---
summary: "How OpenClaw upgrades the previous Matrix plugin in place, including encrypted-state recovery limits and manual recovery steps."
read_when:
  - Upgrading an existing Matrix installation
  - Migrating encrypted Matrix history and device state
title: "Matrix migration"
---

# Matrix migration

This page covers upgrades from the previous public `matrix` plugin to the current implementation.

For most users, the upgrade is in place:

- the plugin stays `@openclaw/matrix`
- the channel stays `matrix`
- your config stays under `channels.matrix`
- cached credentials stay under `~/.openclaw/credentials/matrix/`
- runtime state stays under `~/.openclaw/matrix/`

You do not need to rename config keys or reinstall the plugin under a new name.

## What the migration does automatically

When the gateway starts, and when you run [`openclaw doctor --fix`](/gateway/doctor), OpenClaw tries to repair old Matrix state automatically.
Before any actionable Matrix migration step mutates on-disk state, OpenClaw creates or reuses a focused recovery snapshot.

When you use `openclaw update`, the exact trigger depends on how OpenClaw is installed:

- source installs run `openclaw doctor --fix` during the update flow, then restart the gateway by default
- package-manager installs update the package, run a non-interactive doctor pass, then rely on the default gateway restart so startup can finish Matrix migration
- if you use `openclaw update --no-restart`, startup-backed Matrix migration is deferred until you later run `openclaw doctor --fix` and restart the gateway

Automatic migration covers:

- creating or reusing a pre-migration snapshot under `~/Backups/openclaw-migrations/`
- reusing your cached Matrix credentials
- keeping the same account selection and `channels.matrix` config
- moving the oldest flat Matrix sync store into the current account-scoped location
- moving the oldest flat Matrix crypto store into the current account-scoped location when the target account can be resolved safely
- extracting a previously saved Matrix room-key backup decryption key from the old rust crypto store, when that key exists locally
- reusing the most complete existing token-hash storage root for the same Matrix account, homeserver, and user when the access token changes later
- scanning sibling token-hash storage roots for pending encrypted-state restore metadata when the Matrix access token changed but the account/device identity stayed the same
- restoring backed-up room keys into the new crypto store on the next Matrix startup

Snapshot details:

- OpenClaw writes a marker file at `~/.openclaw/matrix/migration-snapshot.json` after a successful snapshot so later startup and repair passes can reuse the same archive.
- These automatic Matrix migration snapshots back up config + state only (`includeWorkspace: false`).
- If Matrix only has warning-only migration state, for example because `userId` or `accessToken` is still missing, OpenClaw does not create the snapshot yet because no Matrix mutation is actionable.
- If the snapshot step fails, OpenClaw skips Matrix migration for that run instead of mutating state without a recovery point.

About multi-account upgrades:

- the oldest flat Matrix store (`~/.openclaw/matrix/bot-storage.json` and `~/.openclaw/matrix/crypto/`) came from a single-store layout, so OpenClaw can only migrate it into one resolved Matrix account target
- already account-scoped legacy Matrix stores are detected and prepared per configured Matrix account

## What the migration cannot do automatically

The previous public Matrix plugin did **not** automatically create Matrix room-key backups. It persisted local crypto state and requested device verification, but it did not guarantee that your room keys were backed up to the homeserver.

That means some encrypted installs can only be migrated partially.

OpenClaw cannot automatically recover:

- local-only room keys that were never backed up
- encrypted state when the target Matrix account cannot be resolved yet because `homeserver`, `userId`, or `accessToken` are still unavailable
- automatic migration of one shared flat Matrix store when multiple Matrix accounts are configured but `channels.matrix.defaultAccount` is not set
- custom plugin path installs that are pinned to a repo path instead of the standard Matrix package
- a missing recovery key when the old store had backed-up keys but did not keep the decryption key locally

Current warning scope:

- custom Matrix plugin path installs are surfaced by both gateway startup and `openclaw doctor`

If your old installation had local-only encrypted history that was never backed up, some older encrypted messages may remain unreadable after the upgrade.

## Recommended upgrade flow

1. Update OpenClaw and the Matrix plugin normally.
   Prefer plain `openclaw update` without `--no-restart` so startup can finish the Matrix migration immediately.
2. Run:

   ```bash
   openclaw doctor --fix
   ```

   If Matrix has actionable migration work, doctor will create or reuse the pre-migration snapshot first and print the archive path.

