Scope logic lives in `scripts/ci-changed-scope.mjs` and is covered by unit tests in `src/scripts/ci-changed-scope.test.ts`.

CI workflow edits validate the Node CI graph plus workflow linting, but do not force Windows, Android, or macOS native builds by themselves; those platform lanes stay scoped to platform source changes.

Windows Node checks are scoped to Windows-specific process/path wrappers, npm/pnpm/UI runner helpers, package manager config, and the CI workflow surfaces that execute that lane; unrelated source, plugin, install-smoke, and test-only changes stay on the Linux Node lanes so they do not reserve a 16-vCPU Windows worker for coverage that is already exercised by the normal test shards.

The separate `install-smoke` workflow reuses the same scope script through its own `preflight` job. It splits smoke coverage into `run_fast_install_smoke` and `run_full_install_smoke`. Pull requests run the fast path for Docker/package surfaces, bundled plugin package/manifest changes, and core plugin/channel/gateway/Plugin SDK surfaces that the Docker smoke jobs exercise. Source-only bundled plugin changes, test-only edits, and docs-only edits do not reserve Docker workers. The fast path builds the root Dockerfile image once, checks the CLI, runs the container gateway-network e2e, verifies a bundled extension build arg, and runs the bounded bundled-plugin Docker profile under a 120-second command timeout. The full path keeps QR package install and installer Docker/update coverage for nightly scheduled runs, manual dispatches, workflow-call release checks, and pull requests that truly touch installer/package/Docker surfaces. `main` pushes, including merge commits, do not force the full path; when changed-scope logic would request full coverage on a push, the workflow keeps the fast Docker smoke and leaves the full install smoke to nightly or release validation. The slow Bun global install image-provider smoke is separately gated by `run_bun_global_install_smoke`; it runs on the nightly schedule and from the release checks workflow, and manual `install-smoke` dispatches can opt into it, but pull requests and `main` pushes do not run it. QR and installer Docker tests keep their own install-focused Dockerfiles. Local `test:docker:all` prebuilds one shared live-test image and one shared `scripts/e2e/Dockerfile` built-app image, then runs the live/E2E smoke lanes with a weighted scheduler and `OPENCLAW_SKIP_DOCKER_BUILD=1`; tune the default main-pool slot count of 10 with `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_PARALLELISM` and the provider-sensitive tail-pool slot count of 10 with `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_TAIL_PARALLELISM`. Heavy lane caps default to `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_LIVE_LIMIT=4`, `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_NPM_LIMIT=4`, and `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_SERVICE_LIMIT=5` so npm install and multi-service lanes do not overcommit Docker while lighter lanes still fill available slots. Lane starts are staggered by 2 seconds by default to avoid local Docker daemon create storms; override with `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_START_STAGGER_MS=0` or another millisecond value. The local aggregate stops scheduling new pooled lanes after the first failure by default, and each lane has a 120-minute timeout overrideable with `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_LANE_TIMEOUT_MS`. The reusable live/E2E workflow mirrors the shared-image pattern by building and pushing one SHA-tagged GHCR Docker E2E image before the Docker matrix, then running the matrix with `OPENCLAW_SKIP_DOCKER_BUILD=1`. The scheduled live/E2E workflow runs the full release-path Docker suite daily. The full bundled update/channel matrix remains manual/full-suite because it performs repeated real npm update and doctor repair passes.

