release-openclaw-maintainer

name	release-openclaw-maintainer
description	Prepare or verify OpenClaw stable/beta releases, changelogs, release notes, publish commands, and artifacts.

OpenClaw Release Maintainer

Use this skill for release and publish-time workflow. Load $release-private if it exists before resolving Peter-owned credential locators or private host topology. Keep ordinary development changes and GHSA-specific advisory work outside this skill.

Respect release guardrails

• Do not change version numbers without explicit operator approval.
• Versions use YYYY.M.PATCH, where PATCH is the sequential release-train number within the month, not the calendar day.
• Choose a new beta train from stable and beta releases only. Alpha-only tags do not consume or advance the beta/stable patch number. Continue the highest existing unpublished/published beta train with the next beta.N when appropriate; otherwise increment the highest stable/beta patch by one and start at beta.1.
• Example: after stable 2026.6.5, the next new beta train is 2026.6.6-beta.1, even if automated alpha-only tags such as 2026.6.10-alpha.1 exist.
• Obtain explicit operator approval before the first irreversible publish action. Instructions to cut, ship, publish, or get a named release out carry through that release's validated publish and verification steps; do not ask again at final dispatch. Reconfirm only if the target version, tag, channel, publish scope, or a material risk changes.
• This skill should be sufficient to drive the normal release flow end-to-end.
• Use the private maintainer release docs for credentials, recovery steps, and mac signing/notary specifics, and use docs/reference/RELEASING.md for public policy.
• Core openclaw publish is manual workflow_dispatch; creating or pushing a tag does not publish by itself.
• Do not edit the root README.md as release prep, release closeout, or a substitute for release notes. Package-root README validation is a hard packaging gate, but a release only changes README content when an actual user-facing documentation contract changed.
• Normal release work happens on a branch cut from main, not directly on main. Use release/YYYY.M.PATCH for the branch name.
• If the operator asks for a release without saying stable/full, default to beta only. Continue from beta to stable only when the operator explicitly asks for the full release or an automated beta-and-stable train.
• Before release branching, pull latest main and confirm current main CI is green. Then branch from that commit so regular development can continue on main while release validation runs.
• Before release branching, commit any dirty files in coherent groups, push, pull/rebase, then generate CHANGELOG.md on main from merged PRs and all direct commits since the last reachable release tag. Commit/push/pull that changelog rewrite immediately before creating the release branch.
• During release planning, inspect both src/plugins/compat/registry.ts and src/commands/doctor/shared/deprecation-compat.ts before branching and again before final publish. For every deprecated or removal-pending compatibility record whose removeAfter date is on or before the release date, either remove the compatibility path where safe and validate the affected tests, or write down why removal is blocked and get explicit maintainer approval before shipping the expired compatibility path.
• When removing deprecated runtime/config compatibility, preserve any doctor migration, repair, or hint that is still needed by supported upgrade paths. Doctor-side compatibility should stay tracked in src/commands/doctor/shared/deprecation-compat.ts until maintainers confirm the repair is no longer needed.
• Revalidate compatibility replacement text during release planning. The recommended replacement can shift as plugin ownership, externalization, and config footprint move, so do not blindly copy stale replacement annotations into release notes.
• Do not delete or rewrite beta tags after their matching npm package has been published. If a pushed beta tag fails before npm publish, the version is not consumed: keep the same -beta.N, delete/recreate or force-move the git tag and prerelease to the fixed commit, and rerun preflight. Do not increment to the next beta number until the matching npm package has actually published. If a published beta needs a fix, commit the fix on the release branch and increment to the next -beta.N.
• For a beta release train, keep Full Release Validation as a pre-publish gate unless the operator explicitly waives it. Run the fast local preflight, npm preflight, full release validation, and performance in parallel where safe. If anything fails before npm publish, fix it on the release branch, forward-port the fix to main, move the unpublished beta tag/prerelease to the fixed commit, and rerun the affected pre-publish gates. If anything fails after npm publish, fix it, forward-port to main, increment beta number, and repeat. After each beta publish, run the published-package roster focused on install/update/Docker/Parallels/NPM Telegram. For later beta attempts, rerun only lanes whose evidence changed unless the fix touches broad release, install/update, plugin, Docker, Parallels, or live QA behavior. After each beta is live, scan current main once for critical fixes that landed after the release branch cut and backport only important low-risk fixes. Operators may authorize up to 4 autonomous beta attempts; after 4 failed beta attempts, stop and report.
• As soon as the release candidate SHA exists, dispatch OpenClaw Performance with target_ref=<release-sha> in parallel with the other release work. Do not wait for full release validation to start the performance signal.
• Before publish/closeout, compare available product performance metrics with earlier releases: Kova agent-turn/resource metrics, gateway startup ready/listen/RSS/CPU metrics, and CLI startup metrics from release evidence or clawgrit reports. Report regressions explicitly. A major regression is a release blocker unless the operator waives it or the data clearly proves infrastructure noise.
• Heal CI before tagging or publishing. The exact candidate SHA must have green Full Release Validation, including the root Dockerfile/install-smoke path. Treat a red Docker, package, or release workflow lane as a release-branch defect until the smallest correct fix is landed and proven; do not waive it because npm preflight or another sibling lane passed.
• Keep the canonical scripts/pr runner authoritative for prepare and merge artifacts. A release-gate policy change may use focused candidate tests and exact-SHA hosted CI for proof, but never route prepare-* or merge-* through PR-controlled scripts or synthesize prepare artifacts to bootstrap the change. If the current canonical gate cannot validate the new policy, stop for explicit maintainer direction rather than weakening that boundary.
• In maintainer Testbox mode, use OPENCLAW_TESTBOX=1 scripts/pr prepare-run <PR> only after the exact PR head has passed CI and every scheduled hosted gate. For a workflow change, that means Blacksmith Testbox, Blacksmith ARM Testbox, Blacksmith Build Artifacts Testbox, and Workflow Sanity; only gates GitHub actually scheduled for that exact head are required. This preserves the canonical prepare artifacts while avoiding a redundant broad local suite. A literal CHANGELOG.md-only head gets a clean diff check instead because those workflows intentionally do not dispatch. Documentation and README changes still require CI. If merge-run requires a mainline sync, run OPENCLAW_TESTBOX=1 scripts/pr prepare-sync-head <PR>, wait for those hosted gates on the newly pushed SHA, then run prepare-run again.
• If an exact PR-head CI run has no active jobs because Blacksmith capacity is stalled, a maintainer may dispatch the explicit GitHub-hosted fallback from the PR head branch: gh workflow run ci.yml --repo openclaw/openclaw --ref <pr-head-branch> -f target_ref=<full-pr-sha> -f include_android=true -f release_gate=true. Use it only for an observed provider queue stall, never for failed CI or as a routine shortcut. The run must be named CI release gate <full-pr-sha> and pass on that exact SHA; the native hosted-gate verifier rejects generic manual CI runs. If Blacksmith Build Artifacts Testbox is the only remaining required gate and it is still queued without a runner, the same completed fallback CI may cover it because its build-artifacts job builds, packages, and smoke tests those artifacts. The verifier records that coverage. Never use this coverage when the artifact workflow has started, failed, been cancelled, or been skipped. Then rerun OPENCLAW_TESTBOX=1 scripts/pr prepare-run <PR>.
• Generate the changelog before every beta, beta rerun, stable release, or stable rerun, before version/tag preparation. Use $openclaw-changelog-update for the rewrite. Do not continue release prep if the target CHANGELOG.md section does not have ### Highlights, ### Changes, and ### Fixes, grouped by user-facing surface while preserving every relevant PR/issue ref and every human Thanks @... attribution in the grouped bullet.
• Do not create beta-specific CHANGELOG.md headings. Beta releases use the stable base version section, for example v2026.4.20-beta.1 uses ## 2026.4.20 release notes.
• When any beta or stable release is live, make a best-effort Discord announcement using the configured secret workflow; do not block or roll back the release if the announcement fails.
• When asked to announce on X, use ~/Projects/bird/bird and follow the release tweet style below.

