clawdbot/docs/install/development-channels.md

summary, read_when

summary	read_when
Stable, beta, and dev channels: semantics, switching, and tagging	You want to switch between stable/beta/dev You are tagging or publishing prereleases

Development channels

Last updated: 2026-01-21

Clawdbot ships three update channels:

• stable: npm dist-tag latest.
• beta: npm dist-tag beta (builds under test).
• dev: moving head of main (git). npm dist-tag: dev (when published).

We ship builds to beta, test them, then promote a vetted build to latest without changing the version number — dist-tags are the source of truth for npm installs.

Switching channels

Git checkout:

clawdbot update --channel stable
clawdbot update --channel beta
clawdbot update --channel dev

• stable/beta check out the latest matching tag (often the same tag).
• dev switches to main and rebases on the upstream.

npm/pnpm global install:

clawdbot update --channel stable
clawdbot update --channel beta
clawdbot update --channel dev

This updates via the corresponding npm dist-tag (latest, beta, dev).

When you explicitly switch channels with --channel, Clawdbot also aligns the install method:

• dev ensures a git checkout (default ~/clawdbot, override with CLAWDBOT_GIT_DIR), updates it, and installs the global CLI from that checkout.
• stable/beta installs from npm using the matching dist-tag.

Tip: if you want stable + dev in parallel, keep two clones and point your gateway at the stable one.

Plugins and channels

When you switch channels with clawdbot update, Clawdbot also syncs plugin sources:

• dev prefers bundled plugins from the git checkout.
• stable and beta restore npm-installed plugin packages.

Tagging best practices

• Tag releases you want git checkouts to land on (vYYYY.M.D or vYYYY.M.D-<patch>).
• Keep tags immutable: never move or reuse a tag.
• npm dist-tags remain the source of truth for npm installs:
  • latest → stable
  • beta → candidate build
  • dev → main snapshot (optional)

macOS app availability

Beta and dev builds may not include a macOS app release. That’s OK:

• The git tag and npm dist-tag can still be published.
• Call out “no macOS build for this beta” in release notes or changelog.