The separate `install-smoke` workflow reuses the same scope script through its own `preflight` job. It splits smoke coverage into `run_fast_install_smoke` and `run_full_install_smoke`. Pull requests run the fast path for Docker/package surfaces, bundled plugin package/manifest changes, and core plugin/channel/gateway/Plugin SDK surfaces that the Docker smoke jobs exercise. Source-only bundled plugin changes, test-only edits, and docs-only edits do not reserve Docker workers. The fast path builds the root Dockerfile image once, checks the CLI, runs the container gateway-network e2e, verifies a bundled extension build arg, and runs the bounded bundled-plugin Docker profile under a 120-second command timeout. The full path keeps QR package install and installer Docker/update coverage for nightly scheduled runs, manual dispatches, workflow-call release checks, and pull requests that truly touch installer/package/Docker surfaces. `main` pushes, including merge commits, do not force the full path; when changed-scope logic would request full coverage on a push, the workflow keeps the fast Docker smoke and leaves the full install smoke to nightly or release validation. The slow Bun global install image-provider smoke is separately gated by `run_bun_global_install_smoke`; it runs on the nightly schedule and from the release checks workflow, and manual `install-smoke` dispatches can opt into it, but pull requests and `main` pushes do not run it. QR and installer Docker tests keep their own install-focused Dockerfiles. Local `test:docker:all` prebuilds one shared live-test image and one shared `scripts/e2e/Dockerfile` built-app image, then runs the live/E2E smoke lanes with a weighted scheduler and `OPENCLAW_SKIP_DOCKER_BUILD=1`; tune the default main-pool slot count of 10 with `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_PARALLELISM` and the provider-sensitive tail-pool slot count of 10 with `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_TAIL_PARALLELISM`. Heavy lane caps default to `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_LIVE_LIMIT=4`, `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_NPM_LIMIT=4`, and `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_SERVICE_LIMIT=5` so npm install and multi-service lanes do not overcommit Docker while lighter lanes still fill available slots. Lane starts are staggered by 2 seconds by default to avoid local Docker daemon create storms; override with `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_START_STAGGER_MS=0` or another millisecond value. The local aggregate preflights Docker, removes stale OpenClaw E2E containers, emits active-lane status, persists lane timings for longest-first ordering, and supports `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_DRY_RUN=1` for scheduler inspection. It stops scheduling new pooled lanes after the first failure by default, and each lane has a 120-minute fallback timeout overrideable with `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_LANE_TIMEOUT_MS`; selected live/tail lanes use tighter per-lane caps. The reusable live/E2E workflow mirrors the shared-image pattern by building and pushing one SHA-tagged GHCR Docker E2E image before the Docker matrix, then running the matrix with `OPENCLAW_SKIP_DOCKER_BUILD=1`. The scheduled live/E2E workflow runs the full release-path Docker suite daily. The bundled update matrix is split by update target so repeated npm update and doctor repair passes can shard with other bundled checks.

Local changed-lane logic lives in `scripts/changed-lanes.mjs` and is executed by `scripts/check-changed.mjs`. That local gate is stricter about architecture boundaries than the broad CI platform scope: core production changes run core prod typecheck plus core tests, core test-only changes run only core test typecheck/tests, extension production changes run extension prod typecheck plus extension tests, and extension test-only changes run only extension test typecheck/tests. Public Plugin SDK or plugin-contract changes expand to extension validation because extensions depend on those core contracts. Release metadata-only version bumps run targeted version/config/root-dependency checks. Unknown root/config changes fail safe to all lanes.

`OPENCLAW_LIVE_GATEWAY_STEP_TIMEOUT_MS=45000`, and

`OPENCLAW_LIVE_GATEWAY_MODEL_TIMEOUT_MS=90000`. Override those env vars when you

explicitly want the larger exhaustive scan.

- `test:docker:all` builds the live Docker image once via `test:docker:live-build`, then reuses it for the live Docker lanes. It also builds one shared `scripts/e2e/Dockerfile` image via `test:docker:e2e-build` and reuses it for the E2E container smoke runners that exercise the built app. The aggregate uses a weighted local scheduler: `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_PARALLELISM` controls process slots, while resource caps keep heavy live, npm-install, and multi-service lanes from all starting at once. Defaults are 10 slots, `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_LIVE_LIMIT=4`, `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_NPM_LIMIT=4`, and `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_SERVICE_LIMIT=5`; tune `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_WEIGHT_LIMIT` or `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_DOCKER_LIMIT` only when the Docker host has more headroom.