Keep release channel naming aligned

• stable: tagged releases only, published to npm beta by default; operators may target npm latest explicitly or promote later
• beta: prerelease tags like vYYYY.M.PATCH-beta.N, with npm dist-tag beta
• Prefer -beta.N; do not mint new -1 or -2 beta suffixes
• dev: moving head on main
• When using a beta Git tag, publish npm with the matching beta version suffix so the plain version is not consumed or blocked

Close stable releases on main

Stable publication is not complete until main carries the actual shipped release state.

1. Start from fresh latest main. Audit release/YYYY.M.PATCH against it and forward-port real fixes that are absent from main. Do not blindly merge release-only compatibility, test, or validation adapters into newer main.
2. Set main to the shipped stable version, not a speculative next train. Run pnpm release:prep after the root version change, then pnpm deps:shrinkwrap:generate.
3. Make CHANGELOG.md's ## YYYY.M.PATCH section on main exactly match the tagged release branch. Include the stable appcast.xml update when the mac release published one.
4. Do not add YYYY.M.PATCH+1, a beta version, or an empty future changelog section to main until the operator explicitly starts that release train.
5. Run pnpm release:generated:check, pnpm deps:shrinkwrap:check, and OPENCLAW_TESTBOX=1 pnpm check:changed. Push, then verify origin/main contains the shipped version and changelog before calling the stable release done.
6. Keep repository variables RELEASE_ROLLBACK_DRILL_ID and RELEASE_ROLLBACK_DRILL_DATE current after each private rollback drill. openclaw-stable-main-closeout.yml starts from the main push carrying the shipped version, changelog, and appcast after stable publication, then binds immutable evidence to the published tag. Do not declare stable complete until it writes the immutable closeout manifest to the GitHub release. The drill must be within 90 days; manual dispatch is only for repair/replay, and private rollback commands remain in the maintainer-only runbook.

Handle versions and release files consistently

Use the release preparation controller before manual version edits:

pnpm release:prepare -- --version YYYY.M.PATCH-beta.N --shadow
pnpm release:prepare -- --version YYYY.M.PATCH-beta.N --write
pnpm release:prepare -- --version YYYY.M.PATCH-beta.N --check

Shadow mode is the default and never runs mutating commands. Write mode aligns the root and macOS versions, optionally Android with --android, then runs only the version-owned generated metadata DAG. Every mode writes an exact HEAD/worktree-bound manifest under git metadata for cutover review.

