fix(plugins): update trusted prerelease installs

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 
 - Channels/WhatsApp: allow `@whiskeysockets/libsignal-node` in `onlyBuiltDependencies` so pnpm v9+ `blockExoticSubdeps` no longer rejects the baileys git-tarball subdep and silences all inbound agent replies. Fixes #76539. Thanks @ottodeng and @vincentkoc.
 - Gateway/systemd: preserve operator-added secrets in the Gateway env file across re-stage while clearing OpenClaw-managed keys (such as `OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN`) so a fresh staging value is never shadowed by a stale env-file copy; operator secrets are also retained when the state-dir `.env` is empty. Fixes #76860. Thanks @hclsys.
+- Plugin updates: do not short-circuit trusted official npm updates as unchanged when the default/latest spec still resolves to an already-installed prerelease that the installer should replace with a stable fallback. Thanks @vincentkoc.
 - Plugin tools: keep auth-unavailable optional tools hidden even when another default tool from the same plugin is available and `tools.alsoAllow` names the optional tool. Thanks @vincentkoc.
 - Realtime transcription: report socket closes before provider readiness as closed-before-ready failures instead of mislabeling them as connection timeouts for OpenAI, xAI, and Deepgram streaming transcription. Thanks @vincentkoc.
 - OpenAI/Google Meet: fail realtime voice connection attempts when the socket closes before `session.updated`, avoiding stuck Meet joins waiting on a bridge that never became ready. Thanks @vincentkoc.

src/plugins/update.test.ts

@@ -507,6 +507,59 @@ describe("updateNpmInstalledPlugins", () => {
     );
   });
 
+  it("does not skip trusted official default updates when latest resolves to the installed prerelease", async () => {
+    const installPath = createInstalledPackageDir({
+      name: "@openclaw/acpx",
+      version: "2026.5.2-beta.2",
+    });
+    mockNpmViewMetadata({
+      name: "@openclaw/acpx",
+      version: "2026.5.2-beta.2",
+      integrity: "sha512-beta",
+      shasum: "beta",
+    });
+    installPluginFromNpmSpecMock.mockResolvedValue(
+      createSuccessfulNpmUpdateResult({
+        pluginId: "acpx",
+        targetDir: installPath,
+        version: "2026.5.2",
+        npmResolution: {
+          name: "@openclaw/acpx",
+          version: "2026.5.2",
+          resolvedSpec: "@openclaw/acpx@2026.5.2",
+        },
+      }),
+    );
+
+    const result = await updateNpmInstalledPlugins({
+      config: createNpmInstallConfig({
+        pluginId: "acpx",
+        spec: "@openclaw/acpx",
+        installPath,
+        integrity: "sha512-beta",
+        shasum: "beta",
+        resolvedName: "@openclaw/acpx",
+        resolvedSpec: "@openclaw/acpx@2026.5.2-beta.2",
+        resolvedVersion: "2026.5.2-beta.2",
+      }),
+      pluginIds: ["acpx"],
+    });
+
+    expect(installPluginFromNpmSpecMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        spec: "@openclaw/acpx",
+        expectedPluginId: "acpx",
+        trustedSourceLinkedOfficialInstall: true,
+      }),
+    );
+    expect(result.outcomes[0]).toMatchObject({
+      pluginId: "acpx",
+      status: "updated",
+      currentVersion: "2026.5.2-beta.2",
+      nextVersion: "2026.5.2",
+    });
+  });
+
   it("does not trust official npm updates when the install record package mismatches", async () => {
     const installPath = createInstalledPackageDir({
       name: "@vendor/acpx-fork",

src/plugins/update.ts

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import type { PluginInstallRecord } from "../config/types.plugins.js";
 import { parseClawHubPluginSpec } from "../infra/clawhub-spec.js";
 import type { NpmSpecResolution } from "../infra/install-source-utils.js";
 import { resolveNpmSpecMetadata } from "../infra/install-source-utils.js";
-import { parseRegistryNpmSpec } from "../infra/npm-registry-spec.js";
+import { isPrereleaseResolutionAllowed, parseRegistryNpmSpec } from "../infra/npm-registry-spec.js";
 import {
   expectedIntegrityForUpdate,
   readInstalledPackageVersion,
@@ -179,6 +179,24 @@ function shouldSkipUnchangedNpmInstall(params: {
   );
 }
 
+function shouldBypassTrustedOfficialUnchangedNpmCheck(params: {
+  metadata: NpmSpecResolution;
+  spec: string;
+  trustedSourceLinkedOfficialInstall: boolean;
+}): boolean {
+  if (!params.trustedSourceLinkedOfficialInstall || !params.metadata.version) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  const parsedSpec = parseRegistryNpmSpec(params.spec);
+  return Boolean(
+    parsedSpec &&
+    !isPrereleaseResolutionAllowed({
+      spec: parsedSpec,
+      resolvedVersion: params.metadata.version,
+    }),
+  );
+}
+
 function isBundledVersionNewer(bundledVersion: string, installedVersion: string): boolean {
   const bundled = parseComparableSemver(bundledVersion);
   const installed = parseComparableSemver(installedVersion);
@@ -853,6 +871,11 @@ export async function updateNpmInstalledPlugins(params: {
       });
       if (metadataResult.ok) {
         if (
+          !shouldBypassTrustedOfficialUnchangedNpmCheck({
+            metadata: metadataResult.metadata,
+            spec: effectiveSpec!,
+            trustedSourceLinkedOfficialInstall,
+          }) &&
           shouldSkipUnchangedNpmInstall({
             currentVersion,
             record,