--- summary: "Migrate from the legacy backwards-compatibility layer to the modern plugin SDK" title: "Plugin SDK migration" sidebarTitle: "Migrate to SDK" read_when: - You see the OPENCLAW_PLUGIN_SDK_COMPAT_DEPRECATED warning - You see the OPENCLAW_EXTENSION_API_DEPRECATED warning - You used api.registerEmbeddedExtensionFactory before OpenClaw 2026.4.25 - You are updating a plugin to the modern plugin architecture - You maintain an external OpenClaw plugin --- OpenClaw has moved from a broad backwards-compatibility layer to a modern plugin architecture with focused, documented imports. If your plugin was built before the new architecture, this guide helps you migrate. ## What is changing The old plugin system provided two wide-open surfaces that let plugins import anything they needed from a single entry point: - **`openclaw/plugin-sdk/compat`** - a single import that re-exported dozens of helpers. It was introduced to keep older hook-based plugins working while the new plugin architecture was being built. - **`openclaw/plugin-sdk/infra-runtime`** - a broad runtime helper barrel that mixed system events, heartbeat state, delivery queues, fetch/proxy helpers, file helpers, approval types, and unrelated utilities. - **`openclaw/plugin-sdk/config-runtime`** - a broad config compatibility barrel that still carries deprecated direct load/write helpers during the migration window. - **`openclaw/extension-api`** - a bridge that gave plugins direct access to host-side helpers like the embedded agent runner. - **`api.registerEmbeddedExtensionFactory(...)`** - a removed Pi-only bundled extension hook that could observe embedded-runner events such as `tool_result`. The broad import surfaces are now **deprecated**. They still work at runtime, but new plugins must not use them, and existing plugins should migrate before the next major release removes them. The Pi-only embedded extension factory registration API has been removed; use tool-result middleware instead. OpenClaw does not remove or reinterpret documented plugin behavior in the same change that introduces a replacement. Breaking contract changes must first go through a compatibility adapter, diagnostics, docs, and a deprecation window. That applies to SDK imports, manifest fields, setup APIs, hooks, and runtime registration behavior. The backwards-compatibility layer will be removed in a future major release. Plugins that still import from these surfaces will break when that happens. Pi-only embedded extension factory registrations already no longer load. ## Why this changed The old approach caused problems: - **Slow startup** - importing one helper loaded dozens of unrelated modules - **Circular dependencies** - broad re-exports made it easy to create import cycles - **Unclear API surface** - no way to tell which exports were stable vs internal The modern plugin SDK fixes this: each import path (`openclaw/plugin-sdk/\`) is a small, self-contained module with a clear purpose and documented contract. Legacy provider convenience seams for bundled channels are also gone. Channel-branded helper seams were private mono-repo shortcuts, not stable plugin contracts. Use narrow generic SDK subpaths instead. Inside the bundled plugin workspace, keep provider-owned helpers in that plugin's own `api.ts` or `runtime-api.ts`. Current bundled provider examples: - Anthropic keeps Claude-specific stream helpers in its own `api.ts` / `contract-api.ts` seam - OpenAI keeps provider builders, default-model helpers, and realtime provider builders in its own `api.ts` - OpenRouter keeps provider builder and onboarding/config helpers in its own `api.ts` ## Talk and realtime voice migration plan Realtime voice, telephony, meeting, and browser Talk code is moving from surface-local turn bookkeeping to a shared Talk session controller exported by `openclaw/plugin-sdk/realtime-voice`. The new controller owns the common Talk event envelope, active turn state, capture state, output-audio state, recent event history, and stale-turn rejection. Provider plugins should keep owning vendor-specific realtime sessions; surface plugins should keep owning capture, playback, telephony, and meeting quirks. This Talk migration is intentionally breaking-clean: 1. Keep the shared controller/runtime primitives in `plugin-sdk/realtime-voice`. 2. Move bundled surfaces onto the shared controller: browser relay, managed-room handoff, voice-call realtime, voice-call streaming STT, Google Meet realtime, and native push-to-talk. 3. Replace old Talk RPC families with the final `talk.session.*` and `talk.client.*` API. 4. Advertise one live Talk event channel in Gateway `hello-ok.features.events`: `talk.event`. 5. Delete the old realtime HTTP endpoint and any request-time instruction override path. New code should not call `createTalkEventSequencer(...)` directly unless it is implementing a low-level adapter or test fixture. Prefer the shared controller so turn-scoped events cannot be emitted without a turn id, stale `turnEnd` / `turnCancel` calls cannot clear a newer active turn, and output-audio lifecycle events stay consistent across telephony, meetings, browser relay, managed-room handoff, and native Talk clients. The target public API shape is: ```typescript // Gateway-owned Talk session API. await gateway.request("talk.session.create", { mode: "realtime", transport: "gateway-relay", brain: "agent-consult", sessionKey: "main", }); await gateway.request("talk.session.appendAudio", { sessionId, audioBase64 }); await gateway.request("talk.session.cancelOutput", { sessionId, reason: "barge-in" }); await gateway.request("talk.session.submitToolResult", { sessionId, callId, result }); await gateway.request("talk.session.close", { sessionId }); // Client-owned provider session API. await gateway.request("talk.client.create", { mode: "realtime", transport: "webrtc", brain: "agent-consult", sessionKey: "main", }); await gateway.request("talk.client.toolCall", { sessionKey, callId, name, args }); ``` Browser-owned WebRTC/provider-websocket sessions use `talk.client.create`, because the browser owns the provider negotiation and media transport while the Gateway owns credentials, instructions, and tool policy. `talk.session.