• Version locations include:
  • package.json
  • apps/android/app/build.gradle.kts
  • apps/ios/Sources/Info.plist
  • apps/ios/Tests/Info.plist
  • apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/Resources/Info.plist
  • docs/install/updating.md
  • Peekaboo Xcode project and plist version fields
• Before creating a release tag, make every version location above match the version encoded by that tag.
• For fallback correction tags like vYYYY.M.PATCH-N, the repo version locations still stay at YYYY.M.PATCH.
• “Bump version everywhere” means all version locations above except appcast.xml.
• Release signing and notary credentials live outside the repo in the private maintainer docs.
• Every stable OpenClaw release ships the npm package, macOS app, and signed Windows Hub installers together. Beta releases normally ship npm/package artifacts first and skip native app build/sign/notarize/promote unless the operator requests native beta validation.
• Do not let the slower macOS signing/notary path block npm publication once the npm preflight has passed. Keep mac validation/publish running in parallel, publish npm from the successful npm preflight, then start published npm install/update, Docker, and Parallels verification while mac artifacts continue.
• After a beta is published, overlap remote/manual release rosters where useful, but avoid piling local Docker, Parallels, and QA-Lab work onto the same host when it would create system-load noise. Use selective reruns after failures or fixes, but keep proof that Docker, Parallels, and QA-Lab each passed at least once before stable/latest promotion.
• Mac packaging may be built from a slight release-branch variation of the tagged commit when the delta is mac packaging, signing, workflow, or validation-only release machinery. If mac packaging needs release-branch-only fixes after the stable npm package or GitHub tag is already published, do not create a vYYYY.M.PATCH-N correction tag just to change the workflow source. Dispatch the release-ops mac workflows for the original tag=vYYYY.M.PATCH with source_ref=release/YYYY.M.PATCH and public_release_branch=release/YYYY.M.PATCH; provenance checks must prove the source SHA descends from the tag and validation/preflight use the same source. Reserve vYYYY.M.PATCH-N correction tags for emergency hotfixes that must publish a new npm package/release identity, not for ordinary mac-only packaging recovery.
• The production Sparkle feed lives at https://raw.githubusercontent.com/openclaw/openclaw/main/appcast.xml, and the canonical published file is appcast.xml on main in the openclaw repo.
• That shared production Sparkle feed is stable-only. Beta mac releases may upload assets to the GitHub prerelease, but they must not replace the shared appcast.xml unless a separate beta feed exists.
• For fallback correction tags like vYYYY.M.PATCH-N, the repo version still stays at YYYY.M.PATCH, but the mac release must use a strictly higher numeric APP_BUILD / Sparkle build than the original release so existing installs see it as newer.
• Stable Windows Hub release closeout requires the signed OpenClawCompanion-Setup-x64.exe, OpenClawCompanion-Setup-arm64.exe, and OpenClawCompanion-SHA256SUMS.txt assets on the canonical openclaw/openclaw GitHub Release. Pass the exact signed openclaw/openclaw-windows-node release tag as windows_node_tag to OpenClaw Release Publish, together with the candidate-approved windows_node_installer_digests map; it prevalidates the published source release and required installers against that map before any publish child, dispatches the public Windows Node Release workflow while the OpenClaw release is still a draft, carries those pinned source asset digests unchanged, verifies the expected OpenClaw Foundation Authenticode signer on Windows, re-downloads and checksum-verifies the promoted asset contract, and blocks publication until the canonical asset contract is present. Use direct Windows Node Release dispatch only for recovery, always with an exact tag, never latest, and the explicit expected_installer_digests JSON map from the approved source release. Recovery rejects unexpected OpenClawCompanion-* target asset names, then replaces the expected contract assets with the pinned source bytes.
• Website Windows Hub download links should target exact canonical openclaw/openclaw/releases/download/vYYYY.M.PATCH/... assets for the current stable release, or releases/latest/download/... only after verifying the redirect resolves to that same tag, so the installable signed Windows artifact is visible from both the GitHub release page and openclaw.ai.

Build changelog-backed release notes

• CHANGELOG.md is release-owned. Normal PRs and direct main fixes should not edit it.
• Before release branching or tagging, rewrite the target CHANGELOG.md section from history, not existing notes. Use the last reachable stable or beta release tag as the base, then inspect every commit through the target release SHA.
• Generate $openclaw-changelog-update's full contribution manifest before the editorial rewrite. It is the required source for ### Highlights, ### Changes, and ### Fixes; do not preserve old grouped prose without comparing it to the manifest's PRs, contributors, direct commits, and unlinked commits.
• The changelog rewrite is not optional for beta reruns: any beta.N after a rebase or backport must refresh the same stable-base ## YYYY.M.PATCH section before the new version/tag commit.
• Include both merged PR commits and direct commits on main. Direct commits matter: infer notes from their subject, body, touched files, linked issues, tests, and nearby code when no PR body exists.
• Keep direct commits in the generated manifest and use them to shape grouped user outcomes, but never dump them into CHANGELOG.md or GitHub release bodies. The public complete record is PR-first and exhaustive for PRs.
• Prefer PR bodies, issue links, review proof, and commit bodies over commit subjects alone. If a commit fixed an issue directly, the commit body should name the user-visible behavior, affected surface, issue ref, and credited reporter/contributor when known.
• Treat missing context as a release-note audit gap: inspect the diff and linked issue, draft the best accurate entry, and note the uncertainty for maintainer review rather than inventing impact.
• Add missed user-facing changes, remove internal-only noise, dedupe overlapping PR/direct-commit entries, and sort each section from most to least interesting for users.
• Group related highlights, changes, and fixes by user-facing surface and impact, but never lose traceability: each grouped bullet keeps every relevant #issue, (#PR), Fixes #..., and every human Thanks @... handle. Multiple thanks in one bullet are expected when multiple contributor PRs are grouped.
• Highlights earn their place only when they are a visible capability/workflow unlock, a material reliability or safety repair, a broad user-facing improvement, or a release-defining integration/compatibility change. Keep five to eight user-outcome bullets; omit tests, CI, refactors, docs, and implementation trivia unless their outcome materially affects users.
• Do not give docs, test, refactor, ci, build, chore, or style PRs/direct commits their own Highlights, Changes, or Fixes entry. They remain accounted for in the PR record or manifest, but are not product release content. Treat explicit internal title signals such as QA, lint, or testing the same way even when the PR has no conventional prefix.
• Use the generated ### Complete contribution record as PR-first accounting: every merged source PR appears once with author/co-author credit, including PRs identified only by an explicit active-commit #NNN reference after a cherry-pick or squash. Keep issues inline as #NNN in titles and grouped prose; do not create a linked-issues inventory or a direct-commit listing. When grouped prose names a PR, keep every contributor and linked-reporter credit from that PR's record on the same bullet.
• Changelog entries should be user-facing, not internal release-process notes.
• GitHub release and prerelease bodies use scripts/render-github-release-notes.mjs. When the full matching CHANGELOG.md version section fits GitHub's 125,000-character limit and the renderer's matching 125,000-byte safety ceiling, publish the exact ## YYYY.M.PATCH block through the line before the next level-2 heading, including the version heading.
• When that complete body exceeds either limit, keep the exact grouped editorial notes through the line before ### Complete contribution record, then replace the oversized record with the canonical tag-pinned CHANGELOG.md link emitted by the renderer. Never truncate bullets or emit a partial contribution record. Candidate validation, publish, and verify-release-notes.mjs must share this renderer so the compact form cannot drift.
• Choose the full or compact changelog body before adding ### Release verification. Append that proof only when the final body still fits; otherwise leave the immutable evidence assets attached and omit the body tail. Do not discard a fitting full contribution record to make room for proof.
• Before publishing or closing a release, run $openclaw-changelog-update's verify-release-notes.mjs with every stable and beta release tag in the train. Do not publish or leave a page live when it is missing a source-history reference, eligible human credit, or the complete matching changelog body.
• Treat the selected --base as a strict history boundary: it must be an ancestor of the target, and existing changelog prose or contribution rows cannot pull older PRs into the new release. Use --seed-ref only for an intentional historical backfill. When a divergent prior release tag or later forward-port re-associates already-shipped PRs, pass repeatable explicit --shipped-ref <tag> values. They subtract only explicit PR rows in complete contribution records from numbered sections of those tag snapshots, ignore Unreleased, and retain the exact excluded PR inventory and count in manifest/provenance for candidate checks.
• To update an existing GitHub Release body, resolve the numeric release id and patch that resource with the notes file as the body field: gh api repos/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tags/vYYYY.M.PATCH --jq .id, then gh api -X PATCH repos/openclaw/openclaw/releases/<id> -F body=@/tmp/notes.md. Do not trust gh release edit --notes-file or --input JSON if verification disagrees; verify with gh api repos/openclaw/openclaw/releases/<id> because the tag lookup and gh release view can lag or show stale body text.
• When preparing release notes, scan src/plugins/compat/registry.ts and src/commands/doctor/shared/deprecation-compat.ts for compatibility records with warningStarts or removeAfter within 7 days after the release date. Add an Upcoming deprecations note to the release notes when any exist, including the compatibility code, target date, replacement, and a link to the record's docsPath or /plugins/compatibility when no more specific deprecation page exists.
• When cutting a mac release with a beta GitHub prerelease:
  • tag vYYYY.M.PATCH-beta.N from the release commit
  • create a prerelease titled openclaw YYYY.M.PATCH-beta.N
  • use release notes from the stable base CHANGELOG.md version section (## YYYY.M.PATCH), not a beta-specific heading
  • attach at least the zip and dSYM zip, plus dmg if available
• Keep the top version entries in CHANGELOG.md sorted by impact:
  • ### Changes first
  • ### Fixes deduped with user-facing fixes first

