diff --git a/docs/cli/update.md b/docs/cli/update.md
index 2b4b73d65..839ff5690 100644
--- a/docs/cli/update.md
+++ b/docs/cli/update.md
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ If you installed via **npm/pnpm** (global install, no git metadata), use the pac
 
 ```bash
 clawdbot update
+clawdbot update --channel beta
+clawdbot update --tag beta
 clawdbot update --restart
 clawdbot update --json
 clawdbot --update
@@ -23,9 +25,13 @@ clawdbot --update
 ## Options
 
 - `--restart`: restart the Gateway daemon after a successful update.
+- `--channel <stable|beta>`: set the update channel for npm installs (persisted in config).
+- `--tag <dist-tag|version>`: override the npm dist-tag or version for this update only.
 - `--json`: print machine-readable `UpdateRunResult` JSON.
 - `--timeout <seconds>`: per-step timeout (default is 1200s).
 
+Note: downgrades require confirmation because older versions can break configuration.
+
 ## What it does (git checkout)
 
 High-level:
diff --git a/docs/install/updating.md b/docs/install/updating.md
index 4cda132ef..476fea5b2 100644
--- a/docs/install/updating.md
+++ b/docs/install/updating.md
@@ -50,6 +50,20 @@ pnpm add -g clawdbot@latest
 ```
 We do **not** recommend Bun for the Gateway runtime (WhatsApp/Telegram bugs).
 
+To stay on the beta channel for CLI updates:
+
+```bash
+clawdbot update --channel beta
+```
+
+Switch back to stable later:
+
+```bash
+clawdbot update --channel stable
+```
+
+Use `--tag <dist-tag|version>` for a one-off install tag/version.
+
 Then:
 
 ```bash
@@ -75,7 +89,7 @@ It runs a safe-ish update flow:
 - Fetches + rebases against the configured upstream.
 - Installs deps, builds, builds the Control UI, and runs `clawdbot doctor`.
 
-If you installed via **npm/pnpm** (no git metadata), `clawdbot update` will skip. Use “Update (global install)” instead.
+If you installed via **npm/pnpm** (no git metadata), `clawdbot update` will try to update via your package manager. If it can’t detect the install, use “Update (global install)” instead.
 
 ## Update (Control UI / RPC)
 
diff --git a/src/cli/update-cli.test.ts b/src/cli/update-cli.test.ts
index 9b8e6b680..dfc233a98 100644
--- a/src/cli/update-cli.test.ts
+++ b/src/cli/update-cli.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import fs from "node:fs/promises";
+import os from "node:os";
+import path from "node:path";
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 
 import type { UpdateRunResult } from "../infra/update-runner.js";
 
@@ -7,6 +10,25 @@ vi.mock("../infra/update-runner.js", () => ({
   runGatewayUpdate: vi.fn(),
 }));
 
+vi.mock("../infra/clawdbot-root.js", () => ({
+  resolveClawdbotPackageRoot: vi.fn(),
+}));
+
+vi.mock("../config/config.js", () => ({
+  readConfigFileSnapshot: vi.fn(),
+  writeConfigFile: vi.fn(),
+}));
+
+vi.mock("../infra/update-check.js", async () => {
+  const actual = await vi.importActual<typeof import("../infra/update-check.js")>(
+    "../infra/update-check.js",
+  );
+  return {
+    ...actual,
+    fetchNpmTagVersion: vi.fn(),
+  };
+});
+
 // Mock doctor (heavy module; should not run in unit tests)
 vi.mock("../commands/doctor.js", () => ({
   doctorCommand: vi.fn(),
@@ -26,6 +48,41 @@ vi.mock("../runtime.js", () => ({
 }));
 
 describe("update-cli", () => {
+  const baseSnapshot = {
+    valid: true,
+    config: {},
+    issues: [],
+  } as const;
+
+  const setTty = (value: boolean | undefined) => {
+    Object.defineProperty(process.stdin, "isTTY", {
+      value,
+      configurable: true,
+    });
+  };
+
+  const setStdoutTty = (value: boolean | undefined) => {
+    Object.defineProperty(process.stdout, "isTTY", {
+      value,
+      configurable: true,
+    });
+  };
+
+  beforeEach(async () => {
