OpenClaw released version 2026.8.1, branded as OpenClaw 2.0, built by 933 contributors including 569 first-timers. This major update rebuilds the browser app, introduces shared multiplayer cloud sessions, and migrates storage to SQLite while significantly simplifying installation. The project merged roughly 16,000 pull requests, about half of all its PRs ever integrated, after an unusual seven-week pause in its daily release cycle. Latency tests show initial JavaScript requests reduced from 140 to 45 and startup time from 1.6 seconds to 575 milliseconds. This release comes as Nous Research’s Hermes Agent attracts users frustrated with OpenClaw’s configuration difficulties, creating accelerated competition in the self-hosted AI agent market.
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