Write release tweets

Use the OpenClaw account's existing release-post style:

• Format: OpenClaw YYYY.M.PATCH 🦞 or 🦞 OpenClaw YYYY.M.PATCH is live, blank line, then 3-4 emoji-led bullets, blank line, one short punchline, then the release link.
• For beta: say OpenClaw YYYY.M.PATCH-beta.N 🦞 or OpenClaw YYYY.M.PATCH beta N is live; keep it clearly beta and avoid implying stable promotion.
• Lead with user-visible capabilities, then important integrations, then reliability/security/install fixes. Compress "lots of fixes" into one readable bullet.
• Read the full changelog section before drafting. Do not lead with coverage, CI, validation, or internal release mechanics unless the release is explicitly about those. Peter prefers concrete user wins: features, integrations, workflow improvements, and practical reliability fixes.
• Do not feature QA parity, test coverage, release gates, or validation lanes in user-facing launch tweets. Keep them for release notes or maintainer proof unless the operator explicitly asks for validation-focused copy.
• Do not feature plugin-author or developer tooling such as SDK helpers, tool-plugin scaffolding, build/validate/init commands, or internal CLI plumbing in general user-facing launch tweets unless the operator explicitly asks for developer-focused copy.
• Tone: high-signal, slightly cheeky, confident, not corporate. One joke is enough. Avoid punching down, insulting users, or promising what was not verified.
• Peter likes dry, compact taglines when they feel earned. Good example: Big release, tiny release notes... kidding. Keep the joke short and let the feature bullets carry the tweet; do not turn the punchline into a second paragraph or a forced bit.
• Length: release tweets are always standard tweets under 280 characters, with room for one URL. Trim to 3-4 bullets and count the final text before posting.
• Links/media: include the GitHub release or changelog link at the end of the first release tweet.
• Thread follow-ups: if doing a thread, keep the first release tweet as the compact launch post, then publish one focused feature explainer per reply. Follow-up replies should not repeat "new in VERSION" or the version number when the thread context already makes it obvious.
• Peter's preferred thread workflow: first agree on the generic launch tweet, then proceed through follow-up tweets one by one. When he says next, provide or copy the next follow-up only; do not dump the full thread again unless asked.
• Every follow-up tweet should include a docs URL for that specific feature. Prefer a bare URL over Docs: <url> unless the label is needed for clarity. Keep follow-ups concise: around 160-220 raw characters is usually the sweet spot; under 280 is the hard cap. If a URL makes a tweet fail, trim prose before dropping the URL. Prefer explaining diagnostics, trajectory/export, provider setup, model commands, or other setup-heavy features in follow-ups instead of overloading the first release tweet.
• Hotfix/correction: be direct and accountable. State what slipped, what is fixed, and the new version. Keep jokes out of incident-style posts.

Examples to adapt:

OpenClaw 2026.4.20-beta.1 🦞

🐳 Docker install/update smoke
🖥️ Parallels upgrade checks
🔧 Package verification tightened

Beta first. Stable after the gauntlet.
<release link>

OpenClaw 2026.4.20 🦞

🚀 Faster install + update
🐳 Docker + Parallels verified
🍎 macOS signed + notarized
🔧 Channel/plugin fixes

Good boring release. Best kind.
<release link>

Packaging issue in 2026.4.20-beta.1.

2026.4.20-beta.2 fixes install/update verification. No tag rewrites; beta moves
forward.