+    vi.clearAllMocks();
+    const { resolveClawdbotPackageRoot } = await import("../infra/clawdbot-root.js");
+    const { readConfigFileSnapshot } = await import("../config/config.js");
+    const { fetchNpmTagVersion } = await import("../infra/update-check.js");
+    vi.mocked(resolveClawdbotPackageRoot).mockResolvedValue(process.cwd());
+    vi.mocked(readConfigFileSnapshot).mockResolvedValue(baseSnapshot);
+    vi.mocked(fetchNpmTagVersion).mockResolvedValue({
+      tag: "latest",
+      version: "9999.0.0",
+    });
+    setTty(false);
+    setStdoutTty(false);
+  });
+
   it("exports updateCommand and registerUpdateCli", async () => {
     const { updateCommand, registerUpdateCli } = await import("./update-cli.js");
     expect(typeof updateCommand).toBe("function");
@@ -63,6 +120,62 @@ describe("update-cli", () => {
     expect(defaultRuntime.log).toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
+  it("defaults to stable channel when unset", async () => {
+    const { runGatewayUpdate } = await import("../infra/update-runner.js");
+    const { updateCommand } = await import("./update-cli.js");
+
+    vi.mocked(runGatewayUpdate).mockResolvedValue({
+      status: "ok",
+      mode: "git",
+      steps: [],
+      durationMs: 100,
+    });
+
+    await updateCommand({});
+
+    const call = vi.mocked(runGatewayUpdate).mock.calls[0]?.[0];
+    expect(call?.tag).toBe("latest");
+  });
+
+  it("uses stored beta channel when configured", async () => {
+    const { readConfigFileSnapshot } = await import("../config/config.js");
+    const { runGatewayUpdate } = await import("../infra/update-runner.js");
+    const { updateCommand } = await import("./update-cli.js");
+
+    vi.mocked(readConfigFileSnapshot).mockResolvedValue({
+      ...baseSnapshot,
+      config: { update: { channel: "beta" } },
+    });
+    vi.mocked(runGatewayUpdate).mockResolvedValue({
+      status: "ok",
+      mode: "git",
+      steps: [],
+      durationMs: 100,
+    });
+
+    await updateCommand({});
+
+    const call = vi.mocked(runGatewayUpdate).mock.calls[0]?.[0];
+    expect(call?.tag).toBe("beta");
+  });
+
+  it("honors --tag override", async () => {
+    const { runGatewayUpdate } = await import("../infra/update-runner.js");
+    const { updateCommand } = await import("./update-cli.js");
+
+    vi.mocked(runGatewayUpdate).mockResolvedValue({
+      status: "ok",
+      mode: "git",
+      steps: [],
+      durationMs: 100,
+    });
+
+    await updateCommand({ tag: "next" });
+
+    const call = vi.mocked(runGatewayUpdate).mock.calls[0]?.[0];
+    expect(call?.tag).toBe("next");
+  });
+
   it("updateCommand outputs JSON when --json is set", async () => {
     const { runGatewayUpdate } = await import("../infra/update-runner.js");
     const { defaultRuntime } = await import("../runtime.js");
@@ -168,4 +281,67 @@ describe("update-cli", () => {
     expect(defaultRuntime.error).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("timeout"));
     expect(defaultRuntime.exit).toHaveBeenCalledWith(1);
   });
+
+  it("persists update channel when --channel is set", async () => {
+    const { writeConfigFile } = await import("../config/config.js");
+    const { runGatewayUpdate } = await import("../infra/update-runner.js");
+    const { updateCommand } = await import("./update-cli.js");
+
+    const mockResult: UpdateRunResult = {
+      status: "ok",
+      mode: "git",
+      steps: [],
+      durationMs: 100,
+    };
+
+    vi.mocked(runGatewayUpdate).mockResolvedValue(mockResult);
+
+    await updateCommand({ channel: "beta" });
+
+    expect(writeConfigFile).toHaveBeenCalled();
+    const call = vi.mocked(writeConfigFile).mock.calls[0]?.[0] as {
+      update?: { channel?: string };
+    };