*` is the common Gateway-managed surface for gateway-relay realtime, gateway-relay transcription, and managed-room native STT/TTS sessions. Legacy configs that placed realtime selectors beside `talk.provider` / `talk.providers` should be repaired with `openclaw doctor --fix`; runtime Talk does not reinterpret speech/TTS provider config as realtime provider config. The supported `talk.session.create` combinations are intentionally small: | Mode | Transport | Brain | Owner | Notes | | --------------- | --------------- | --------------- | ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | `realtime` | `gateway-relay` | `agent-consult` | Gateway | Full-duplex provider audio bridged through the Gateway; tool calls are routed through the agent-consult tool. | | `transcription` | `gateway-relay` | `none` | Gateway | Streaming STT only; callers send input audio and receive transcript events. | | `stt-tts` | `managed-room` | `agent-consult` | Native/client room | Push-to-talk and walkie-talkie style rooms where the client owns capture/playback and the Gateway owns turn state. | | `stt-tts` | `managed-room` | `direct-tools` | Native/client room | Admin-only room mode for trusted first-party surfaces that execute Gateway tool actions directly. | Removed method map: | Old | New | | -------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- | | `talk.realtime.session` | `talk.client.create` | | `talk.realtime.toolCall` | `talk.client.toolCall` | | `talk.realtime.relayAudio` | `talk.session.appendAudio` | | `talk.realtime.relayCancel` | `talk.session.cancelOutput` or `talk.session.cancelTurn` | | `talk.realtime.relayToolResult` | `talk.session.submitToolResult` | | `talk.realtime.relayStop` | `talk.session.close` | | `talk.transcription.session` | `talk.session.create({ mode: "transcription" })` | | `talk.transcription.relayAudio` | `talk.session.appendAudio` | | `talk.transcription.relayCancel` | `talk.session.cancelTurn` | | `talk.transcription.relayStop` | `talk.session.close` | | `talk.handoff.create` | `talk.session.create({ transport: "managed-room" })` | | `talk.handoff.join` | `talk.session.join` | | `talk.handoff.revoke` | `talk.session.close` | The unified control vocabulary is also deliberately narrow: | Method | Applies to | Contract | | ------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `talk.session.appendAudio` | `realtime/gateway-relay`, `transcription/gateway-relay` | Append a base64 PCM audio chunk to the provider session owned by the same Gateway connection. | | `talk.session.startTurn` | `stt-tts/managed-room` | Start a managed-room user turn. | | `talk.session.endTurn` | `stt-tts/managed-room` | End the active turn after stale-turn validation. | | `talk.session.cancelTurn` | all Gateway-owned sessions | Cancel active capture/provider/agent/TTS work for a turn. | | `talk.session.cancelOutput` | `realtime/gateway-relay` | Stop assistant audio output without necessarily ending the user turn. | | `talk.session.submitToolResult` | `realtime/gateway-relay` | Complete a provider tool call emitted by the relay. | | `talk.session.close` | all unified sessions | Stop relay sessions or revoke managed-room state, then forget the unified session id. | Do not introduce provider or platform special cases in core to make this work. Core owns Talk session semantics. Provider plugins own vendor session setup. Voice-call and Google Meet own telephony/meeting adapters. Browser and native apps own device capture/playback UX. ## Compatibility policy For external plugins, compatibility work follows this order: 1. add the new contract 2. keep the old behavior wired through a compatibility adapter 3. emit a diagnostic or warning that names the old path and replacement 4. cover both paths in tests 5. document the deprecation and migration path 6. remove only after the announced migration window, usually in a major release Maintainers can audit the current migration queue with `pnpm plugins:boundary-report`. Use `pnpm plugins:boundary-report:summary` for compact counts, `--owner ` for one plugin or compatibility owner, and `pnpm plugins:boundary-report:ci` when a CI gate should fail on due compatibility records, cross-owner reserved SDK imports, or unused reserved SDK subpaths. The report groups deprecated compatibility records by removal date, counts local code/docs references, surfaces cross-owner reserved SDK imports, and summarizes the private memory-host SDK bridge so compatibility cleanup stays explicit instead of relying on ad hoc searches. Reserved SDK subpaths must have tracked owner usage; unused reserved helper exports should be removed from the public SDK. If a manifest field is still accepted, plugin authors can keep using it until the docs and diagnostics say otherwise. New code should prefer the documented replacement, but existing plugins should not break during ordinary minor releases. ## How to migrate Bundled plugins should stop calling `api.runtime.config.loadConfig()` and `api.runtime.config.writeConfigFile(...)` directly. Prefer config that was already passed into the active call path. Long-lived handlers that need the current process snapshot can use `api.runtime.config.current()`. Long-lived agent tools should use the tool context's `ctx.getRuntimeConfig()` inside `execute` so a tool created before a config write still sees the refreshed runtime config. Config writes must go through the transactional helpers and choose an after-write policy: ```typescript await api.runtime.config.mutateConfigFile({ afterWrite: { mode: "auto" }, mutate(draft) { draft.plugins ??= {}; }, }); ``` Use `afterWrite: { mode: "restart", reason: "..." }` when the caller knows the change requires a clean gateway restart, and `afterWrite: { mode: "none", reason: "..." }` only when the caller owns the follow-up and deliberately wants to suppress the reload planner. Mutation results include a typed `followUp` summary for tests and logging; the gateway remains responsible for applying or scheduling the restart. `loadConfig` and `writeConfigFile` remain as deprecated compatibility helpers for external plugins during the migration window and warn once with the `runtime-config-load-write` compatibility code. Bundled plugins and repo runtime code are protected by scanner guardrails in `pnpm check:deprecated-internal-config-api` and `pnpm check:no-runtime-action-load-config`: new production plugin usage fails outright, direct config writes fail, gateway server methods must use the request runtime snapshot, runtime channel send/action/client helpers must receive config from their boundary, and long-lived runtime modules have zero allowed ambient `loadConfig()` calls. New plugin code should also