| name | research-upstream |
| description | Track OpenClaw upstream changes, releases, and leverage opportunities. Weekly audit. |
| tags | ["research","upstream","openclaw","releases"] |
| version | 1.0.0 |
research-upstream
Track what changed in OpenClaw upstream. Find features we can leverage and breaking changes we need to handle.
When to use
- Weekly audit (cron-triggered)
- Before any
git pull --rebase update
- When considering new OpenClaw features
- Repo-Man (spec-github) delegates deep analysis here
Process
Step 1: Git diff (zero tokens)
cd /root/openclaw
git fetch origin 2>/dev/null
BEHIND=$(git rev-list HEAD..origin/main --count 2>/dev/null)
echo "Commits behind: $BEHIND"
git log --oneline HEAD..origin/main | head -20
git diff --stat HEAD..origin/main | tail -5
Step 2: Changelog check (zero tokens)
git show origin/main:CHANGELOG.md | head -50
Step 3: Impact assessment (zero tokens)
Check if upstream changes touch files we customized:
git diff --name-only HEAD -- src/ | head -20
git diff --name-only HEAD..origin/main -- src/ | head -20
Step 4: Web search for context (free)
Use web-search skill:
- "OpenClaw latest release notes"
- "OpenClaw [specific feature] documentation"
Step 5: Leverage opportunities (may need model for synthesis)
Only if Steps 1-4 reveal significant changes worth analyzing.
Output Format
## Upstream Report: [Date]
**Commits behind**: [N]
**Key changes**: [Bullet list of significant items]
**Breaking risks**: [Files we modified that also changed upstream]
**Leverage opportunities**: [New features we should adopt]
**Recommended action**: [Pull now / Wait / Cherry-pick specific commits]
Chart findings
reading-upstream-YYYY-MM-DD with key findingsissue-upstream-* for breaking changes that need attention
