Adapted community discussion: Paraphrased and condensed from an anonymized public OpenClaw Discord support conversation from August 2026. Technical guidance was reviewed for OpenClaw 2026.9.3.
After updating on Windows, every OpenClaw command stops at legacy-config warnings. The report names retired Tailscale behavior, an old model policy, and a legacy exec-approvals file. I cannot get far enough to start the Gateway.
The excerpt is a migration warning, not the underlying crash. Run openclaw --version, then openclaw doctor --fix and openclaw config validate. If it still fails, capture the complete Doctor output and the first real error from the Gateway logs. Avoid copying the decorative diagnostic box back into PowerShell.
The fuller output shows that openclaw.json is invalid, and the connection refusal happens because the Gateway never starts. Several old keys remain after the attempted migration.
Back up both the config and legacy approvals file before changing anything. Stop the Gateway, let the current Doctor migrate supported fields, then validate the resulting config before starting the service. If validation still names retired properties, remove only those exact properties and move settings only where the current validator documents a replacement. Preserve model configuration, state databases, and the approvals backup.