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 in parallel with `OPENCLAW_SKIP_DOCKER_BUILD=1`; tune the default main-pool concurrency of 8 with `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_PARALLELISM` and the provider-sensitive tail-pool concurrency of 8 with `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_ALL_TAIL_PARALLELISM`. 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 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.

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.