- `test:docker:all` builds the live Docker image once via `test:docker:live-build`, then reuses it for the live Docker lanes. It also builds one shared `scripts/e2e/Dockerfile` image via `test:docker:e2e-build` and reuses it for the E2E container smoke runners that exercise the built app. The aggregate uses a weighted local scheduler: `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_PARALLELISM` controls process slots, while resource caps keep heavy live, npm-install, and multi-service lanes from all starting at once. Defaults are 10 slots, `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_LIVE_LIMIT=4`, `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_NPM_LIMIT=4`, and `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_SERVICE_LIMIT=5`; tune `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_WEIGHT_LIMIT` or `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_DOCKER_LIMIT` only when the Docker host has more headroom. The runner performs a Docker preflight by default, removes stale OpenClaw E2E containers, prints status every 30 seconds, stores successful lane timings in `.artifacts/docker-tests/lane-timings.json`, and uses those timings to start longer lanes first on later runs. Use `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_DRY_RUN=1` to print the weighted lane manifest without building or running Docker.

- Container smoke runners: `test:docker:openwebui`, `test:docker:onboard`, `test:docker:npm-onboard-channel-agent`, `test:docker:gateway-network`, `test:docker:mcp-channels`, `test:docker:pi-bundle-mcp-tools`, `test:docker:cron-mcp-cleanup`, `test:docker:plugins`, `test:docker:plugin-update`, and `test:docker:config-reload` boot one or more real containers and verify higher-level integration paths.

The live-model Docker runners also bind-mount only the needed CLI auth homes (or all supported ones when the run is not narrowed), then copy them into the container home before the run so external-CLI OAuth can refresh tokens without mutating the host auth store:

- Plugins (install smoke + `/plugin` alias + Claude-bundle restart semantics): `pnpm test:docker:plugins` (script: `scripts/e2e/plugins-docker.sh`)

- Plugin update unchanged smoke: `pnpm test:docker:plugin-update` (script: `scripts/e2e/plugin-update-unchanged-docker.sh`)

- Config reload metadata smoke: `pnpm test:docker:config-reload` (script: `scripts/e2e/config-reload-source-docker.sh`)

- Bundled plugin runtime deps: `pnpm test:docker:bundled-channel-deps` builds a small Docker runner image by default, builds and packs OpenClaw once on the host, then mounts that tarball into each Linux install scenario. Reuse the image with `OPENCLAW_SKIP_DOCKER_BUILD=1`, skip the host rebuild after a fresh local build with `OPENCLAW_BUNDLED_CHANNEL_HOST_BUILD=0`, or point at an existing tarball with `OPENCLAW_BUNDLED_CHANNEL_PACKAGE_TGZ=/path/to/openclaw-*.tgz`. The full Docker aggregate pre-packs this tarball once, then shards bundled channel checks into independent lanes; use `OPENCLAW_BUNDLED_CHANNELS=telegram,slack` to narrow the channel matrix when running the bundled lane directly. The lane also verifies that `channels.<id>.enabled=false` and `plugins.entries.<id>.enabled=false` suppress doctor/runtime-dependency repair.

- Bundled plugin runtime deps: `pnpm test:docker:bundled-channel-deps` builds a small Docker runner image by default, builds and packs OpenClaw once on the host, then mounts that tarball into each Linux install scenario. Reuse the image with `OPENCLAW_SKIP_DOCKER_BUILD=1`, skip the host rebuild after a fresh local build with `OPENCLAW_BUNDLED_CHANNEL_HOST_BUILD=0`, or point at an existing tarball with `OPENCLAW_BUNDLED_CHANNEL_PACKAGE_TGZ=/path/to/openclaw-*.tgz`. The full Docker aggregate pre-packs this tarball once, then shards bundled channel checks into independent lanes, including separate update lanes for Telegram, Discord, Slack, Feishu, memory-lancedb, and ACPX. Use `OPENCLAW_BUNDLED_CHANNELS=telegram,slack` to narrow the channel matrix when running the bundled lane directly, or `OPENCLAW_BUNDLED_CHANNEL_UPDATE_TARGETS=telegram,acpx` to narrow the update scenario. The lane also verifies that `channels.<id>.enabled=false` and `plugins.entries.<id>.enabled=false` suppress doctor/runtime-dependency repair.

- Narrow bundled plugin runtime deps while iterating by disabling unrelated scenarios, for example:

`OPENCLAW_BUNDLED_CHANNEL_SCENARIOS=0 OPENCLAW_BUNDLED_CHANNEL_UPDATE_SCENARIO=0 OPENCLAW_BUNDLED_CHANNEL_ROOT_OWNED_SCENARIO=0 OPENCLAW_BUNDLED_CHANNEL_SETUP_ENTRY_SCENARIO=0 pnpm test:docker:bundled-channel-deps`.

