Release Beta

Release Beta

Use this workflow whenever the user asks to "publish beta", "push beta channel", "cut another beta", or equivalent.

Goal

Ship a new @chrysb/alphaclaw beta and keep ~/Projects/openclaw-railway-template beta branch pinned to that exact beta version.

Required sequence

1. Prepare commit state in AlphaClaw

   • Check git status --short in ~/Projects/alphaclaw.
   • If there are changes to include, stage and commit them first.
   • Never commit unrelated secret files.

2. Run tests before release

   • Run npm test in ~/Projects/alphaclaw.
   • Abort beta publish if tests fail.

3. Cut and publish beta

   • npm version prerelease --preid=beta
   • git push && git push --tags
   • npm publish --tag beta

4. Always update Railway beta template pin (mandatory)

   • Open ~/Projects/openclaw-railway-template/package.json.
   • Ensure branch is beta.
   • Set "@chrysb/alphaclaw" to the exact new beta version (for example "0.7.2-beta.1").
   • If you updated dependency pins (for example openclaw), run npm install in the template repo so package-lock.json is refreshed before committing.
   • Commit and push that repo:
     • commit message format: Pin AlphaClaw beta to <version>.
     • push to origin/beta.

5. Report completion

   • Include:
     • release commit hash in AlphaClaw
     • beta tag/version published
     • Railway template commit hash for the pin update
   • Mention any warnings (for example npm package.json normalization warning).

Safety notes

• Do not skip tests unless user explicitly asks.
• Do not use --no-verify.
• Do not force push.
• Do not create GitHub release notes for beta-only publishes unless requested.
• Prefer deterministic installs in templates: keep package-lock.json committed and use npm ci in Dockerfiles.