Upgrade with the beta channel.
<release link>

Run publish-time validation

Before tagging or publishing, run:

pnpm release:fast-pretag-check
pnpm check:architecture
pnpm build
pnpm ui:build
pnpm qa:otel:smoke
pnpm release:check
pnpm test:install:smoke

• Treat pnpm release:fast-pretag-check as a hard packaging gate. Every publishable plugin must have a non-empty package-root README.md, build its package-local runtime, and pass the npm and ClawHub release metadata checks before a tag or publish workflow can start. Do not defer README, entrypoint, or packed-artifact failures to postpublish verification.
• Before tagging, require green CI for the exact release-candidate SHA, not an earlier branch SHA. Heal every related red CI, release-check, packaging, or root-Dockerfile lane on the release branch, forward-port the fix to main, and rerun the affected exact-SHA gates. Never waive a red Docker lane because npm preflight passed.
• Root Dockerfile proof is mandatory before every beta and stable tag. Run the release install-smoke group or equivalent root Dockerfile build for the exact candidate SHA and require it to pass. The tag-triggered Docker Release workflow is post-tag publishing, not the first valid proof that the root Dockerfile can build.
• Before tagging, diff publishable plugin package manifests against the last reachable stable/beta release tag. For every newly publishable package (openclaw.release.publishToNpm: true or publishToClawHub: true) whose package name did not exist in the base tag, verify the target registry package already exists in npm/ClawHub or stop and help the owner mint/prepublish the package first. Do not hide or disable release surfaces just to unblock a train unless the owner explicitly decides the plugin should not ship in that release; first-package registry ownership is release prep, not product rollback. The mint/prepublish path must either be the real release publish path for the auto-bumped beta version, or a deliberately non-consuming registry-prep step that cannot occupy the next beta version/tag. Confirm registry owner, npm scope/package-creation permission, provenance path, and first-package publish plan before the full release publish continues. Useful npm probe: npm view <package-name> version dist-tags --json --prefer-online; a 404 for a package newly added to the release is a release-prep blocker, not something to discover from the publish job.
• Use pnpm qa:otel:smoke when release validation needs telemetry coverage. It starts a local OTLP/HTTP trace receiver, runs QA-lab's otel-trace-smoke, and checks span names plus content/identifier redaction without external Opik or Langfuse credentials.

For a non-root smoke path:

  OPENCLAW_INSTALL_SMOKE_SKIP_NONROOT=1 pnpm test:install:smoke

After npm publish, run:

node --import tsx scripts/openclaw-npm-postpublish-verify.ts <published-version>

• This verifies the published registry install path in a fresh temp prefix.
• For stable correction releases like YYYY.M.PATCH-N, it also verifies the upgrade path from YYYY.M.PATCH to YYYY.M.PATCH-N so a correction publish cannot silently leave existing global installs on the old base stable payload.
• Treat install smoke as a pack-budget gate too. pnpm test:install:smoke now fails the candidate update tarball when npm reports an oversized unpackedSize, so release-time e2e cannot miss pack bloat that would risk low-memory install/startup failures.
• Keep direct npm global coverage enabled in install smoke. It exercises plain npm install -g <candidate> fresh installs and npm-driven update installs, because many users install with npm even when docs prefer pnpm.
• Use pnpm test:live:media video for bounded video-provider smoke when video generation is in release scope. The default video smoke skips fal, runs one text-to-video attempt per provider with a one-second lobster prompt, and caps each provider operation with OPENCLAW_LIVE_VIDEO_GENERATION_TIMEOUT_MS (180000 by default).
• Run pnpm test:live:media video --video-providers fal only when FAL-specific proof is required. Its queue latency can dominate release time.
• Set OPENCLAW_LIVE_VIDEO_GENERATION_FULL_MODES=1 only when intentionally validating the slower image-to-video and video-to-video transform lanes.