+    expect(call?.update?.channel).toBe("beta");
+  });
+
+  it("requires confirmation on downgrade when non-interactive", async () => {
+    const tempDir = await fs.mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "clawdbot-update-"));
+    try {
+      await fs.writeFile(
+        path.join(tempDir, "package.json"),
+        JSON.stringify({ name: "clawdbot", version: "2.0.0" }),
+        "utf-8",
+      );
+
+      const { resolveClawdbotPackageRoot } = await import("../infra/clawdbot-root.js");
+      const { fetchNpmTagVersion } = await import("../infra/update-check.js");
+      const { runGatewayUpdate } = await import("../infra/update-runner.js");
+      const { defaultRuntime } = await import("../runtime.js");
+      const { updateCommand } = await import("./update-cli.js");
+
+      vi.mocked(resolveClawdbotPackageRoot).mockResolvedValue(tempDir);
+      vi.mocked(fetchNpmTagVersion).mockResolvedValue({
+        tag: "latest",
+        version: "0.0.1",
+      });
+      vi.mocked(runGatewayUpdate).mockResolvedValue({
+        status: "ok",
+        mode: "npm",
+        steps: [],
+        durationMs: 100,
+      });
+      vi.mocked(defaultRuntime.error).mockClear();
+      vi.mocked(defaultRuntime.exit).mockClear();
+
+      await updateCommand({});
+
+      expect(defaultRuntime.error).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        expect.stringContaining("Downgrade confirmation required."),
+      );
+      expect(defaultRuntime.exit).toHaveBeenCalledWith(1);
+    } finally {
+      await fs.rm(tempDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    }
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/cli/update-cli.ts b/src/cli/update-cli.ts
index 0fff3099d..bde4bb052 100644
--- a/src/cli/update-cli.ts
+++ b/src/cli/update-cli.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,12 @@
-import { spinner } from "@clack/prompts";
+import { confirm, isCancel, spinner } from "@clack/prompts";
+import fs from "node:fs/promises";
+import path from "node:path";
 import type { Command } from "commander";
 
+import { readConfigFileSnapshot, writeConfigFile } from "../config/config.js";
 import { resolveClawdbotPackageRoot } from "../infra/clawdbot-root.js";
+import { compareSemverStrings, fetchNpmTagVersion } from "../infra/update-check.js";
+import { parseSemver } from "../infra/runtime-guard.js";
 import {
   runGatewayUpdate,
   type UpdateRunResult,
@@ -10,11 +15,14 @@ import {
 } from "../infra/update-runner.js";
 import { defaultRuntime } from "../runtime.js";
 import { formatDocsLink } from "../terminal/links.js";
+import { stylePromptMessage } from "../terminal/prompt-style.js";
 import { theme } from "../terminal/theme.js";
 
 export type UpdateCommandOptions = {
   json?: boolean;
   restart?: boolean;
+  channel?: string;
+  tag?: string;
   timeout?: string;
 };
 
@@ -31,6 +39,61 @@ const STEP_LABELS: Record<string, string> = {
   "global update": "Updating via package manager",
 };
 
+type UpdateChannel = "stable" | "beta";
+
+const DEFAULT_UPDATE_CHANNEL: UpdateChannel = "stable";
+
+function normalizeChannel(value?: string | null): UpdateChannel | null {
+  if (!value) return null;
+  const normalized = value.trim().toLowerCase();
+  if (normalized === "stable" || normalized === "beta") return normalized;
+  return null;
+}
+
+function normalizeTag(value?: string | null): string | null {
+  if (!value) return null;
+  const trimmed = value.trim();
+  if (!trimmed) return null;
+  return trimmed.startsWith("clawdbot@") ? trimmed.slice("clawdbot@".length) : trimmed;
+}
+
+function channelToTag(channel: UpdateChannel): string {
+  return channel === "beta" ? "beta" : "latest";
+}
+
+function normalizeVersionTag(tag: string): string | null {
