Release Notes

v0.0.49

NemoClaw v0.0.49 is a hardening release focused on reliability, clearer diagnostics, OpenClaw compatibility, and stronger validation coverage:

• Gateway failures now fail faster and explain more. nemoclaw status classifies gateway probe failures by layer, distinguishing a named gateway port that is not accepting connections, a named gateway that is present but not Connected, the active OpenShell gateway pointing at a different name, and a named gateway that is not configured at all. nemoclaw <name> connect exits early with recovery guidance when the OpenShell gateway is down.
• Gateway upgrade and fallback paths are more stable. The release hardens older gateway fallback coverage, OpenShell gateway upgrade checks, crash-loop detection tests, and Brev GPU bridge gateway traffic coverage.
• Status and doctor now report a fresh mutable sandbox as not configured instead of down, and nemoclaw <name> logs --tail <lines> is locked in as a NemoClaw line count rather than OpenShell’s follow-flag pun. nemoclaw debug --quick reports restricted kernel-log access as a skipped section instead of surfacing raw dmesg permission errors.
• OpenClaw compatibility is more resilient across runtime changes. Kimi mixed tool calls are normalized more consistently, compatible OpenClaw JSON envelope changes are tolerated in tests, and OpenClaw patch drift is easier to classify during image builds.
• Messaging channel removal is now a clean teardown. The sandbox registry and onboard session policy preset state stay in sync so removed presets do not return during later onboard --resume or rebuild flows; QR-paired channels also have their durable in-sandbox session directory wiped before the rebuild and removal aborts cleanly when that wipe cannot be confirmed; and ~/.nemoclaw/config.json is re-synced from the host across every rebuild resume path so the OpenClaw plugin no longer crashes on the Dockerfile placeholder.
• Hermes sandboxes apply only the messaging channel policies the operator selects instead of pre-enabling every Hermes messaging provider, and dynamic preset application resolves Hermes-specific policy content so Discord on Hermes no longer falls back to generic Node allowlists.
• nemoclaw <name> snapshot restore --to <existing-sandbox> now refuses to overwrite an existing destination unless you pass --force, which makes destructive clone restores an explicit opt-in.
• Source-checkout installs bootstrap OpenShell when needed before running preflight, so git clone based installs can reach the same managed OpenShell setup path as packaged installs. The Linux installer, onboard preflight, and prerequisites docs also explain why NemoClaw needs Docker group membership and the privilege impact of granting it.
• NVIDIA NIM preflight rejects WDDM placeholder GPU names on hosts without NVIDIA firmware, and Jetson onboarding refuses sandbox GPU passthrough instead of creating a configuration the sandbox cannot use.
• CLI and E2E coverage cover more real user paths. Missing channels arguments now print the correct usage, E2E suites use supported sandbox subcommands, E2E tests build against the full repository CLI, and security-sensitive credential paths have broader coverage.
• Release infrastructure now targets Node 24 in GitHub Actions. The E2E advisor also comments with clearer target guidance and waits for required PR checks before deciding.