avoid importing the broad `openclaw/plugin-sdk/config-runtime` compatibility barrel. Use the narrow SDK subpath that matches the job: | Need | Import | | --- | --- | | Config types such as `OpenClawConfig` | `openclaw/plugin-sdk/config-types` | | Already-loaded config assertions and plugin-entry config lookup | `openclaw/plugin-sdk/plugin-config-runtime` | | Current runtime snapshot reads | `openclaw/plugin-sdk/runtime-config-snapshot` | | Config writes | `openclaw/plugin-sdk/config-mutation` | | Session store helpers | `openclaw/plugin-sdk/session-store-runtime` | | Markdown table config | `openclaw/plugin-sdk/markdown-table-runtime` | | Group policy runtime helpers | `openclaw/plugin-sdk/runtime-group-policy` | | Secret input resolution | `openclaw/plugin-sdk/secret-input-runtime` | | Model/session overrides | `openclaw/plugin-sdk/model-session-runtime` | Bundled plugins and their tests are scanner-guarded against the broad barrel so imports and mocks stay local to the behavior they need. The broad barrel still exists for external compatibility, but new code should not depend on it. Bundled plugins must replace Pi-only `api.registerEmbeddedExtensionFactory(...)` tool-result handlers with runtime-neutral middleware. ```typescript // Pi and Codex runtime dynamic tools api.registerAgentToolResultMiddleware(async (event) => { return compactToolResult(event); }, { runtimes: ["pi", "codex"], }); ``` Update the plugin manifest at the same time: ```json { "contracts": { "agentToolResultMiddleware": ["pi", "codex"] } } ``` External plugins cannot register tool-result middleware because it can rewrite high-trust tool output before the model sees it. Approval-capable channel plugins now expose native approval behavior through `approvalCapability.nativeRuntime` plus the shared runtime-context registry. Key changes: - Replace `approvalCapability.handler.loadRuntime(...)` with `approvalCapability.nativeRuntime` - Move approval-specific auth/delivery off legacy `plugin.auth` / `plugin.approvals` wiring and onto `approvalCapability` - `ChannelPlugin.approvals` has been removed from the public channel-plugin contract; move delivery/native/render fields onto `approvalCapability` - `plugin.auth` remains for channel login/logout flows only; approval auth hooks there are no longer read by core - Register channel-owned runtime objects such as clients, tokens, or Bolt apps through `openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-runtime-context` - Do not send plugin-owned reroute notices from native approval handlers; core now owns routed-elsewhere notices from actual delivery results - When passing `channelRuntime` into `createChannelManager(...)`, provide a real `createPluginRuntime().channel` surface. Partial stubs are rejected. See `/plugins/sdk-channel-plugins` for the current approval capability layout. If your plugin uses `openclaw/plugin-sdk/windows-spawn`, unresolved Windows `.cmd`/`.bat` wrappers now fail closed unless you explicitly pass `allowShellFallback: true`. ```typescript // Before const program = applyWindowsSpawnProgramPolicy({ candidate }); // After const program = applyWindowsSpawnProgramPolicy({ candidate, // Only set this for trusted compatibility callers that intentionally // accept shell-mediated fallback. allowShellFallback: true, }); ``` If your caller does not intentionally rely on shell fallback, do not set `allowShellFallback` and handle the thrown error instead. Search your plugin for imports from either deprecated surface: ```bash grep -r "plugin-sdk/compat" my-plugin/ grep -r "plugin-sdk/infra-runtime" my-plugin/ grep -r "plugin-sdk/config-runtime" my-plugin/ grep -r "openclaw/extension-api" my-plugin/ ``` Each export from the old surface maps to a specific modern import path: ```typescript // Before (deprecated backwards-compatibility layer) import { createChannelReplyPipeline, createPluginRuntimeStore, resolveControlCommandGate, } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/compat"; // After (modern focused imports) import { createChannelReplyPipeline } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-reply-pipeline"; import { createPluginRuntimeStore } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/runtime-store"; import { resolveControlCommandGate } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/command-auth"; ``` For host-side helpers, use the injected plugin runtime instead of importing directly: ```typescript // Before (deprecated extension-api bridge) import { runEmbeddedPiAgent } from "openclaw/extension-api"; const result = await runEmbeddedPiAgent({ sessionId, prompt }); // After (injected runtime) const result = await api.runtime.agent.runEmbeddedPiAgent({ sessionId, prompt }); ``` The same pattern applies to other legacy bridge helpers: | Old import | Modern equivalent | | --- | --- | | `resolveAgentDir` | `api.runtime.agent.resolveAgentDir` | | `resolveAgentWorkspaceDir` | `api.runtime.agent.resolveAgentWorkspaceDir` | | `resolveAgentIdentity` | `api.runtime.agent.resolveAgentIdentity` | | `resolveThinkingDefault` | `api.runtime.agent.resolveThinkingDefault` | | `resolveAgentTimeoutMs` | `api.runtime.agent.resolveAgentTimeoutMs` | | `ensureAgentWorkspace` | `api.runtime.agent.ensureAgentWorkspace` | | session store helpers | `api.runtime.agent.session.*` | `openclaw/plugin-sdk/infra-runtime` still exists for external compatibility, but new code should import the focused helper surface it actually needs: | Need | Import | | --- | --- | | System event queue helpers | `openclaw/plugin-sdk/system-event-runtime` | | Heartbeat event and visibility helpers | `openclaw/plugin-sdk/heartbeat-runtime` | | Pending delivery queue drain | `openclaw/plugin-sdk/delivery-queue-runtime` | | Channel activity telemetry | `openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-activity-runtime` | | In-memory dedupe caches | `openclaw/plugin-sdk/dedupe-runtime` | | Safe local-file/media path helpers | `openclaw/plugin-sdk/file-access-runtime` | | Dispatcher-aware fetch | `openclaw/plugin-sdk/runtime-fetch` | | Proxy and guarded fetch helpers | `openclaw/plugin-sdk/fetch-runtime` | | SSRF dispatcher policy types | `openclaw/plugin-sdk/ssrf-dispatcher` | | Approval request/resolution types | `openclaw/plugin-sdk/approval-runtime` | | Approval reply payload and command helpers | `openclaw/plugin-sdk/approval-reply-runtime` | | Error formatting helpers | `openclaw/plugin-sdk/error-runtime` | | Transport readiness waits | `openclaw/plugin-sdk/transport-ready-runtime` | | Secure token helpers | `openclaw/plugin-sdk/secure-random-runtime` | | Bounded async task concurrency | `openclaw/plugin-sdk/concurrency-runtime` | | Numeric coercion | `openclaw/plugin-sdk/number-runtime` | | Process-local async lock | `openclaw/plugin-sdk/async-lock-runtime` | | File locks | `openclaw/plugin-sdk/file-lock` | Bundled plugins are scanner-guarded against `infra-runtime`, so repo code cannot regress to the broad barrel. New channel route code should use `openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-route`. The older route-key and comparable-target names remain as compatibility aliases during the migration window, but new plugins should use the route names that describe the behavior directly: | Old helper | Modern helper | | --- | --- | | `channelRouteIdentityKey(...)