+  const trimmed = tag.trim();
+  if (!trimmed) return null;
+  const cleaned = trimmed.startsWith("v") ? trimmed.slice(1) : trimmed;
+  return parseSemver(cleaned) ? cleaned : null;
+}
+
+async function readPackageVersion(root: string): Promise<string | null> {
+  try {
+    const raw = await fs.readFile(path.join(root, "package.json"), "utf-8");
+    const parsed = JSON.parse(raw) as { version?: string };
+    return typeof parsed.version === "string" ? parsed.version : null;
+  } catch {
+    return null;
+  }
+}
+
+async function resolveTargetVersion(tag: string, timeoutMs?: number): Promise<string | null> {
+  const direct = normalizeVersionTag(tag);
+  if (direct) return direct;
+  const res = await fetchNpmTagVersion({ tag, timeoutMs });
+  return res.version ?? null;
+}
+
+async function isGitCheckout(root: string): Promise<boolean> {
+  try {
+    await fs.stat(path.join(root, ".git"));
+    return true;
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+}
+
 function getStepLabel(step: UpdateStepInfo): string {
   return STEP_LABELS[step.name] ?? step.name;
 }
@@ -164,13 +227,6 @@ export async function updateCommand(opts: UpdateCommandOptions): Promise<void> {
     return;
   }
 
-  const showProgress = !opts.json && process.stdout.isTTY;
-
-  if (!opts.json) {
-    defaultRuntime.log(theme.heading("Updating Clawdbot..."));
-    defaultRuntime.log("");
-  }
-
   const root =
     (await resolveClawdbotPackageRoot({
       moduleUrl: import.meta.url,
@@ -178,6 +234,91 @@ export async function updateCommand(opts: UpdateCommandOptions): Promise<void> {
       cwd: process.cwd(),
     })) ?? process.cwd();
 
+  const configSnapshot = await readConfigFileSnapshot();
+  const storedChannel = configSnapshot.valid
+    ? normalizeChannel(configSnapshot.config.update?.channel)
+    : null;
+
+  const requestedChannel = normalizeChannel(opts.channel);
+  if (opts.channel && !requestedChannel) {
+    defaultRuntime.error(`--channel must be "stable" or "beta" (got "${opts.channel}")`);
+    defaultRuntime.exit(1);
+    return;
+  }
+  if (opts.channel && !configSnapshot.valid) {
+    const issues = configSnapshot.issues.map((issue) => `- ${issue.path}: ${issue.message}`);
+    defaultRuntime.error(
+      ["Config is invalid; cannot set update channel.", ...issues].join("\n"),
+    );
+    defaultRuntime.exit(1);
+    return;
+  }
+
+  const channel = requestedChannel ?? storedChannel ?? DEFAULT_UPDATE_CHANNEL;
+  const tag = normalizeTag(opts.tag) ?? channelToTag(channel);
+
+  const gitCheckout = await isGitCheckout(root);
+  if (!gitCheckout) {
+    const currentVersion = await readPackageVersion(root);
+    const targetVersion = await resolveTargetVersion(tag, timeoutMs);
+    const cmp =
+      currentVersion && targetVersion ? compareSemverStrings(currentVersion, targetVersion) : null;
+    const needsConfirm =
+      currentVersion != null && (targetVersion == null || (cmp != null && cmp > 0));
+
+    if (needsConfirm) {
+      if (!process.stdin.isTTY || opts.json) {
+        defaultRuntime.error(
+          [
+            "Downgrade confirmation required.",
+            "Downgrading can break configuration. Re-run in a TTY to confirm.",
+          ].join("\n"),
+        );
+        defaultRuntime.exit(1);
+        return;
+      }
+
+      const targetLabel = targetVersion ?? `${tag} (unknown)`;
+      const message = `Downgrading from ${currentVersion} to ${targetLabel} can break configuration. Continue?`;
+      const ok = await confirm({
+        message: stylePromptMessage(message),
+        initialValue: false,
+      });
+      if (isCancel(ok) || ok === false) {
+        if (!opts.json) {
+          defaultRuntime.log(theme.muted("Update cancelled."));
+        }
