Scout is an automated software update advisor that tracks GitHub releases, assesses security risks, and provides detailed upgrade recommendations for your development tools.
Install & Download
1. ClawHub CLI
The fastest way to install a skill directly from the registry.
npx clawhub@latest install update-scout
2. Manual Installation
Copy the skill folder to one of these locations
~/.openclaw/skills/ <project>/skills/ Priority: Workspace > Local > Bundled
3. Prompt Installation
Copy this prompt to OpenClaw to install it automatically.
Help me install update-scout using Clawhub. If Clawhub is not installed, install it first (npm i -g clawhub).
Prefer to download?
Get the raw skill files in a ZIP archive.
What is Scout?
Scout is a specialized software update advisor designed to automate the monitoring of Openclaw Skills and other GitHub-released tools. By acting as a security-conscious bridge between developers and upstream changes, it ensures that your automation environment remains up-to-date without sacrificing stability. The skill reviews release notes with a focus on potential breaking changes, security vulnerabilities, and new permission requirements, allowing you to maintain full control over your software stack.
Beyond simple version tracking, Scout integrates community feedback by analyzing post-release issues and regressions on GitHub. This deep technical analysis provides the necessary context to make informed decisions about when to upgrade, when to wait, and when to skip a version entirely. It embodies a 'human-in-the-loop' philosophy, where complex technical assessments are performed automatically, but no installation occurs without explicit human approval.
Scout Use Cases
- Automated tracking of new releases for Openclaw Skills and core repositories.
- Security-focused review of software release notes before deployment.
- Checking for post-release regressions and bug-labeled issues on GitHub repositories.
- Maintaining a centralized watchlist of critical development tools and their versions.
- Periodic software health checks and automated skill validation.
How Scout Works
- Scout scans the local watchlist configuration to identify monitored tools and their currently installed versions.
- It fetches the latest release data from GitHub API for each repository defined in the configuration.
- The skill analyzes release notes to categorize risk levels (Low, Medium, or High) based on breaking changes and security fixes.
- It runs a verification script to check for new issues or regression keywords reported by the community since the release date.
- A comprehensive recommendation card is generated, presenting the risk, changes, and local impact to the user.
- Upon user approval, Scout executes the specific installation commands and validates the post-update health and configuration.
Scout Setup
Scout is initialized on the first run, creating a default configuration for Openclaw Skills tracking. Use the following commands to get started:
# Check for available updates for all watched tools
python3 scripts/check_updates.py
# Add a new tool to your watchlist
python3 scripts/add_tool.py \
--name "tool-name" \
--repo "owner/repo" \
--detect-type command \
--detect-cmd "tool --version"
Scout Data Schema & Taxonomy
Scout organizes its monitoring and exclusion lists using JSON files stored in the user's home directory. This allows for easy portability and manual auditing of your Openclaw Skills environment.
| File Path | Description | Key Metadata Fields |
|---|---|---|
~/.config/scout/watchlist.json |
Main monitoring list | name, repo, detect-type, detect-cmd, notes |
~/.config/scout/skip_list.json |
Versions explicitly ignored | tool, version, reason, timestamp |
references/watchlist.md |
Detection documentation | Supported detection methods (npm, pip, command) |
Scout Advanced Features
- Regression Verification: Automatically scans GitHub for bug-labeled issues and regression keywords created after a specific release date.
- Risk Level Classification: Provides color-coded risk assessments (Green/Yellow/Red) based on security patches, schema migrations, and breaking changes.
- Automated Skill Health Review: Includes a dedicated script to review your own Openclaw Skills against structural best practices and quality standards.
- Version Skipping: Supports persistent suppression of specific versions with documented reasons to prevent redundant notifications.
- Structured JSON Output: Optional JSON flag for the update checker to facilitate integration with external monitoring dashboards.
SKILL.md
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