Vendor OpenClaw source as Adolf fork baseline

Adolf is a fork/vendored clone of github.com/openclaw/openclaw (v2026.6.11),
free to diverge. Tree copied sans upstream .git; upstream remote added for
future syncs. Node pinned to 24 (.nvmrc); engines already require >=22.19.
Preserves docs/ARCHITECTURE.md.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01LeqyaxJF2nbRXJtae2kNB2

docs/install/development-channels.md

@@ -0,0 +1,160 @@
+---
+summary: "Stable, extended-stable, beta, and dev channels: semantics, switching, pinning, and tagging"
+read_when:
+  - You want to switch between stable/extended-stable/beta/dev
+  - You want to pin a specific version, tag, or SHA
+  - You are tagging or publishing prereleases
+title: "Release channels"
+sidebarTitle: "Release Channels"
+---
+
+OpenClaw ships four update channels:
+
+- **stable**: npm dist-tag `latest`. Recommended for most users.
+- **extended-stable**: npm dist-tag `extended-stable`. A net-new, trailing
+  supported-month package channel. It is package-only and foreground-only in
+  this release.
+- **beta**: npm dist-tag `beta`. Falls back to `latest` when `beta` is missing
+  or older than the current stable release.
+- **dev**: moving head of `main` (git). npm dist-tag `dev` when published. `main`
+  is for experimentation and active development; it may contain incomplete
+  features or breaking changes. Do not run it for production gateways.
+
+Stable builds usually ship to **beta** first, get vetted there, then get
+promoted to **latest** without a version bump. Maintainers can also publish
+directly to `latest`. Dist-tags are the source of truth for npm installs.
+
+## Switching channels
+
+```bash
+openclaw update --channel stable
+openclaw update --channel extended-stable
+openclaw update --channel beta
+openclaw update --channel dev
+```
+
+`--channel` persists the choice to `update.channel` in config and drives both
+install paths:
+
+| Channel           | npm/package installs                                                                                                                                                                   | git installs                                                                                                                                                       |
+| ----------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
+| `stable`          | dist-tag `latest`                                                                                                                                                                      | latest stable git tag (excludes `-alpha.N`, `-beta.N`, `-rc.N`, `-dev.N`, `-next.N`, `-preview.N`, `-canary.N`, `-nightly.N`, and other named prerelease suffixes) |
+| `extended-stable` | resolves the public npm `extended-stable` selector, verifies the exact selected package, and installs that exact version. Fails closed with no fallback to `latest`, `beta`, or `dev`. | unsupported: OpenClaw leaves the checkout unchanged and asks you to use a package installation                                                                     |
+| `beta`            | dist-tag `beta`, falling back to `latest` when `beta` is missing or older                                                                                                              | latest beta git tag, falling back to the latest stable git tag when beta is missing or older                                                                       |
+| `dev`             | dist-tag `dev` (rare; most dev users run git installs)                                                                                                                                 | fetches, rebases the checkout on the upstream `main` branch, builds, and reinstalls the global CLI                                                                 |
+
+For `dev` git installs, the default checkout is `~/openclaw` (or
+`$OPENCLAW_HOME/openclaw` when `OPENCLAW_HOME` is set); override with
+`OPENCLAW_GIT_DIR`.
+
+<Tip>
+To keep stable and dev in parallel, use two separate checkouts and point each gateway at its own.
+</Tip>
+
+## One-off version or tag targeting
+
+Use `--tag` to target a specific dist-tag, version, or package spec for a
+single update **without** changing the persisted channel:
+
+```bash
+# Install a specific version
+openclaw update --tag 2026.4.1-beta.1
+
+# Install from the beta dist-tag (one-off, does not persist)
+openclaw update --tag beta
+
+# Switch to the moving GitHub main checkout (persistent)
+openclaw update --channel dev
+
+# Install a specific npm package spec
+openclaw update --tag openclaw@2026.4.1-beta.1
+
+# Install from GitHub main once without persisting the channel
+openclaw update --tag main
+```
+
+Notes:
+
+- `--tag` applies to **package (npm) installs only**; git installs ignore it.
+- The tag is not persisted; the next `openclaw update` uses the configured
+  channel.
+- `--tag main` maps to the npm-compatible spec `github:openclaw/openclaw#main`
+  for that one run. For a persistent moving `main` install, use
+  `openclaw update --channel dev` (package installs switch to a git checkout)
+  or reinstall with the installer's git method:
+  `curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash -s -- --install-method git --version main`.
+  The npm install path rejects GitHub/git source targets outright and points
+  you at the git method instead.
+- Downgrade protection: if the target version is older than the current
+  version, OpenClaw prompts for confirmation (skip with `--yes`).
+- Extended-stable always uses its verified exact package target. It is not a
+  one-off alias for `--tag extended-stable`, and `--tag` cannot be combined
+  with an effective extended-stable channel.
+- `--channel beta` differs from `--tag beta`: the channel flow can fall back
+  to stable/latest when beta is missing or older, while `--tag beta` always
+  targets the raw `beta` dist-tag for that one run.
+
+## Dry run
+
+Preview what `openclaw update` would do without making changes:
+
+```bash
+openclaw update --dry-run
+openclaw update --channel beta --dry-run
+openclaw update --tag 2026.4.1-beta.1 --dry-run
+openclaw update --dry-run --json
+```
+
+The dry run reports the effective channel, target version, planned actions,
+and whether a downgrade confirmation would be required.
+
+## Plugins and channels
+
+Switching channels with `openclaw update` also syncs plugin sources:
+
+- `dev` switches installed plugins that have a bundled counterpart back to
+  their bundled (git checkout) source.
+- `stable` and `beta` restore npm-installed or ClawHub-installed plugin
+  packages.
+- `extended-stable` currently uses the existing stable/latest plugin line
+  after the core package succeeds. Official plugin `@extended-stable`
+  selectors are not queried yet.
+- npm-installed plugins are updated after the core update completes.
+
+## Checking current status
+
+```bash
+openclaw update status
+```
+
+Shows the active channel (with the source that decided it: config, git tag,
+git branch, installed version, or default), install kind (git or package),
+current version, and update availability.
+
+## Tagging best practices
+
+- Tag releases you want git checkouts to land on: `vYYYY.M.PATCH` for stable,
+  `vYYYY.M.PATCH-beta.N` for beta. Named prerelease suffixes such as
+  `-alpha.N`, `-rc.N`, and `-next.N` are not stable or beta targets.
+- Legacy numeric stable tags such as `vYYYY.M.PATCH-1` and `v1.0.1-1` are still
+  recognized as stable git tags for compatibility.
+- `vYYYY.M.PATCH.beta.N` (dot-separated) is also recognized for compatibility;
+  prefer `-beta.N`.
+- Keep tags immutable: never move or reuse a tag.
+- npm dist-tags remain the source of truth for npm installs:
+  - `latest` -> stable
+  - `extended-stable` -> trailing supported-month package release
+  - `beta` -> candidate build or beta-first stable build
+  - `dev` -> main snapshot (optional)
+
+## macOS app availability
+
+Beta and dev builds may **not** include a macOS app release. That is fine:
+
+- The git tag and npm dist-tag can still publish on their own.
+- Call out "no macOS build for this beta" in release notes or changelog.
+
+## Related
+
+- [Updating](/install/updating)
+- [Installer internals](/install/installer)