+        defaultRuntime.exit(0);
+        return;
+      }
+    }
+  } else if ((opts.channel || opts.tag) && !opts.json) {
+    defaultRuntime.log(
+      theme.muted("Note: --channel/--tag apply to npm installs only; git updates ignore them."),
+    );
+  }
+
+  if (requestedChannel && configSnapshot.valid) {
+    const next = {
+      ...configSnapshot.config,
+      update: {
+        ...configSnapshot.config.update,
+        channel: requestedChannel,
+      },
+    };
+    await writeConfigFile(next);
+    if (!opts.json) {
+      defaultRuntime.log(theme.muted(`Update channel set to ${requestedChannel}.`));
+    }
+  }
+
+  const showProgress = !opts.json && process.stdout.isTTY;
+
+  if (!opts.json) {
+    defaultRuntime.log(theme.heading("Updating Clawdbot..."));
+    defaultRuntime.log("");
+  }
+
   const { progress, stop } = createUpdateProgress(showProgress);
 
   const result = await runGatewayUpdate({
@@ -185,6 +326,7 @@ export async function updateCommand(opts: UpdateCommandOptions): Promise<void> {
     argv1: process.argv[1],
     timeoutMs,
     progress,
+    tag,
   });
 
   stop();
@@ -270,6 +412,8 @@ export function registerUpdateCli(program: Command) {
     .description("Update Clawdbot to the latest version")
     .option("--json", "Output result as JSON", false)
     .option("--restart", "Restart the gateway daemon after a successful update", false)
+    .option("--channel <stable|beta>", "Persist update channel (npm installs only)")
+    .option("--tag <dist-tag|version>", "Override npm dist-tag or version for this update")
     .option("--timeout <seconds>", "Timeout for each update step in seconds (default: 1200)")
     .addHelpText(
       "after",
@@ -277,6 +421,8 @@ export function registerUpdateCli(program: Command) {
         `
 Examples:
   clawdbot update                   # Update a source checkout (git)
+  clawdbot update --channel beta    # Switch to the beta channel (npm installs)
+  clawdbot update --tag beta        # One-off update to a dist-tag or version
   clawdbot update --restart         # Update and restart the daemon
   clawdbot update --json            # Output result as JSON
   clawdbot --update                 # Shorthand for clawdbot update
@@ -284,6 +430,7 @@ Examples:
 Notes:
   - For git installs: fetches, rebases, installs deps, builds, and runs doctor
   - For global installs: auto-updates via detected package manager when possible (see docs/install/updating.md)
+  - Downgrades require confirmation (can break configuration)
   - Skips update if the working directory has uncommitted changes
 
 ${theme.muted("Docs:")} ${formatDocsLink("/cli/update", "docs.clawd.bot/cli/update")}`,
@@ -293,6 +440,8 @@ ${theme.muted("Docs:")} ${formatDocsLink("/cli/update", "docs.clawd.bot/cli/upda
         await updateCommand({
           json: Boolean(opts.json),
           restart: Boolean(opts.restart),
+          channel: opts.channel as string | undefined,
+          tag: opts.tag as string | undefined,
           timeout: opts.timeout as string | undefined,
         });
       } catch (err) {
diff --git a/src/config/schema.ts b/src/config/schema.ts
index 88ee6c29f..7055fc996 100644
--- a/src/config/schema.ts
+++ b/src/config/schema.ts
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ export type ChannelUiMetadata = {
 
 const GROUP_LABELS: Record<string, string> = {
   wizard: "Wizard",
+  update: "Update",
   logging: "Logging",
   gateway: "Gateway",
   agents: "Agents",
@@ -71,6 +72,7 @@ const GROUP_LABELS: Record<string, string> = {
 
 const GROUP_ORDER: Record<string, number> = {
   wizard: 20,
+  update: 25,
   gateway: 30,
   agents: 40,
   tools: 50,
@@ -95,6 +97,7 @@ const GROUP_ORDER: Record<string, number> = {
 };
 