3. Start or restart the gateway.
4. Check current verification and backup state:

   ```bash
   openclaw matrix verify status
   openclaw matrix verify backup status
   ```

5. If OpenClaw tells you a recovery key is needed, run:

   ```bash
   openclaw matrix verify backup restore --recovery-key "<your-recovery-key>"
   ```

6. If this device is still unverified, run:

   ```bash
   openclaw matrix verify device "<your-recovery-key>"
   ```

7. If you are intentionally abandoning unrecoverable old history and want a fresh backup baseline for future messages, run:

   ```bash
   openclaw matrix verify backup reset --yes
   ```

8. If no server-side key backup exists yet, create one for future recoveries:

   ```bash
   openclaw matrix verify bootstrap
   ```

## How encrypted migration works

Encrypted migration is a two-stage process:

1. Startup or `openclaw doctor --fix` creates or reuses the pre-migration snapshot if encrypted migration is actionable.
2. Startup or `openclaw doctor --fix` inspects the old Matrix crypto store through the active Matrix plugin install.
3. If a backup decryption key is found, OpenClaw writes it into the new recovery-key flow and marks room-key restore as pending.
4. On the next Matrix startup, OpenClaw restores backed-up room keys into the new crypto store automatically.

If the old store reports room keys that were never backed up, OpenClaw warns instead of pretending recovery succeeded.

## Common messages and what they mean

### Upgrade and detection messages

`Matrix plugin upgraded in place.`

- Meaning: the old on-disk Matrix state was detected and migrated into the current layout.
- What to do: nothing unless the same output also includes warnings.

`Matrix migration snapshot created before applying Matrix upgrades.`

- Meaning: OpenClaw created a recovery archive before mutating Matrix state.
- What to do: keep the printed archive path until you confirm migration succeeded.

`Matrix migration snapshot reused before applying Matrix upgrades.`

- Meaning: OpenClaw found an existing Matrix migration snapshot marker and reused that archive instead of creating a duplicate backup.
- What to do: keep the printed archive path until you confirm migration succeeded.

`Legacy Matrix state detected at ... but channels.matrix is not configured yet.`

- Meaning: old Matrix state exists, but OpenClaw cannot map it to a current Matrix account because Matrix is not configured.
- What to do: configure `channels.matrix`, then rerun `openclaw doctor --fix` or restart the gateway.

`Legacy Matrix state detected at ... but the new account-scoped target could not be resolved yet (need homeserver, userId, and access token for channels.matrix...).`

- Meaning: OpenClaw found old state, but it still cannot determine the exact current account/device root.
- What to do: start the gateway once with a working Matrix login, or rerun `openclaw doctor --fix` after cached credentials exist.

`Legacy Matrix state detected at ... but multiple Matrix accounts are configured and channels.matrix.defaultAccount is not set.`

- Meaning: OpenClaw found one shared flat Matrix store, but it refuses to guess which named Matrix account should receive it.
- What to do: set `channels.matrix.defaultAccount` to the intended account, then rerun `openclaw doctor --fix` or restart the gateway.

`Matrix legacy sync store not migrated because the target already exists (...)`

- Meaning: the new account-scoped location already has a sync or crypto store, so OpenClaw did not overwrite it automatically.
- What to do: verify that the current account is the correct one before manually removing or moving the conflicting target.

`Failed migrating Matrix legacy sync store (...)` or `Failed migrating Matrix legacy crypto store (...)`

- Meaning: OpenClaw tried to move old Matrix state but the filesystem operation failed.
- What to do: inspect filesystem permissions and disk state, then rerun `openclaw doctor --fix`.

`Legacy Matrix encrypted state detected at ... but channels.matrix is not configured yet.`

- Meaning: OpenClaw found an old encrypted Matrix store, but there is no current Matrix config to attach it to.
- What to do: configure `channels.matrix`, then rerun `openclaw doctor --fix` or restart the gateway.

`Legacy Matrix encrypted state detected at ... but the account-scoped target could not be resolved yet (need homeserver, userId, and access token for channels.matrix...).`

- Meaning: the encrypted store exists, but OpenClaw cannot safely decide which current account/device it belongs to.
- What to do: start the gateway once with a working Matrix login, or rerun `openclaw doctor --fix` after cached credentials are available.