` | `channelRouteDedupeKey(...)` | | `channelRouteKey(...)` | `channelRouteCompactKey(...)` | | `ComparableChannelTarget` | `ChannelRouteParsedTarget` | | `resolveComparableTargetForChannel(...)` | `resolveRouteTargetForChannel(...)` | | `resolveComparableTargetForLoadedChannel(...)` | `resolveRouteTargetForLoadedChannel(...)` | | `comparableChannelTargetsMatch(...)` | `channelRouteTargetsMatchExact(...)` | | `comparableChannelTargetsShareRoute(...)` | `channelRouteTargetsShareConversation(...)` | The modern route helpers normalize `{ channel, to, accountId, threadId }` consistently across native approvals, reply suppression, inbound dedupe, cron delivery, and session routing. If your plugin owns custom target grammar, use `resolveChannelRouteTargetWithParser(...)` to adapt that parser into the same route target contract. ```bash pnpm build pnpm test -- my-plugin/ ``` ## Import path reference | Import path | Purpose | Key exports | | --- | --- | --- | | `plugin-sdk/plugin-entry` | Canonical plugin entry helper | `definePluginEntry` | | `plugin-sdk/core` | Legacy umbrella re-export for channel entry definitions/builders | `defineChannelPluginEntry`, `createChatChannelPlugin` | | `plugin-sdk/config-schema` | Root config schema export | `OpenClawSchema` | | `plugin-sdk/provider-entry` | Single-provider entry helper | `defineSingleProviderPluginEntry` | | `plugin-sdk/channel-core` | Focused channel entry definitions and builders | `defineChannelPluginEntry`, `defineSetupPluginEntry`, `createChatChannelPlugin`, `createChannelPluginBase` | | `plugin-sdk/setup` | Shared setup wizard helpers | Allowlist prompts, setup status builders | | `plugin-sdk/setup-runtime` | Setup-time runtime helpers | Import-safe setup patch adapters, lookup-note helpers, `promptResolvedAllowFrom`, `splitSetupEntries`, delegated setup proxies | | `plugin-sdk/setup-adapter-runtime` | Setup adapter helpers | `createEnvPatchedAccountSetupAdapter` | | `plugin-sdk/setup-tools` | Setup tooling helpers | `formatCliCommand`, `detectBinary`, `extractArchive`, `resolveBrewExecutable`, `formatDocsLink`, `CONFIG_DIR` | | `plugin-sdk/account-core` | Multi-account helpers | Account list/config/action-gate helpers | | `plugin-sdk/account-id` | Account-id helpers | `DEFAULT_ACCOUNT_ID`, account-id normalization | | `plugin-sdk/account-resolution` | Account lookup helpers | Account lookup + default-fallback helpers | | `plugin-sdk/account-helpers` | Narrow account helpers | Account list/account-action helpers | | `plugin-sdk/channel-setup` | Setup wizard adapters | `createOptionalChannelSetupSurface`, `createOptionalChannelSetupAdapter`, `createOptionalChannelSetupWizard`, plus `DEFAULT_ACCOUNT_ID`, `createTopLevelChannelDmPolicy`, `setSetupChannelEnabled`, `splitSetupEntries` | | `plugin-sdk/channel-pairing` | DM pairing primitives | `createChannelPairingController` | | `plugin-sdk/channel-reply-pipeline` | Reply prefix, typing, and source-delivery wiring | `createChannelReplyPipeline`, `resolveChannelSourceReplyDeliveryMode` | | `plugin-sdk/channel-config-helpers` | Config adapter factories and DM access helpers | `createHybridChannelConfigAdapter`, `resolveChannelDmAccess`, `resolveChannelDmAllowFrom`, `resolveChannelDmPolicy`, `normalizeChannelDmPolicy`, `normalizeLegacyDmAliases` | | `plugin-sdk/channel-config-schema` | Config schema builders | Shared channel config schema primitives and the generic builder only | | `plugin-sdk/bundled-channel-config-schema` | Bundled config schemas | OpenClaw-maintained bundled plugins only; new plugins must define plugin-local schemas | | `plugin-sdk/channel-config-schema-legacy` | Deprecated bundled config schemas | Compatibility alias only; use `plugin-sdk/bundled-channel-config-schema` for maintained bundled plugins | | `plugin-sdk/telegram-command-config` | Telegram command config helpers | Command-name normalization, description trimming, duplicate/conflict validation | | `plugin-sdk/channel-policy` | Group/DM policy resolution | `resolveChannelGroupRequireMention` | | `plugin-sdk/channel-lifecycle` | Account status and draft stream lifecycle helpers | `createAccountStatusSink`, draft preview finalization helpers | | `plugin-sdk/inbound-envelope` | Inbound envelope helpers | Shared route + envelope builder helpers | | `plugin-sdk/inbound-reply-dispatch` | Inbound reply helpers | Shared record-and-dispatch helpers | | `plugin-sdk/messaging-targets` | Messaging target parsing | Target parsing/matching helpers | | `plugin-sdk/outbound-media` | Outbound media helpers | Shared outbound media loading | | `plugin-sdk/outbound-send-deps` | Outbound send dependency helpers | Lightweight `resolveOutboundSendDep` lookup without importing the full outbound runtime | | `plugin-sdk/outbound-runtime` | Outbound runtime helpers | Outbound delivery, identity/send delegate, session, formatting, and payload planning helpers | | `plugin-sdk/thread-bindings-runtime` | Thread-binding helpers | Thread-binding lifecycle and adapter helpers | | `plugin-sdk/agent-media-payload` | Legacy media payload helpers | Agent media payload builder for legacy field layouts | | `plugin-sdk/channel-runtime` | Deprecated compatibility shim | Legacy channel runtime utilities only | | `plugin-sdk/channel-send-result` | Send result types | Reply result types | | `plugin-sdk/runtime-store` | Persistent plugin storage | `createPluginRuntimeStore` | | `plugin-sdk/runtime` | Broad runtime helpers | Runtime/logging/backup/plugin-install helpers | | `plugin-sdk/runtime-env` | Narrow runtime env helpers | Logger/runtime env, timeout, retry, and