- Gateway integration: opt-in via `OPENCLAW_TEST_INCLUDE_GATEWAY=1 pnpm test` or `pnpm test:gateway`.

- `pnpm test:e2e`: Runs gateway end-to-end smoke tests (multi-instance WS/HTTP/node pairing). Defaults to `threads` + `isolate: false` with adaptive workers in `vitest.e2e.config.ts`; tune with `OPENCLAW_E2E_WORKERS=<n>` and set `OPENCLAW_E2E_VERBOSE=1` for verbose logs.

- `pnpm test:live`: Runs provider live tests (minimax/zai). Requires API keys and `LIVE=1` (or provider-specific `*_LIVE_TEST=1`) to unskip.

- `pnpm test:docker:all`: Builds the shared live-test image and Docker E2E image once, then runs the Docker smoke lanes with `OPENCLAW_SKIP_DOCKER_BUILD=1` through a weighted scheduler. `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_PARALLELISM=<n>` controls process slots and defaults to 10; `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_TAIL_PARALLELISM=<n>` controls the provider-sensitive tail pool and defaults to 10. Heavy lane caps default to `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_LIVE_LIMIT=4`, `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_NPM_LIMIT=4`, and `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_SERVICE_LIMIT=5`; use `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_WEIGHT_LIMIT` or `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_DOCKER_LIMIT` for larger hosts. Lane starts are staggered by 2 seconds by default to avoid local Docker daemon create storms; override with `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_START_STAGGER_MS=<ms>`. The runner stops scheduling new pooled lanes after the first failure unless `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_FAIL_FAST=0` is set, and each lane has a 120-minute timeout overrideable with `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_LANE_TIMEOUT_MS`. Per-lane logs are written under `.artifacts/docker-tests/<run-id>/`.

- `pnpm test:docker:all`: Builds the shared live-test image and Docker E2E image once, then runs the Docker smoke lanes with `OPENCLAW_SKIP_DOCKER_BUILD=1` through a weighted scheduler. `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_PARALLELISM=<n>` controls process slots and defaults to 10; `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_TAIL_PARALLELISM=<n>` controls the provider-sensitive tail pool and defaults to 10. Heavy lane caps default to `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_LIVE_LIMIT=4`, `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_NPM_LIMIT=4`, and `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_SERVICE_LIMIT=5`; use `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_WEIGHT_LIMIT` or `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_DOCKER_LIMIT` for larger hosts. Lane starts are staggered by 2 seconds by default to avoid local Docker daemon create storms; override with `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_START_STAGGER_MS=<ms>`. The runner preflights Docker by default, cleans stale OpenClaw E2E containers, emits active-lane status every 30 seconds, and stores lane timings in `.artifacts/docker-tests/lane-timings.json` for longest-first ordering on later runs. Use `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_DRY_RUN=1` to print the lane manifest without running Docker, `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_STATUS_INTERVAL_MS=<ms>` to tune status output, or `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_TIMINGS=0` to disable timing reuse. The runner stops scheduling new pooled lanes after the first failure unless `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_FAIL_FAST=0` is set, and each lane has a 120-minute fallback timeout overrideable with `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_LANE_TIMEOUT_MS`; selected live/tail lanes use tighter per-lane caps. Per-lane logs are written under `.artifacts/docker-tests/<run-id>/`.

- `pnpm test:docker:openwebui`: Starts Dockerized OpenClaw + Open WebUI, signs in through Open WebUI, checks `/api/models`, then runs a real proxied chat through `/api/chat/completions`. Requires a usable live model key (for example OpenAI in `~/.profile`), pulls an external Open WebUI image, and is not expected to be CI-stable like the normal unit/e2e suites.

- `pnpm test:docker:mcp-channels`: Starts a seeded Gateway container and a second client container that spawns `openclaw mcp serve`, then verifies routed conversation discovery, transcript reads, attachment metadata, live event queue behavior, outbound send routing, and Claude-style channel + permission notifications over the real stdio bridge. The Claude notification assertion reads the raw stdio MCP frames directly so the smoke reflects what the bridge actually emits.