Executive brief
OpenClaw's Tlon configuration management treats empty array settings as missing during startup, causing revoked security restrictions to be re-enabled when the service restarts. This allows configuration changes—such as revoked access lists or disabled features—to be undone after a reboot, potentially restoring privileges that were intentionally removed.
Technical details
The vulnerability exists in OpenClaw's startup migration logic for Tlon configuration. During initialization, the system fails to distinguish between explicitly empty array settings (e.g., an intentionally empty revocation list) and missing settings, treating both as absent and rehydrating them from persisted file state. This means a revoked configuration entry can be reactivated after restart without explicit administrative action. The root cause is in the migration code path that loads configuration from disk during startup (commit a4d72a83f01fedd35964c352e3473c7712a3511b addresses this). An attacker with local file access or ability to modify stored configuration state could potentially restore revoked policies. The fix, released in version 2026.3.31, preserves the distinction between empty and missing settings during the migration process.
Affected products
- Tlon OpenClaw <=2026.3.28
Timeline
- 2026-04-03: disclosed
- 2026-03-31: patched: Fix released in version 2026.3.31