backoff helpers | | `plugin-sdk/plugin-runtime` | Shared plugin runtime helpers | Plugin commands/hooks/http/interactive helpers | | `plugin-sdk/hook-runtime` | Hook pipeline helpers | Shared webhook/internal hook pipeline helpers | | `plugin-sdk/lazy-runtime` | Lazy runtime helpers | `createLazyRuntimeModule`, `createLazyRuntimeMethod`, `createLazyRuntimeMethodBinder`, `createLazyRuntimeNamedExport`, `createLazyRuntimeSurface` | | `plugin-sdk/process-runtime` | Process helpers | Shared exec helpers | | `plugin-sdk/cli-runtime` | CLI runtime helpers | Command formatting, waits, version helpers | | `plugin-sdk/gateway-runtime` | Gateway helpers | Gateway client, event-loop-ready start helper, and channel-status patch helpers | | `plugin-sdk/config-runtime` | Deprecated config compatibility shim | Prefer `config-types`, `plugin-config-runtime`, `runtime-config-snapshot`, and `config-mutation` | | `plugin-sdk/telegram-command-config` | Telegram command helpers | Fallback-stable Telegram command validation helpers when the bundled Telegram contract surface is unavailable | | `plugin-sdk/approval-runtime` | Approval prompt helpers | Exec/plugin approval payload, approval capability/profile helpers, native approval routing/runtime helpers, and structured approval display path formatting | | `plugin-sdk/approval-auth-runtime` | Approval auth helpers | Approver resolution, same-chat action auth | | `plugin-sdk/approval-client-runtime` | Approval client helpers | Native exec approval profile/filter helpers | | `plugin-sdk/approval-delivery-runtime` | Approval delivery helpers | Native approval capability/delivery adapters | | `plugin-sdk/approval-gateway-runtime` | Approval gateway helpers | Shared approval gateway-resolution helper | | `plugin-sdk/approval-handler-adapter-runtime` | Approval adapter helpers | Lightweight native approval adapter loading helpers for hot channel entrypoints | | `plugin-sdk/approval-handler-runtime` | Approval handler helpers | Broader approval handler runtime helpers; prefer the narrower adapter/gateway seams when they are enough | | `plugin-sdk/approval-native-runtime` | Approval target helpers | Native approval target/account binding helpers | | `plugin-sdk/approval-reply-runtime` | Approval reply helpers | Exec/plugin approval reply payload helpers | | `plugin-sdk/channel-runtime-context` | Channel runtime-context helpers | Generic channel runtime-context register/get/watch helpers | | `plugin-sdk/security-runtime` | Security helpers | Shared trust, DM gating, root-bounded file/path helpers, external-content, and secret-collection helpers | | `plugin-sdk/ssrf-policy` | SSRF policy helpers | Host allowlist and private-network policy helpers | | `plugin-sdk/ssrf-runtime` | SSRF runtime helpers | Pinned-dispatcher, guarded fetch, SSRF policy helpers | | `plugin-sdk/system-event-runtime` | System event helpers | `enqueueSystemEvent`, `peekSystemEventEntries` | | `plugin-sdk/heartbeat-runtime` | Heartbeat helpers | Heartbeat event and visibility helpers | | `plugin-sdk/delivery-queue-runtime` | Delivery queue helpers | `drainPendingDeliveries` | | `plugin-sdk/channel-activity-runtime` | Channel activity helpers | `recordChannelActivity` | | `plugin-sdk/dedupe-runtime` | Dedupe helpers | In-memory dedupe caches | | `plugin-sdk/file-access-runtime` | File access helpers | Safe local-file/media path helpers | | `plugin-sdk/transport-ready-runtime` | Transport readiness helpers | `waitForTransportReady` | | `plugin-sdk/collection-runtime` | Bounded cache helpers | `pruneMapToMaxSize` | | `plugin-sdk/diagnostic-runtime` | Diagnostic gating helpers | `isDiagnosticFlagEnabled`, `isDiagnosticsEnabled` | | `plugin-sdk/error-runtime` | Error formatting helpers | `formatUncaughtError`, `isApprovalNotFoundError`, error graph helpers | | `plugin-sdk/fetch-runtime` | Wrapped fetch/proxy helpers | `resolveFetch`, proxy helpers, EnvHttpProxyAgent option helpers | | `plugin-sdk/host-runtime` | Host normalization helpers | `normalizeHostname`, `normalizeScpRemoteHost` | | `plugin-sdk/retry-runtime` | Retry helpers | `RetryConfig`, `retryAsync`, policy runners | | `plugin-sdk/allow-from` | Allowlist formatting | `formatAllowFromLowercase` | | `plugin-sdk/allowlist-resolution` | Allowlist input mapping | `mapAllowlistResolutionInputs` | | `plugin-sdk/command-auth` | Command gating and command-surface helpers | `resolveControlCommandGate`, sender-authorization helpers, command registry helpers including dynamic argument menu formatting | | `plugin-sdk/command-status` | Command status/help renderers | `buildCommandsMessage`, `buildCommandsMessagePaginated`, `buildHelpMessage` | | `plugin-sdk/secret-input` | Secret input parsing | Secret input helpers | | `plugin-sdk/webhook-ingress` | Webhook request helpers | Webhook target utilities | | `plugin-sdk/webhook-request-guards` | Webhook body guard helpers | Request body read/limit helpers | | `plugin-sdk/reply-runtime` | Shared reply runtime | Inbound dispatch, heartbeat, reply planner, chunking | | `plugin-sdk/reply-dispatch-runtime` | Narrow reply dispatch helpers | Finalize, provider dispatch, and conversation-label helpers | | `plugin-sdk/reply-history` | Reply-history helpers | `buildHistoryContext`, `buildPendingHistoryContextFromMap`, `recordPendingHistoryEntry`, `clearHistoryEntriesIfEnabled` | | `plugin-sdk/reply-reference` | Reply reference planning | `createReplyReferencePlanner` | | `plugin-sdk/reply-chunking` | Reply chunk helpers | Text/markdown chunking helpers | | `plugin-sdk/session-store-runtime` | Session store helpers | Store path + updated-at helpers | | `plugin-sdk/state-paths` | State path helpers | State and OAuth dir helpers | | `plugin-sdk/routing` | Routing/session-key helpers | `resolveAgentRoute`, `buildAgentSessionKey`, `resolveDefaultAgentBoundAccountId`, session-key normalization helpers | | `plugin-sdk/status-helpers` | Channel status helpers | Channel/account status summary builders, runtime-state defaults, issue metadata helpers | | `plugin-sdk/target-resolver-runtime` | Target resolver helpers | Shared target resolver helpers | | `plugin-sdk/string-normalization-runtime` | String normalization helpers | Slug/string normalization helpers | | `plugin-sdk/request-url` | Request URL helpers | Extract string URLs from request-like inputs | | `plugin-sdk/run-command` | Timed command helpers | Timed command runner with normalized stdout/stderr | | `plugin-sdk/param-readers` | Param readers | Common tool/CLI param readers | | `plugin-sdk/tool-payload` | Tool payload extraction | Extract normalized payloads from tool result objects | | `plugin-sdk/tool-send` | Tool send extraction | Extract canonical send target fields from tool args | | `plugin-sdk/temp-path` | Temp path helpers | Shared temp-download path helpers | | `plugin-sdk/logging-core` | Logging helpers | Subsystem logger and redaction helpers | | `plugin-sdk/markdown-table-runtime` | Markdown-table helpers | Markdown table mode helpers | | `plugin-sdk/reply-payload` | Message reply types | Reply payload types | | `plugin-sdk/provider-setup` | Curated local/self-hosted provider setup helpers | Self-hosted provider discovery/config helpers | | `plugin-sdk/self-hosted-provider-setup` | Focused OpenAI-compatible self-hosted provider setup helpers | Same self-hosted provider discovery/config helpers | | `plugin-sdk/provider-auth-runtime` | Provider runtime auth helpers | Runtime API-key resolution helpers | | `plugin-sdk/provider-auth-api-key` | Provider API-key setup helpers | API-key onboarding/profile-write helpers | | `plugin-sdk/provider-auth-result` | Provider auth-result helpers | Standard OAuth auth-result builder | | `plugin-sdk/provider-auth-login` | Provider interactive login helpers | Shared interactive login helpers | | `plugin-sdk/provider-selection-runtime` | Provider selection helpers | Configured-or-auto provider selection and raw provider config merging | | `plugin-sdk/provider-env-vars` | Provider env-var helpers | Provider auth env-var lookup helpers | | `plugin-sdk/provider-model-shared` | Shared provider model/replay helpers | `ProviderReplayFamily`, `buildProviderReplayFamilyHooks`, `normalizeModelCompat`, shared replay-policy builders, provider-endpoint helpers, and model-id normalization helpers | | `plugin-sdk/provider-catalog-shared` | Shared provider catalog helpers | `findCatalogTemplate`, `buildSingleProviderApiKeyCatalog`, `buildManifestModelProviderConfig`, `supportsNativeStreamingUsageCompat`, `applyProviderNativeStreamingUsageCompat` | | `plugin-sdk/provider-onboard` | Provider onboarding patches | Onboarding config helpers | | `plugin-sdk/provider-http` | Provider HTTP helpers | Generic provider HTTP/endpoint capability helpers, including audio transcription multipart form helpers | | `plugin-sdk/provider-web-fetch` | Provider web-fetch helpers | Web-fetch provider registration/cache helpers | | `plugin-sdk/provider-web-search-config-contract` | Provider web-search config helpers | Narrow web-search config/credential helpers for providers that do not need plugin-enable wiring | | `plugin-sdk/provider-web-search-contract` | Provider web-search contract helpers | Narrow web-search config/credential contract helpers such as `createWebSearchProviderContractFields`, `enablePluginInConfig`, `resolveProviderWebSearchPluginConfig`, and scoped credential setters/getters | | `plugin-sdk/provider-web-search` | Provider web-search helpers | Web-search provider registration/cache/runtime helpers | | `plugin-sdk/provider-tools` | Provider tool/schema compat helpers | `ProviderToolCompatFamily`, `buildProviderToolCompatFamilyHooks`, Gemini schema cleanup + diagnostics, and xAI compat helpers such as `resolveXaiModelCompatPatch` / `applyXaiModelCompat` | | `plugin-sdk/provider-usage` | Provider usage helpers | `fetchClaudeUsage`, `fetchGeminiUsage`, `fetchGithubCopilotUsage`, and other provider usage helpers | | `plugin-sdk/provider-stream` | Provider stream wrapper helpers | `ProviderStreamFamily`, `buildProviderStreamFamilyHooks`, `composeProviderStreamWrappers`, stream wrapper types, and shared Anthropic/Bedrock/DeepSeek V4/Google/Kilocode/Moonshot/OpenAI/OpenRouter/Z.A.I/MiniMax/Copilot wrapper helpers | | `plugin-sdk/provider-transport-runtime` | Provider transport helpers | Native provider transport helpers such as guarded fetch, transport message transforms, and writable transport event streams | | `plugin-sdk/keyed-async-queue` | Ordered async queue | `KeyedAsyncQueue` | | `plugin-sdk/media-runtime` | Shared media helpers | Media fetch/transform/store helpers, ffprobe-backed video dimension probing, and media payload builders | | `plugin-sdk/media-generation-runtime` | Shared media-generation helpers | Shared failover helpers, candidate selection, and missing-model messaging for image/video/music generation | | `plugin-sdk/media-understanding` | Media-understanding helpers | Media understanding provider types plus provider-facing image/audio helper exports | | `plugin-sdk/text-runtime` | Shared text helpers | Assistant-visible-text stripping, markdown render/chunking/table helpers, redaction helpers, directive-tag helpers, safe-text utilities, and related text/logging helpers | | `plugin-sdk/text-chunking` | Text chunking helpers | Outbound text chunking helper | | `plugin-sdk/speech` | Speech helpers | Speech provider types plus provider-facing directive, registry, validation helpers, and OpenAI-compatible TTS builder | | `plugin-sdk/speech-core` | Shared speech core | Speech provider types, registry, directives, normalization | | `plugin-sdk/realtime-transcription` | Realtime transcription helpers | Provider types, registry helpers, and shared WebSocket session helper | | `plugin-sdk/realtime-voice` | Realtime voice helpers | Provider types, registry/resolution helpers, bridge session helpers, shared agent talk-back queues, transcript/event health, echo suppression, and fast context consult helpers | | `plugin-sdk/image-generation` | Image-generation helpers | Image generation provider types plus image asset/data URL helpers and the OpenAI-compatible image provider builder | | `plugin-sdk/image-generation-core` | Shared image-generation core | Image-generation types, failover, auth, and registry helpers | | `plugin-sdk/music-generation` | Music-generation helpers | Music-generation provider/request/result types | | `plugin-sdk/music-generation-core` | Shared music-generation core | Music-generation types, failover helpers, provider lookup, and model-ref parsing | | `plugin-sdk/video-generation` | Video-generation helpers | Video-generation provider/request/result types | | `plugin-sdk/video-generation-core` | Shared video-generation core | Video-generation types, failover helpers, provider lookup, and model-ref parsing | | `plugin-sdk/interactive-runtime` | Interactive reply helpers | Interactive reply payload