Check all relevant release builds

• Always validate the OpenClaw npm release path before creating the tag.
• Use the configured secret workflow before live release validation so OpenAI and Anthropic credentials are available without printing secrets.
• Parallels validation and any local live model QA for this train must use both OPENAI_API_KEY and ANTHROPIC_API_KEY. If either cannot be injected, stop before starting those local long lanes and report the missing key.
• Live credentialed channel QA is the GitHub Actions workflow QA-Lab - All Lanes (.github/workflows/qa-live-telegram-convex.yml), not a local substitute. Dispatch it from Actions against the release tag and wait for it to pass before npm preflight/publish readiness. Use a SHA only when it satisfies the workflow's secret-bearing trust gate: main ancestor or open PR head. It runs the QA Lab mock parity gate plus live Matrix and live Telegram lanes using the qa-live-shared environment; Telegram uses Convex CI credential leases.
• Default release checks:
  • pnpm check
  • pnpm check:test-types
  • pnpm check:architecture
  • pnpm build
  • pnpm ui:build
  • pnpm release:check
  • OPENCLAW_INSTALL_SMOKE_SKIP_NONROOT=1 pnpm test:install:smoke
• Full pre-npm beta test roster:
  • default release checks above
  • all Docker tests: pnpm test:docker:all, plus standalone Docker live lanes not covered by the aggregate when operator says "all docker tests": pnpm test:docker:live-acp-bind, pnpm test:docker:live-cli-backend, and pnpm test:docker:live-codex-harness
  • all Parallels install/update tests: pnpm test:parallels:npm-update -- --json plus any needed individual rerun lanes from openclaw-parallels-smoke
  • all QA release validation: dispatch GitHub Actions > QA-Lab - All Lanes against the release tag and require success. This is the release gate for live credentialed Matrix/Telegram channel coverage. Use a SHA only when it satisfies the workflow trust gate. Run local OpenAI/Anthropic suites or repo-backed character evals only when the operator asks for extra model coverage or a failure needs local debugging.
• Post-published beta verification roster:
  • node --import tsx scripts/openclaw-npm-postpublish-verify.ts <beta-version>
  • install/update smoke against the published beta channel
  • Docker install/update coverage that exercises the published beta package
  • published npm Telegram proof: dispatch Actions > NPM Telegram Beta E2E from main with package_spec=openclaw@<beta-version> and provider_mode=mock-openai, and require success. This workflow is maintainer-dispatched and intentionally has no npm-release approval gate; qa-live-shared only supplies the shared QA secrets. This is the default button path for installed-package onboarding, Telegram setup, and real Telegram E2E against the published npm package. Use the local pnpm test:docker:npm-telegram-live lane with the matching OPENCLAW_NPM_TELEGRAM_PACKAGE_SPEC and Convex CI env only as a fallback or debugging path.
  • Parallels published beta install/update coverage with both OpenAI and Anthropic provider keys available
  • Parallels install/update proof must keep plugin installs enabled unless the operator explicitly scopes a harness-only isolation check; a lane that disables bundled plugin installs is not valid plugin/dependency release evidence.
  • targeted QA reruns only for areas touched by fixes after the full pre-npm roster, unless the operator requests the full QA roster again. If the fix touches live channel QA, credential plumbing, Matrix, Telegram, or the QA harness, rerun Actions > QA-Lab - All Lanes.
• Check all release-related build surfaces touched by the release, not only the npm package.
• For beta-style full e2e batteries, hard-cap top-level long lanes instead of letting them run indefinitely. Use host timeout --foreground/gtimeout --foreground caps such as:
  • 45m for OPENCLAW_INSTALL_SMOKE_SKIP_NONROOT=1 pnpm test:install:smoke
  • 90m for pnpm test:docker:all
  • 60m each for standalone Docker live lanes
  • 180m for local full QA live OpenAI + Anthropic rosters when explicitly requested; the default release channel QA gate is Actions > QA-Lab - All Lanes
  • Parallels caps from the openclaw-parallels-smoke skill If a lane hits its cap, stop and inspect/fix the affected lane before continuing; do not continue to wait on the same process.
• Actual npm install/update phases are capped at 5 minutes. If npm install -g, installer package install, or openclaw update takes longer than 300s in release e2e, stop treating the run as healthy progress and debug the installer/updater or harness.
• Serialize host build/package mutations ahead of VM lanes. Finish pnpm build, pnpm ui:build, pnpm release:check, install smoke, and any Docker/package-prep lanes before starting Parallels npm pack lanes; otherwise dist can disappear during VM pack prep and produce false failures.
• Include mac release readiness in preflight by running the public validation workflow in openclaw/openclaw and the release-ops mac preflight in openclaw/releases for every release.
• Treat the appcast.xml update on main as part of mac release readiness, not an optional follow-up.
• The workflows remain tag-based. The agent is responsible for making sure preflight runs complete successfully before any publish run starts.
• Any fix after preflight means a new commit. Delete and recreate the tag and matching GitHub release from the fixed commit, then rerun preflight from scratch before publishing. Exception: never delete or recreate a beta tag whose matching npm package has already been published; increment to the next beta number instead. If only the pushed tag/prerelease exists and npm publish has not happened, recreate that same beta tag at the fixed commit.
• For stable mac releases, generate the signed appcast.xml before uploading public release assets so the updater feed cannot lag the published binaries.
• Serialize stable appcast-producing runs across tags so two releases do not generate replacement appcast.xml files from the same stale seed.
• For stable releases, rely primarily on the latest beta's broader release workflow confidence. When promoting the matching non-beta build to npm latest, prefer a light time-bounded verification pass: published npm postpublish verify, Docker install/update smoke, macOS-only Parallels install/update smoke, and required QA signal. Do not rerun the full Docker/Parallels matrix unless the beta evidence is stale, the stable build differs materially from beta, or the operator explicitly asks for full retesting.
• If any required build, packaging step, or release workflow is red, do not say the release is ready.