`Legacy Matrix encrypted state detected at ... but multiple Matrix accounts are configured and channels.matrix.defaultAccount is not set.`

- Meaning: OpenClaw found one shared flat legacy crypto store, but it refuses to guess which named Matrix account should receive it.
- What to do: set `channels.matrix.defaultAccount` to the intended account, then rerun `openclaw doctor --fix` or restart the gateway.

`Matrix migration warnings are present, but no on-disk Matrix mutation is actionable yet. No pre-migration snapshot was needed.`

- Meaning: OpenClaw detected old Matrix state, but the migration is still blocked on missing identity or credential data.
- What to do: finish Matrix login or config setup, then rerun `openclaw doctor --fix` or restart the gateway.

`Legacy Matrix encrypted state was detected, but the Matrix plugin helper is unavailable. Install or repair @openclaw/matrix so OpenClaw can inspect the old rust crypto store before upgrading.`

- Meaning: OpenClaw found old encrypted Matrix state, but it could not load the helper entrypoint from the Matrix plugin that normally inspects that store.
- What to do: reinstall or repair the Matrix plugin (`openclaw plugins install @openclaw/matrix`, or `openclaw plugins install ./path/to/local/matrix-plugin` for a repo checkout), then rerun `openclaw doctor --fix` or restart the gateway.

`Matrix plugin helper path is unsafe: ... Reinstall @openclaw/matrix and try again.`

- Meaning: OpenClaw found a helper file path that escapes the plugin root or fails plugin boundary checks, so it refused to import it.
- What to do: reinstall the Matrix plugin from a trusted path, then rerun `openclaw doctor --fix` or restart the gateway.

`- Failed creating a Matrix migration snapshot before repair: ...`

`- Skipping Matrix migration changes for now. Resolve the snapshot failure, then rerun "openclaw doctor --fix".`

- Meaning: OpenClaw refused to mutate Matrix state because it could not create the recovery snapshot first.
- What to do: resolve the backup error, then rerun `openclaw doctor --fix` or restart the gateway.

`Failed migrating legacy Matrix client storage: ...`

- Meaning: the Matrix client-side fallback found old flat storage, but the move failed. OpenClaw now aborts that fallback instead of silently starting with a fresh store.
- What to do: inspect filesystem permissions or conflicts, keep the old state intact, and retry after fixing the error.

`Matrix is installed from a custom path: ...`

- Meaning: Matrix is pinned to a path install, so mainline updates do not automatically replace it with the repo's standard Matrix package.
- What to do: reinstall with `openclaw plugins install @openclaw/matrix` when you want to return to the default Matrix plugin.

### Encrypted-state recovery messages

`matrix: restored X/Y room key(s) from legacy encrypted-state backup`

- Meaning: backed-up room keys were restored successfully into the new crypto store.
- What to do: usually nothing.

`matrix: N legacy local-only room key(s) were never backed up and could not be restored automatically`

- Meaning: some old room keys existed only in the old local store and had never been uploaded to Matrix backup.
- What to do: expect some old encrypted history to remain unavailable unless you can recover those keys manually from another verified client.

`Legacy Matrix encrypted state for account "..." has backed-up room keys, but no local backup decryption key was found. Ask the operator to run "openclaw matrix verify backup restore --recovery-key <key>" after upgrade if they have the recovery key.`

- Meaning: backup exists, but OpenClaw could not recover the recovery key automatically.
- What to do: run `openclaw matrix verify backup restore --recovery-key "<your-recovery-key>"`.

`Failed inspecting legacy Matrix encrypted state for account "..." (...): ...`

- Meaning: OpenClaw found the old encrypted store, but it could not inspect it safely enough to prepare recovery.
- What to do: rerun `openclaw doctor --fix`. If it repeats, keep the old state directory intact and recover using another verified Matrix client plus `openclaw matrix verify backup restore --recovery-key "<your-recovery-key>"`.

`Legacy Matrix backup key was found for account "...", but .../recovery-key.json already contains a different recovery key. Leaving the existing file unchanged.`

- Meaning: OpenClaw detected a backup key conflict and refused to overwrite the current recovery-key file automatically.
- What to do: verify which recovery key is correct before retrying any restore command.