normalization/reduction | | `plugin-sdk/channel-config-primitives` | Channel config primitives | Narrow channel config-schema primitives | | `plugin-sdk/channel-config-writes` | Channel config-write helpers | Channel config-write authorization helpers | | `plugin-sdk/channel-plugin-common` | Shared channel prelude | Shared channel plugin prelude exports | | `plugin-sdk/channel-status` | Channel status helpers | Shared channel status snapshot/summary helpers | | `plugin-sdk/allowlist-config-edit` | Allowlist config helpers | Allowlist config edit/read helpers | | `plugin-sdk/group-access` | Group access helpers | Shared group-access decision helpers | | `plugin-sdk/direct-dm` | Direct-DM helpers | Shared direct-DM auth/guard helpers | | `plugin-sdk/extension-shared` | Shared extension helpers | Passive-channel/status and ambient proxy helper primitives | | `plugin-sdk/webhook-targets` | Webhook target helpers | Webhook target registry and route-install helpers | | `plugin-sdk/webhook-path` | Webhook path helpers | Webhook path normalization helpers | | `plugin-sdk/web-media` | Shared web media helpers | Remote/local media loading helpers | | `plugin-sdk/zod` | Zod re-export | Re-exported `zod` for plugin SDK consumers | | `plugin-sdk/memory-core` | Bundled memory-core helpers | Memory manager/config/file/CLI helper surface | | `plugin-sdk/memory-core-engine-runtime` | Memory engine runtime facade | Memory index/search runtime facade | | `plugin-sdk/memory-core-host-engine-foundation` | Memory host foundation engine | Memory host foundation engine exports | | `plugin-sdk/memory-core-host-engine-embeddings` | Memory host embedding engine | Memory embedding contracts, registry access, local provider, and generic batch/remote helpers; concrete remote providers live in their owning plugins | | `plugin-sdk/memory-core-host-engine-qmd` | Memory host QMD engine | Memory host QMD engine exports | | `plugin-sdk/memory-core-host-engine-storage` | Memory host storage engine | Memory host storage engine exports | | `plugin-sdk/memory-core-host-multimodal` | Memory host multimodal helpers | Memory host multimodal helpers | | `plugin-sdk/memory-core-host-query` | Memory host query helpers | Memory host query helpers | | `plugin-sdk/memory-core-host-secret` | Memory host secret helpers | Memory host secret helpers | | `plugin-sdk/memory-core-host-events` | Memory host event journal helpers | Memory host event journal helpers | | `plugin-sdk/memory-core-host-status` | Memory host status helpers | Memory host status helpers | | `plugin-sdk/memory-core-host-runtime-cli` | Memory host CLI runtime | Memory host CLI runtime helpers | | `plugin-sdk/memory-core-host-runtime-core` | Memory host core runtime | Memory host core runtime helpers | | `plugin-sdk/memory-core-host-runtime-files` | Memory host file/runtime helpers | Memory host file/runtime helpers | | `plugin-sdk/memory-host-core` | Memory host core runtime alias | Vendor-neutral alias for memory host core runtime helpers | | `plugin-sdk/memory-host-events` | Memory host event journal alias | Vendor-neutral alias for memory host event journal helpers | | `plugin-sdk/memory-host-files` | Memory host file/runtime alias | Vendor-neutral alias for memory host file/runtime helpers | | `plugin-sdk/memory-host-markdown` | Managed markdown helpers | Shared managed-markdown helpers for memory-adjacent plugins | | `plugin-sdk/memory-host-search` | Active memory search facade | Lazy active-memory search-manager runtime facade | | `plugin-sdk/memory-host-status` | Memory host status alias | Vendor-neutral alias for memory host status helpers | | `plugin-sdk/testing` | Test utilities | Legacy broad compatibility barrel; prefer focused test subpaths such as `plugin-sdk/plugin-test-runtime`, `plugin-sdk/channel-test-helpers`, `plugin-sdk/channel-target-testing`, `plugin-sdk/test-env`, and `plugin-sdk/test-fixtures` | This table is intentionally the common migration subset, not the full SDK surface. The full list of 200+ entrypoints lives in `scripts/lib/plugin-sdk-entrypoints.json`. Reserved bundled-plugin helper seams have been retired from the public SDK export map except for explicitly documented compatibility facades such as the deprecated `plugin-sdk/discord` shim retained for the published `@openclaw/discord@2026.3.13` package. Owner-specific helpers live inside the owning plugin package; shared host behavior should move through generic SDK contracts such as `plugin-sdk/gateway-runtime`, `plugin-sdk/security-runtime`, and `plugin-sdk/plugin-config-runtime`. Use the narrowest import that matches the job. If you cannot find an export, check the source at `src/plugin-sdk/` or ask maintainers which generic contract should own it. ## Active deprecations Narrower deprecations that apply across the plugin SDK, provider contract, runtime surface, and manifest. Each one still works today but will be removed in a future major release. The entry below every item maps the old API to its canonical replacement. **Old (`openclaw/plugin-sdk/command-auth`)**: `buildCommandsMessage`, `buildCommandsMessagePaginated`, `buildHelpMessage`. **New (`openclaw/plugin-sdk/command-status`)**: same signatures, same exports - just imported from the narrower subpath. `command-auth` re-exports them as compat stubs. ```typescript // Before import { buildHelpMessage } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/command-auth"; // After import { buildHelpMessage } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/command-status"; ``` **Old**: `resolveInboundMentionRequirement({ facts, policy })` and `shouldDropInboundForMention(...)` from `openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-inbound` or `openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-mention-gating`. **New**: `resolveInboundMentionDecision({ facts, policy })` - returns a single decision object instead of two split calls. Downstream channel plugins (Slack, Discord, Matrix, MS Teams) have already switched. `openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-runtime` is a compatibility shim for older channel plugins. Do not import it from new code; use `openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-runtime-context` for registering runtime objects. `channelActions*` helpers in `openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-actions` are deprecated alongside raw "actions" channel exports. Expose capabilities through the semantic `presentation` surface instead - channel plugins declare what they render (cards, buttons, selects) rather than which raw action names they accept. **Old**: `tool()` factory from `openclaw/plugin-sdk/provider-web-search`. **New**: implement `createTool(...)