetSessionMessagesParams` | | `SubagentReadSessionResult` | `SubagentGetSessionMessagesResult` | The runtime method `readSession` is deprecated in favor of `getSessionMessages`. Same signature; the old method calls through to the new one. The SQLite session/transcript flip removes or deprecates plugin-facing APIs that exposed active `sessions.json` stores, JSONL transcript paths, or lists of session files. Runtime plugins should use session identity and SDK runtime helpers instead of resolving or mutating active files. | Migrating surface | Replacement | | ----------------- | ----------- | | Removed `loadSessionStore(...)` and `resolveSessionStoreEntry(...)`, including package-root `loadSessionStore(...)` | `getSessionEntry(...)` for one scoped row or `listSessionEntries(...)` for scoped iteration from `openclaw/plugin-sdk/session-store-runtime`. | | Removed `updateSessionStore(...)`, package-root `saveSessionStore(...)`, and SDK file-store writes | `patchSessionEntry(...)`, `upsertSessionEntry(...)`, and `deleteSessionEntry(...)` from `openclaw/plugin-sdk/session-store-runtime`; mutate only the intended rows instead of replacing a detached whole-store snapshot. | | Removed `LoadSessionStoreOptions` and `UpdateSessionStoreOptions` | Parameters accepted by the scoped row APIs; the whole-store cache and callback options no longer apply. | | Removed `resolveSessionFilePath(...)` | Session identity (`agentId`, `sessionKey`, and `sessionId`) with `openclaw/plugin-sdk/session-transcript-runtime`, or Gateway methods that operate on the current session. | | Removed `resolveSessionTranscriptPathInDir(...)` and `resolveAndPersistSessionFile(...)` | Session identity and Gateway methods that operate on the current session. | | `readLatestAssistantTextFromSessionTranscript(...)` | Identity-backed transcript readers exposed by the current runtime context, or Gateway history/session methods when the plugin is outside the transcript owner path. | | `SessionTranscriptUpdate.sessionFile` | `SessionTranscriptUpdate.target` with `agentId`, `sessionKey`, and `sessionId`. | | Memory sync inputs such as `sessionFiles` | Identity-backed transcript/session sources provided by the host; do not crawl active JSONL files for live sessions. | | Runtime options named `transcriptPath` or `sessionFile` for active sessions | `sessionTarget`/runtime target objects that carry storage-neutral session identity. | Legacy JSONL transcript files remain valid as import, archive, export, and support artifacts. They are no longer the steady-state runtime contract for active sessions. The official `@openclaw/codex` and `@openclaw/feishu` plugins released with `v2026.7.1-beta.5` imported the retired bridge. SDK-owner approval on September 30, 2026 closed its compatibility window early, replacing the former October 12 deadline. The supported-plugin cutoff excludes that release and any other package still importing the bridge. Upgrade affected plugins to versions using the replacements before upgrading OpenClaw. A newer version number alone is not evidence of migration. `openclaw/plugin-sdk/session-store-runtime` and `resolveStorePath(...)` remain supported. Pass the selected `agentId` explicitly to scoped row operations; resolving a path no longer records an agent selection for a later whole-store call. This removal does not change SQLite schemas or legacy-state import and Doctor migrations. `openclaw plugins inspect --all --runtime` reports non-bundled plugins whose load errors or diagnostics still reference these removed file APIs. The `@openclaw/plugin-inspector` advisory sweep must use version `0.3.17` or newer so external package scans also flag whole-store session helpers, session file-path helpers, legacy transcript file targets, and low-level transcript helpers before release. New or updated harness plugins should implement `AgentHarnessV2` and use `AgentHarnessAttemptParamsV2`, `EmbeddedRunAttemptParamsV2`, or `AgentHarnessSideQuestionParamsV2`. The V2 parameter types require `hostCapabilities`, matching what core supplies at the selected-harness boundary. A plugin that adopts these V2 contracts must declare `openclaw.compat.pluginApi: ">=2026.8.1"` (or a newer floor) in its package manifest so an older host rejects the plugin before loading it. Existing plugins may continue implementing `AgentHarness` and constructing the legacy `AgentHarnessAttemptParams`, `EmbeddedRunAttemptParams`, or `AgentHarnessSideQuestionParams` types without that field through 2026-10-12. Those contracts keep the capability optional only for source compatibility; they do not create a capability-free runtime path. Migrate by changing the imported type name and binding tool or native-action surfaces through `params.hostCapabilities`. The Tasks registry and TaskFlow orchestration APIs have been removed, including `api.runtime.tasks`, `registerDetachedTaskRuntime`, and the `agent-harness-task-runtime` SDK subpath. No compatibility facade remains. Use native subagent launch/wait/history APIs, cron run history, and the ordinary Lobster runner for their respective operations. Harness completion routing uses the completion-only `agent-harness-completion` subpath. This removal does not change the physical database schemas. Existing `task_runs`, `task_delivery_state`, and `flow_runs` tables, columns, and indexes remain unchanged. Cron reads and writes only its `runtime = 'cron'` history rows in `task_runs`; non-Cron Task and TaskFlow rows remain untouched and unused by the runtime. The Codex plugin's [Doctor migration](/gateway/doctor/config-migrations#native-codex-recovery-after-tasks-removal) preserves eligible owner-stamped native recovery facts in existing parent binding metadata, leaving source rows byte-identical. It adds no runtime Task reader or replacement SDK surface; current requester authority still governs completion delivery. See the [versioning contract](/reference/database-schemas/versioning). Covered in [How to migrate](/plugins/sdk-migration/how-to-migrate#how-to-migrate). Included here for completeness: the removed embedded-runner-only `api.registerEmbeddedExtensionFactory(...)` path is replaced by `api.registerAgentToolResultMiddleware(...)` with an explicit runtime list in `contracts.agentToolResultMiddleware`. The `OpenClawSchemaType` root-SDK alias was removed. Use the canonical `OpenClawConfig` name. ```typescript // Before import type { OpenClawSchemaType } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk"; // After import type { OpenClawConfig } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/config-contracts"; ``` Extension-level deprecations (inside bundled channel/provider plugins under `extensions/`) are tracked inside their own `api.ts` and `runtime-api.ts` barrels. They do not affect third-party plugin contracts and are not listed here. If you consume a bundled plugin's local barrel directly, read the deprecation comments in that barrel before upgrading.