OpenClaw Tools Config Changes After the 2026.3.2 Update

OpenClaw Tools Config Changes After the 2026.3.2 Update

The OpenClaw 2026.3.2 update restructured the tools configuration. Settings that were previously scattered across multiple sections to disable exec approval have been consolidated into a single, cleaner structure.

Here's what changed and how to configure it now.

The Biggest Change: tools.profile Defaults to messaging

The most important breaking change in 2026.3.2 is that onboarding now defaults tools.profile to messaging for new local installs. This means new setups start with only messaging tools enabled — no coding or system tools unless explicitly configured.

If you updated from a previous version, this tools.profile: "messaging" setting may still be present. With it active, most tools like exec and file editing are disabled.

{
  "tools": {
    "profile": "messaging"
  }
}

To use the full set of tools, remove tools.profile entirely from your config.

Previous Config (Before 2026.3.2)

To run exec commands without approval, you had to touch three separate settings:

{
  "approvals": {
    "exec": {
      "enabled": false
    }
  },
  "tools": {
    "elevated": {
      "enabled": false
    }
  },
  "channels": {
    "discord": {
      "execApprovals": null
    }
  }
}

tools.elevated controlled elevated tool permissions, and channels.discord.execApprovals was a per-channel exec approval setting. These three were intertwined in priority — miss one and approval requests would still fire.

Current Config (2026.3.2+)

In 2026.3.2, profile messaging was separated from tools, removing the tools.elevated section entirely. channels.discord.execApprovals is also no longer needed.

The current setup:

{
  "tools": {
    "exec": {
      "security": "full",
      "ask": "off"
    }
  },
  "approvals": {
    "exec": {
      "enabled": false
    }
  }
}

What Each Setting Does

• tools.exec.security: "full" — Allow all shell commands without restrictions
• tools.exec.ask: "off" — Disable confirmation prompts before exec
• approvals.exec.enabled: false — Disable global exec approval

How to Migrate

Remove from your existing config:

1. Delete tools.profile (if set to messaging, it restricts available tools)
2. Delete the entire tools.elevated section
3. Delete channels.discord.execApprovals

Add the new settings:

openclaw configure --patch '{"tools":{"exec":{"security":"full","ask":"off"}}}'
openclaw gateway restart

Keep approvals.exec.enabled: false as before.

Summary

The config is now consolidated under tools.exec, making it much cleaner. Leftover old settings won't break anything, but it's good practice to clean them up.