` directly on the provider plugin. OpenClaw no longer needs the SDK helper to register the tool wrapper. **Old**: `formatInboundEnvelope(...)` (and `ChannelMessageForAgent.channelEnvelope`) to build a flat plaintext prompt envelope from inbound channel messages. **New**: `BodyForAgent` plus structured user-context blocks. Channel plugins attach routing metadata (thread, topic, reply-to, reactions) as typed fields instead of concatenating them into a prompt string. The `formatAgentEnvelope(...)` helper is still supported for synthesized assistant-facing envelopes, but inbound plaintext envelopes are on the way out. Affected areas: `inbound_claim`, `message_received`, and any custom channel plugin that post-processed `channelEnvelope` text. Four discovery type aliases are now thin wrappers over the catalog-era types: | Old alias | New type | | ------------------------- | ------------------------- | | `ProviderDiscoveryOrder` | `ProviderCatalogOrder` | | `ProviderDiscoveryContext`| `ProviderCatalogContext` | | `ProviderDiscoveryResult` | `ProviderCatalogResult` | | `ProviderPluginDiscovery` | `ProviderPluginCatalog` | Plus the legacy `ProviderCapabilities` static bag - provider plugins should use explicit provider hooks such as `buildReplayPolicy`, `normalizeToolSchemas`, and `wrapStreamFn` rather than a static object. **Old** (three separate hooks on `ProviderThinkingPolicy`): `isBinaryThinking(ctx)`, `supportsXHighThinking(ctx)`, and `resolveDefaultThinkingLevel(ctx)`. **New**: a single `resolveThinkingProfile(ctx)` that returns a `ProviderThinkingProfile` with the canonical `id`, optional `label`, and ranked level list. OpenClaw downgrades stale stored values by profile rank automatically. Implement one hook instead of three. The legacy hooks keep working during the deprecation window but are not composed with the profile result. **Old**: implementing `resolveExternalOAuthProfiles(...)` without declaring the provider in the plugin manifest. **New**: declare `contracts.externalAuthProviders` in the plugin manifest **and** implement `resolveExternalAuthProfiles(...)`. The old "auth fallback" path emits a warning at runtime and will be removed. ```json { "contracts": { "externalAuthProviders": ["anthropic", "openai"] } } ``` **Old** manifest field: `providerAuthEnvVars: { anthropic: ["ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"] }`. **New**: mirror the same env-var lookup into `setup.providers[].envVars` on the manifest. This consolidates setup/status env metadata in one place and avoids booting the plugin runtime just to answer env-var lookups. `providerAuthEnvVars` remains supported through a compatibility adapter until the deprecation window closes. **Old**: three separate calls - `api.registerMemoryPromptSection(...)`, `api.registerMemoryFlushPlan(...)`, `api.registerMemoryRuntime(...)`. **New**: one call on the memory-state API - `registerMemoryCapability(pluginId, { promptBuilder, flushPlanResolver, runtime })`. Same slots, single registration call. Additive memory helpers (`registerMemoryPromptSupplement`, `registerMemoryCorpusSupplement`, `registerMemoryEmbeddingProvider`) are not affected. Two legacy type aliases still exported from `src/plugins/runtime/types.ts`: | Old | New | | ----------------------------- | ------------------------------- | | `SubagentReadSessionParams` | `SubagentGetSessionMessagesParams` | | `SubagentReadSessionResult` | `SubagentGetSessionMessagesResult` | The runtime method `readSession` is deprecated in favor of `getSessionMessages`. Same signature; the old method calls through to the new one. **Old**: `runtime.tasks.flow` (singular) returned a live task-flow accessor. **New**: `runtime.tasks.managedFlows` keeps the managed TaskFlow mutation runtime for plugins that create, update, cancel, or run child tasks from a flow. Use `runtime.tasks.flows` when the plugin only needs DTO-based reads. ```typescript // Before const flow = api.runtime.tasks.flow.fromToolContext(ctx); // After const flow = api.runtime.tasks.managedFlows.fromToolContext(ctx); ``` Covered in "How to migrate → Migrate Pi tool-result extensions to middleware" above. Included here for completeness: the removed Pi-only `api.registerEmbeddedExtensionFactory(...)` path is replaced by `api.registerAgentToolResultMiddleware(...)` with an explicit runtime list in `contracts.agentToolResultMiddleware`. `OpenClawSchemaType` re-exported from `openclaw/plugin-sdk` is now a one-line alias for `OpenClawConfig`. Prefer the canonical name. ```typescript // Before import type { OpenClawSchemaType } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk"; // After import type { OpenClawConfig } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/config-schema"; ``` Extension-level deprecations (inside bundled channel/provider plugins under `extensions/`) are tracked inside their own `api.ts` and `runtime-api.ts` barrels. They do not affect third-party plugin contracts and are not listed here. If you consume a bundled plugin's local barrel directly, read the deprecation comments in that barrel before upgrading. ## Removal timeline | When | What happens | | ---------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Now** | Deprecated surfaces emit runtime warnings | | **Next major release** | Deprecated surfaces will be removed; plugins still using them will fail | All core plugins have already been migrated. External plugins should migrate before the next major release. ## Suppressing the warnings temporarily Set these environment variables while you work on migrating: ```bash OPENCLAW_SUPPRESS_PLUGIN_SDK_COMPAT_WARNING=1 openclaw gateway run OPENCLAW_SUPPRESS_EXTENSION_API_WARNING=1 openclaw gateway run ``` This is a temporary escape hatch, not a permanent solution. ## Related - [Getting Started](/plugins/building-plugins) - build your first plugin - [SDK Overview](/plugins/sdk-overview) - full subpath import reference - [Channel Plugins](/plugins/sdk-channel-plugins) - building channel plugins - [Provider Plugins](/plugins/sdk-provider-plugins) - building provider plugins - [Plugin Internals](/plugins/architecture) - architecture deep dive - [Plugin Manifest](/plugins/manifest) - manifest schema reference