research-upstream

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
# What's new upstream?
BEHIND=$(git rev-list HEAD..origin/main --count 2>/dev/null)
echo "Commits behind: $BEHIND"
# Summary of changes
git log --oneline HEAD..origin/main | head -20
# Which areas changed?
git diff --stat HEAD..origin/main | tail -5

Step 2: Changelog check (zero tokens)

# Read upstream changelog for user-facing changes
git show origin/main:CHANGELOG.md | head -50

Step 3: Impact assessment (zero tokens)

Check if upstream changes touch files we customized:

# Our local modifications
git diff --name-only HEAD -- src/ | head -20
# Overlap with upstream changes
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 findings
• issue-upstream-* for breaking changes that need attention