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summary: "Stable, beta, and dev channels: semantics, switching, and tagging"
read_when:
- You want to switch between stable/beta/dev
- You are tagging or publishing prereleases
title: "Development Channels"
---
# Development channels
Last updated: 2026-01-21
OpenClaw 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:
```bash
openclaw update --channel stable
openclaw update --channel beta
openclaw 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:
```bash
openclaw update --channel stable
openclaw update --channel beta
openclaw update --channel dev
```
This updates via the corresponding npm dist-tag (`latest`, `beta`, `dev`).
When you **explicitly** switch channels with `--channel`, OpenClaw also aligns
the install method:
- `dev` ensures a git checkout (default `~/openclaw`, override with `OPENCLAW_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 `openclaw update`, OpenClaw 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.
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