Use the right auth flow

• OpenClaw publish uses GitHub trusted publishing.
• Stable npm promotion from beta to latest uses the restricted release-ops openclaw/releases/.github/workflows/openclaw-npm-dist-tags.yml workflow because npm dist-tag management needs NPM_TOKEN, while the public npm release workflow stays OIDC-only.
• Prefer fixing the release-ops workflow token path over any local 1Password fallback. The desired setup is a granular npm token stored as the release-ops repo's NPM_TOKEN secret, scoped to the openclaw package with read/write and 2FA bypass for automation.
• If the release-ops dist-tag workflow cannot promote because NPM_TOKEN is absent or stale, use the local tmux + 1Password fallback:
  • Start or reuse a tmux session so interactive npm login and OTP prompts are observable and recoverable.
  • Hard rule: never run op directly in the main agent shell during release work. Any 1Password CLI use must happen inside that tmux session so prompts and alerts are contained and observable.
  • Use $release-private for the npm credentials and OTP item. Do not print passwords, tokens, or OTPs to the transcript; send them through tmux buffers, env vars scoped to the tmux command, or expect with log_user 0.
  • Re-authenticate npm inside that tmux session with npm login --auth-type=legacy, then confirm npm whoami reports steipete.
  • Promote with a fresh OTP: npm dist-tag add [e-mail] latest --otp "$OTP".
  • Verify with a cache-bypassed registry read, for example: npm view openclaw dist-tags --json --prefer-online --cache /tmp/openclaw-npm-cache-verify-$$ and npm view openclaw@latest version dist.tarball --json --prefer-online.
• Direct stable publishes can also use that release-ops dist-tag workflow to point beta at the already-published latest version when the operator wants both tags aligned immediately.
• The publish run must be started manually with workflow_dispatch.
• The npm workflow and the release-ops mac publish workflow accept preflight_only=true to run validation/build/package steps without uploading public release assets.
• Real npm publish requires a prior successful npm preflight run id plus the successful Full Release Validation run id and exact run attempt for the same tag/SHA so the publish job promotes the prepared tarball instead of rebuilding it and attaches the correct release evidence.
• Real release-ops mac publish requires a prior successful release-ops mac preflight run id so the publish job promotes the prepared artifacts instead of rebuilding or renotarizing them again.
• The release-ops mac workflow also accepts smoke_test_only=true for branch-safe workflow smoke tests that use ad-hoc signing, skip notarization, skip shared appcast generation, and do not prove release readiness.
• preflight_only=true on the npm workflow is also the right way to validate an existing tag after publish; it should keep running the build checks even when the npm version is already published.
• npm registry metadata is eventually consistent immediately after trusted publishing. Keep postpublish npm view checks on bounded --prefer-online retries, and carry that verified tarball/integrity metadata into later proof steps instead of reading the registry again. If the OpenClaw npm child succeeded but the parent publish workflow failed on an immediate exact-version E404, verify the exact version with a cache-bypassed registry read, run the standalone postpublish verifier and the full beta verifier with the original successful child run IDs, then finalize the draft, dependency evidence asset, and release proof manually. Never rerun the publish workflow for that already-published version.
• npm validation-only preflight may still be dispatched from ordinary branches when testing workflow changes before merge. Release checks and real publish use only main or release/YYYY.M.PATCH.
• .github/workflows/macos-release.yml in openclaw/openclaw is now a public validation-only handoff. It validates the tag/release state and points operators to the release-ops repo. It still rebuilds the JS outputs needed for release validation, but it does not sign, notarize, or publish macOS artifacts.
• openclaw/releases/.github/workflows/openclaw-macos-validate.yml is the required release-ops mac validation lane for swift test; keep it green before any real stable mac publish run starts.
• Real mac preflight and real mac publish both use openclaw/releases/.github/workflows/openclaw-macos-publish.yml.
• The release-ops mac validation lane runs on GitHub's standard macOS runner.
• The release-ops mac preflight path runs on GitHub's xlarge macOS runner and uses a SwiftPM cache because the build/sign/notarize/package path is CPU-heavy.
• Release-ops mac preflight uploads notarized build artifacts as workflow artifacts instead of uploading public GitHub release assets.
• Release-ops smoke-test runs upload ad-hoc, non-notarized build artifacts as workflow artifacts and intentionally skip stable appcast.xml generation.
• For stable releases, npm preflight, Full Release Validation, public mac validation, release-ops mac validation, and release-ops mac preflight must all pass before any real publish run starts. For beta releases, npm preflight and Full Release Validation must pass before npm publish unless the operator explicitly waives the full gate; mac beta validation is still only required when requested.
• Real publish runs may be dispatched from main or from a release/YYYY.M.PATCH branch. For release-branch runs, the tag must be contained in that release branch, and the real publish must reuse a successful preflight from the same branch.
• The release workflows stay tag-based; rely on the documented release sequence rather than workflow-level SHA pinning.
• The npm-release environment must be approved by @openclaw/openclaw-release-managers before publish continues.
• Mac publish uses openclaw/releases/.github/workflows/openclaw-macos-publish.yml for release-ops mac preflight artifact preparation and real publish artifact promotion.
• Real release-ops mac publish uploads the packaged .zip, .dmg, and .dSYM.zip assets to the existing GitHub release in openclaw/openclaw automatically when OPENCLAW_PUBLIC_REPO_RELEASE_TOKEN is present in the release-ops repo mac-release environment.
• For stable releases, the agent must also download the signed macos-appcast-<tag> artifact from the successful release-ops mac workflow and then update appcast.xml on main.
• For beta mac releases, do not update the shared production appcast.xml unless a separate beta Sparkle feed exists.
• The release-ops repo targets a dedicated mac-release environment. If the GitHub plan does not yet support required reviewers there, do not assume the environment alone is the approval boundary; rely on restricted repo access and CODEOWNERS until those settings can be enabled.
• Do not use NPM_TOKEN or the plugin OTP flow for the OpenClaw package publish path; package publishing uses trusted publishing.
• Use NPM_TOKEN only for explicit npm dist-tag management modes, because npm does not support trusted publishing for npm dist-tag add.
• @openclaw/* plugin publishes use a separate maintainer-only flow.
• Publishable plugins that are new to npm require owner-led first-package minting before the full release publish. Do not consume the next beta version with an ad-hoc manual package publish; use the release-owned auto-bumped version path, or a non-consuming registry setup/preflight step. Bundled disk-tree-only plugins stay unpublished.

Fallback local mac publish

• Keep the original local macOS publish workflow available as a fallback in case CI/CD mac publishing is unavailable or broken.
• Preserve the existing maintainer workflow Peter uses: run it on a real Mac with local signing, notary, and Sparkle credentials already configured.
• Follow the private maintainer macOS runbook for the local steps: scripts/package-mac-dist.sh to build, sign, notarize, and package the app; manual GitHub release asset upload; then scripts/make_appcast.sh plus the appcast.xml commit to main.
• scripts/package-mac-dist.sh now fails closed for release builds if the bundled app comes out with a debug bundle id, an empty Sparkle feed URL, or a CFBundleVersion below the canonical Sparkle build floor for that short version. For correction tags, set a higher explicit APP_BUILD.
• scripts/make_appcast.sh first uses generate_appcast from PATH, then falls back to the SwiftPM Sparkle tool output under apps/macos/.build.
• For stable tags, the local fallback may update the shared production appcast.xml.
• For beta tags, the local fallback still publishes the mac assets but must not update the shared production appcast.xml unless a separate beta feed exists.
• Treat the local workflow as fallback only. Prefer the CI/CD publish workflow when it is working.
• After any stable mac publish, verify all of the following before you call the release finished:
  • the GitHub release has .zip, .dmg, and .dSYM.zip assets
  • appcast.xml on main points at the new stable zip
  • the packaged app reports the expected short version and a numeric CFBundleVersion at or above the canonical Sparkle build floor