 const FIELD_LABELS: Record<string, string> = {
+  "update.channel": "Update Channel",
   "gateway.remote.url": "Remote Gateway URL",
   "gateway.remote.sshTarget": "Remote Gateway SSH Target",
   "gateway.remote.sshIdentity": "Remote Gateway SSH Identity",
@@ -273,6 +276,7 @@ const FIELD_LABELS: Record<string, string> = {
 };
 
 const FIELD_HELP: Record<string, string> = {
+  "update.channel": 'Update channel for npm installs ("stable" or "beta").',
   "gateway.remote.url": "Remote Gateway WebSocket URL (ws:// or wss://).",
   "gateway.remote.sshTarget":
     "Remote gateway over SSH (tunnels the gateway port to localhost). Format: user@host or user@host:port.",
diff --git a/src/config/types.clawdbot.ts b/src/config/types.clawdbot.ts
index 8312e63a4..84555504f 100644
--- a/src/config/types.clawdbot.ts
+++ b/src/config/types.clawdbot.ts
@@ -49,6 +49,10 @@ export type ClawdbotConfig = {
     lastRunMode?: "local" | "remote";
   };
   logging?: LoggingConfig;
+  update?: {
+    /** Update channel for npm installs ("stable" or "beta"). */
+    channel?: "stable" | "beta";
+  };
   browser?: BrowserConfig;
   ui?: {
     /** Accent color for Clawdbot UI chrome (hex). */
diff --git a/src/config/zod-schema.ts b/src/config/zod-schema.ts
index 8b13da1ed..081ba32ea 100644
--- a/src/config/zod-schema.ts
+++ b/src/config/zod-schema.ts
@@ -61,6 +61,11 @@ export const ClawdbotSchema = z
         redactPatterns: z.array(z.string()).optional(),
       })
       .optional(),
+    update: z
+      .object({
+        channel: z.union([z.literal("stable"), z.literal("beta")]).optional(),
+      })
+      .optional(),
     browser: z
       .object({
         enabled: z.boolean().optional(),
diff --git a/src/infra/update-check.ts b/src/infra/update-check.ts
index 5d57fdafe..ba5519545 100644
--- a/src/infra/update-check.ts
+++ b/src/infra/update-check.ts
@@ -30,6 +30,12 @@ export type RegistryStatus = {
   error?: string;
 };
 
+export type NpmTagStatus = {
+  tag: string;
+  version: string | null;
+  error?: string;
+};
+
 export type UpdateCheckResult = {
   root: string | null;
   installKind: "git" | "package" | "unknown";
@@ -263,17 +269,32 @@ async function fetchWithTimeout(url: string, timeoutMs: number): Promise<Respons
 export async function fetchNpmLatestVersion(params?: {
   timeoutMs?: number;
 }): Promise<RegistryStatus> {
+  const res = await fetchNpmTagVersion({ tag: "latest", timeoutMs: params?.timeoutMs });
+  return {
+    latestVersion: res.version,
+    error: res.error,
+  };
+}
+
+export async function fetchNpmTagVersion(params: {
+  tag: string;
+  timeoutMs?: number;
+}): Promise<NpmTagStatus> {
   const timeoutMs = params?.timeoutMs ?? 3500;
+  const tag = params.tag;
   try {
-    const res = await fetchWithTimeout("https://registry.npmjs.org/clawdbot/latest", timeoutMs);
+    const res = await fetchWithTimeout(
+      `https://registry.npmjs.org/clawdbot/${encodeURIComponent(tag)}`,
+      timeoutMs,
+    );
     if (!res.ok) {
-      return { latestVersion: null, error: `HTTP ${res.status}` };
+      return { tag, version: null, error: `HTTP ${res.status}` };
     }
     const json = (await res.json()) as { version?: unknown };
-    const latestVersion = typeof json?.version === "string" ? json.version : null;
-    return { latestVersion };
+    const version = typeof json?.version === "string" ? json.version : null;
+    return { tag, version };
   } catch (err) {
-    return { latestVersion: null, error: String(err) };
+    return { tag, version: null, error: String(err) };
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/infra/update-runner.test.ts b/src/infra/update-runner.test.ts
index 0724cab4d..4df7adc0c 100644
--- a/src/infra/update-runner.test.ts
+++ b/src/infra/update-runner.test.ts