`Legacy Matrix encrypted state for account "..." cannot be fully converted automatically because the old rust crypto store does not expose all local room keys for export.`

- Meaning: this is the hard limit of the old storage format.
- What to do: backed-up keys can still be restored, but local-only encrypted history may remain unavailable.

`matrix: failed restoring room keys from legacy encrypted-state backup: ...`

- Meaning: the new plugin attempted restore but Matrix returned an error.
- What to do: run `openclaw matrix verify backup status`, then retry with `openclaw matrix verify backup restore --recovery-key "<your-recovery-key>"` if needed.

### Manual recovery messages

`Backup key is not loaded on this device. Run 'openclaw matrix verify backup restore' to load it and restore old room keys.`

- Meaning: OpenClaw knows you should have a backup key, but it is not active on this device.
- What to do: run `openclaw matrix verify backup restore`, or pass `--recovery-key` if needed.

`Store a recovery key with 'openclaw matrix verify device <key>', then run 'openclaw matrix verify backup restore'.`

- Meaning: this device does not currently have the recovery key stored.
- What to do: verify the device with your recovery key first, then restore the backup.

`Backup key mismatch on this device. Re-run 'openclaw matrix verify device <key>' with the matching recovery key.`

- Meaning: the stored key does not match the active Matrix backup.
- What to do: rerun `openclaw matrix verify device "<your-recovery-key>"` with the correct key.

If you accept losing unrecoverable old encrypted history, you can instead reset the
current backup baseline with `openclaw matrix verify backup reset --yes`. When the
stored backup secret is broken, that reset may also recreate secret storage so the
new backup key can load correctly after restart.

`Backup trust chain is not verified on this device. Re-run 'openclaw matrix verify device <key>'.`

- Meaning: the backup exists, but this device does not trust the cross-signing chain strongly enough yet.
- What to do: rerun `openclaw matrix verify device "<your-recovery-key>"`.

`Matrix recovery key is required`

- Meaning: you tried a recovery step without supplying a recovery key when one was required.
- What to do: rerun the command with your recovery key.

`Invalid Matrix recovery key: ...`

- Meaning: the provided key could not be parsed or did not match the expected format.
- What to do: retry with the exact recovery key from your Matrix client or recovery-key file.

`Matrix device is still unverified after applying recovery key. Verify your recovery key and ensure cross-signing is available.`

- Meaning: the key was applied, but the device still could not complete verification.
- What to do: confirm you used the correct key and that cross-signing is available on the account, then retry.

`Matrix key backup is not active on this device after loading from secret storage.`

- Meaning: secret storage did not produce an active backup session on this device.
- What to do: verify the device first, then recheck with `openclaw matrix verify backup status`.

`Matrix crypto backend cannot load backup keys from secret storage. Verify this device with 'openclaw matrix verify device <key>' first.`

- Meaning: this device cannot restore from secret storage until device verification is complete.
- What to do: run `openclaw matrix verify device "<your-recovery-key>"` first.

### Custom plugin install messages

`Matrix is installed from a custom path that no longer exists: ...`

- Meaning: your plugin install record points at a local path that is gone.
- What to do: reinstall with `openclaw plugins install @openclaw/matrix`, or if you are running from a repo checkout, `openclaw plugins install ./path/to/local/matrix-plugin`.

## If encrypted history still does not come back

Run these checks in order:

```bash
openclaw matrix verify status --verbose
openclaw matrix verify backup status --verbose
openclaw matrix verify backup restore --recovery-key "<your-recovery-key>" --verbose
```

If the backup restores successfully but some old rooms are still missing history, those missing keys were probably never backed up by the previous plugin.

## If you want to start fresh for future messages

If you accept losing unrecoverable old encrypted history and only want a clean backup baseline going forward, run these commands in order:

```bash
openclaw matrix verify backup reset --yes
openclaw matrix verify backup status --verbose
openclaw matrix verify status
```

If the device is still unverified after that, finish verification from your Matrix client by comparing the SAS emoji or decimal codes and confirming that they match.

## Related pages

- [Matrix](/channels/matrix)
- [Doctor](/gateway/doctor)
- [Migrating](/install/migrating)
- [Plugins](/tools/plugin)