Run the release sequence

1. Confirm release intent once. Treat prior explicit instructions to cut, ship, publish, or complete the named release as continuing authorization through publish and verification. Reconfirm only if the release identity, channel, publish scope, or material risk changes.
2. Choose the exact target version and git tag.
3. Commit any dirty files in coherent groups, push, pull/rebase, and verify the worktree is clean.
4. Pull latest main and confirm current main CI is green.
5. Run /changelog for the stable base target version on main, commit the changelog rewrite immediately, push, and pull/rebase. For beta releases, keep the changelog heading as ## YYYY.M.PATCH, not ## YYYY.M.PATCH-beta.N.
6. Create release/YYYY.M.PATCH from that post-changelog main commit.
7. Make every repo version location match the beta tag before creating it.
8. Commit release preparation changes on the release branch and push the branch.
9. Immediately dispatch Actions > OpenClaw Performance from main with target_ref=<release-sha>, profile=release, repeat=3, deep profiling off, live OpenAI off, and regression failure off. Let it run in parallel with preflight and validation work.
10. Run the fast local beta preflight from the release branch before any npm preflight or publish. Require exact-SHA CI and root Dockerfile install-smoke to be green before tagging. Keep the remaining expensive Docker, Parallels, and published-package install/update lanes for after the beta is live unless the operator asks to run them before beta publication.
11. For beta releases, skip mac app build/sign/notarize unless beta scope or a release blocker specifically requires it. For stable releases, include the mac app, signing, notarization, and appcast path.
12. Confirm the target npm version is not already published.
13. Create and push the git tag from the release branch.
14. Do not create or publish the matching GitHub release page yet. The real publish workflow creates or undrafts it only after postpublish verification and release evidence upload pass.
15. Dispatch Actions > QA-Lab - All Lanes against the release tag and wait for the mock parity, live Matrix, and live Telegram credentialed-channel lanes to pass.
16. Start .github/workflows/openclaw-npm-release.yml from the release branch with preflight_only=true and choose the intended npm_dist_tag (beta default; latest only for an intentional direct stable publish). Wait for it to pass. Save that run id because the real publish requires it to reuse the prepared npm tarball.
17. Before real publish, run Full Release Validation through the trusted current-main SHA-pinned helper for the exact release SHA with evidence reuse disabled. Save the successful run ID and exact attempt as full_release_validation_run_attempt=<saved-attempt>. Review the early performance run if it has completed. Compare against earlier release evidence or clawgrit reports where available. Call out minor regressions in the release proof; block on major regressions unless waived or proven noisy.
18. For stable releases, start .github/workflows/macos-release.yml in openclaw/openclaw and wait for the public validation-only run to pass.
19. For stable releases, start openclaw/releases/.github/workflows/openclaw-macos-validate.yml with the same tag and wait for the release-ops mac validation lane to pass.
20. For stable releases, start openclaw/releases/.github/workflows/openclaw-macos-publish.yml with preflight_only=true and wait for it to pass. Save that run id because the real publish requires it to reuse the notarized mac artifacts.
21. If any preflight or validation run fails, fix the issue on a new commit, delete the tag and any accidental draft/incomplete GitHub release, recreate the tag from the fixed commit, and rerun all relevant preflights from scratch before continuing. Never reuse old preflight results after the commit changes. Once the npm version exists, do not rerun the publish workflow for that same version; finalize the existing draft/evidence state manually or cut a correction tag. For pushed or published beta tags, do not delete/recreate; increment to the next beta tag. For preflight-only failures where npm did not publish the beta version, delete/recreate the same beta tag and any accidental draft/incomplete prerelease at the fixed commit instead of skipping a prerelease number.
22. Start .github/workflows/openclaw-release-publish.yml from the same branch with the same tag for the real publish, choose npm_dist_tag (beta default, latest only when you intentionally want direct stable publish), keep it the same as the preflight run, and pass the successful npm preflight_run_id plus the successful full_release_validation_run_id and its exact full_release_validation_run_attempt. For stable publish, also pass the exact non-prerelease openclaw/openclaw-windows-node tag as windows_node_tag and its candidate-approved installer digest map as windows_node_installer_digests.
23. Wait for npm-release approval from @openclaw/openclaw-release-managers.
24. Wait for the real publish workflow to run postpublish verification, create or update the GitHub release as a draft, upload dependency evidence, promote and verify the required Windows Hub assets for stable releases, append release verification proof, and only then undraft/publish it. If a waited plugin publish or Windows Hub promotion fails after OpenClaw npm succeeds, the workflow keeps the release draft with OpenClaw npm evidence and exits red; do not undraft until the gap is repaired. The standalone verifier command remains the first recovery probe: node --import tsx scripts/openclaw-npm-postpublish-verify.ts <published-version>. For a failed postpublish parent after successful publish children, also run pnpm release:verify-beta -- <published-version> ... --skip-github-release with the original child run IDs and an evidence output path before manually recreating the workflow's draft, dependency evidence asset, proof section, and publish step.
25. Run the post-published beta verification roster. First scan current main for critical fixes that landed after the release branch cut; backport only important low-risk fixes before starting expensive lanes, or increment to the next beta if the fix must change the already-published package. If any lane fails after the beta package is published, fix, commit/push/pull, increment to the next beta tag, and rerun the affected beta evidence. Once the beta is live, start remote/manual rosters where they can overlap safely, but keep local Docker and Parallels load controlled. Ensure the full expensive roster has passed at least once before stable/latest promotion. The roster includes the manual Actions > NPM Telegram Beta E2E workflow against the exact published beta package. If a pre-npm lane fails before any tag/package leaves the machine, fix and rerun the same intended beta attempt. Repeat up to the operator's authorized beta-attempt limit, normally 4.
26. Announce the beta/stable release on Discord best-effort using the configured secret workflow.
27. If the operator requested beta only, stop after beta verification and the announcement.
28. If the stable release was published to beta, use the light stable promotion roster when the matching beta already carried the full confidence pass: published npm postpublish verify, Docker install/update smoke, macOS-only Parallels install/update smoke, and required QA signal. Then start the restricted release-ops openclaw/releases/.github/workflows/openclaw-npm-dist-tags.yml workflow to promote that stable version from beta to latest, then verify latest now points at that version.
29. If the stable release was published directly to latest and beta should follow it, start that same release-ops dist-tag workflow to point beta at the stable version, then verify both latest and beta point at that version.
30. For stable releases, start openclaw/releases/.github/workflows/openclaw-macos-publish.yml for the real publish with the successful release-ops mac preflight_run_id and wait for success.
31. Verify the successful real release-ops mac run uploaded the .zip, .dmg, and .dSYM.zip artifacts to the existing GitHub release in openclaw/openclaw.
32. For stable releases, download macos-appcast-<tag> from the successful release-ops mac run, update appcast.xml on main, verify the feed, then complete the Close stable releases on main gate.
33. For beta releases, publish the mac assets only when intentionally requested; expect no shared production appcast.xml artifact and do not update the shared production feed unless a separate beta feed exists.
34. After stable main closeout, verify npm and the attached release artifacts.

GHSA advisory work

• Use openclaw-ghsa-maintainer for GHSA advisory inspection, patch/publish flow, private-fork validation, and GHSA API-specific publish checks.