@@ -159,6 +159,54 @@ describe("runGatewayUpdate", () => {
     expect(calls.some((call) => call === "npm i -g clawdbot@latest")).toBe(true);
   });
 
+  it("updates global npm installs with tag override", async () => {
+    const nodeModules = path.join(tempDir, "node_modules");
+    const pkgRoot = path.join(nodeModules, "clawdbot");
+    await fs.mkdir(pkgRoot, { recursive: true });
+    await fs.writeFile(
+      path.join(pkgRoot, "package.json"),
+      JSON.stringify({ name: "clawdbot", version: "1.0.0" }),
+      "utf-8",
+    );
+
+    const calls: string[] = [];
+    const runCommand = async (argv: string[]) => {
+      const key = argv.join(" ");
+      calls.push(key);
+      if (key === `git -C ${pkgRoot} rev-parse --show-toplevel`) {
+        return { stdout: "", stderr: "not a git repository", code: 128 };
+      }
+      if (key === "npm root -g") {
+        return { stdout: nodeModules, stderr: "", code: 0 };
+      }
+      if (key === "npm i -g clawdbot@beta") {
+        await fs.writeFile(
+          path.join(pkgRoot, "package.json"),
+          JSON.stringify({ name: "clawdbot", version: "2.0.0" }),
+          "utf-8",
+        );
+        return { stdout: "ok", stderr: "", code: 0 };
+      }
+      if (key === "pnpm root -g") {
+        return { stdout: "", stderr: "", code: 1 };
+      }
+      return { stdout: "", stderr: "", code: 0 };
+    };
+
+    const result = await runGatewayUpdate({
+      cwd: pkgRoot,
+      runCommand: async (argv, _options) => runCommand(argv),
+      timeoutMs: 5000,
+      tag: "beta",
+    });
+
+    expect(result.status).toBe("ok");
+    expect(result.mode).toBe("npm");
+    expect(result.before?.version).toBe("1.0.0");
+    expect(result.after?.version).toBe("2.0.0");
+    expect(calls.some((call) => call === "npm i -g clawdbot@beta")).toBe(true);
+  });
+
   it("updates global bun installs when detected", async () => {
     const oldBunInstall = process.env.BUN_INSTALL;
     const bunInstall = path.join(tempDir, "bun-install");
diff --git a/src/infra/update-runner.ts b/src/infra/update-runner.ts
index 3e407abb4..6ede48bc4 100644
--- a/src/infra/update-runner.ts
+++ b/src/infra/update-runner.ts
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ export type UpdateStepProgress = {
 type UpdateRunnerOptions = {
   cwd?: string;
   argv1?: string;
+  tag?: string;
   timeoutMs?: number;
   runCommand?: CommandRunner;
   progress?: UpdateStepProgress;
@@ -267,10 +268,17 @@ function managerInstallArgs(manager: "pnpm" | "bun" | "npm") {
   return ["npm", "install"];
 }
 
-function globalUpdateArgs(manager: "pnpm" | "npm" | "bun") {
-  if (manager === "pnpm") return ["pnpm", "add", "-g", "clawdbot@latest"];
-  if (manager === "bun") return ["bun", "add", "-g", "clawdbot@latest"];
-  return ["npm", "i", "-g", "clawdbot@latest"];
+function normalizeTag(tag?: string) {
+  const trimmed = tag?.trim();
+  if (!trimmed) return "latest";
+  return trimmed.startsWith("clawdbot@") ? trimmed.slice("clawdbot@".length) : trimmed;
+}
+
+function globalUpdateArgs(manager: "pnpm" | "npm" | "bun", tag?: string) {
+  const spec = `clawdbot@${normalizeTag(tag)}`;
+  if (manager === "pnpm") return ["pnpm", "add", "-g", spec];
+  if (manager === "bun") return ["bun", "add", "-g", spec];
+  return ["npm", "i", "-g", spec];
 }
 
 // Total number of visible steps in a successful git update flow
@@ -472,7 +480,7 @@ export async function runGatewayUpdate(opts: UpdateRunnerOptions = {}): Promise<
     const updateStep = await runStep({
       runCommand,
       name: "global update",
-      argv: globalUpdateArgs(globalManager),
+      argv: globalUpdateArgs(globalManager, opts.tag),
       cwd: pkgRoot,
       timeoutMs,
       progress,