Support adopting an existing OpenClaw installation into AlphaClaw

[chrysb]

Follow-up to #51.

Summary

Support a first-class flow for adopting an existing OpenClaw installation into AlphaClaw, so users who already have OpenClaw running can use AlphaClaw without starting from a fresh AlphaClaw-managed setup.

Problem

AlphaClaw is not only a UI layer on top of OpenClaw. It also manages setup and operational concerns such as:

• gateway lifecycle management
• watchdog and recovery behavior
• prompt hardening
• git sync
• webhook and integration state

Because of that, supporting an existing install is more involved than simply pointing the AlphaClaw UI at a running OpenClaw instance.

Goals

• Detect and validate an existing OpenClaw installation.
• Show users what AlphaClaw can adopt as-is versus what is missing, incompatible, or would need changes.
• Let users opt in to any reconciliation or migration steps.
• Avoid overwriting or destabilizing an already-working install.
• Provide a clear path to bringing an existing install under AlphaClaw management when the user wants that.

Non-goals

• Automatically taking over an existing installation without user confirmation.
• Assuming all existing OpenClaw installs are safe to adopt unchanged.
• Treating AlphaClaw as a read-only UI attachment if core AlphaClaw management features depend on additional setup.

Proposed behavior

The adoption flow should be discovery-first:

1. Detect an existing OpenClaw install and inspect its current config and environment.
2. Validate whether the install is compatible with AlphaClaw expectations.
3. Present a summary of:
   • what is already compatible
   • what AlphaClaw features would remain unmanaged or unavailable
   • what changes would be required to fully adopt the install
4. Require explicit user confirmation before:
   • reconciling config
   • enabling AlphaClaw-managed lifecycle behavior
   • enabling watchdog/recovery flows
   • changing integration or webhook-related state

Any reconciliation should be opt-in.

Desired outcome

A user with an existing OpenClaw deployment can connect AlphaClaw to it through a supported adopt/import flow, understand the impact before any changes are made, and explicitly choose whether to bring that installation under AlphaClaw-managed behavior.

Possible scope

• detect an existing OpenClaw installation
• inspect current config/state relevant to AlphaClaw
• validate compatibility and surface warnings
• show a preflight/adoption summary in the UI
• require explicit confirmation before making changes
• reconcile or initialize AlphaClaw-managed state only after opt-in

Notes

This came from a user who already had OpenClaw installed and mainly wanted to try the AlphaClaw UI, but the broader feature should be designed around safe adoption of an existing install rather than a UI-only shortcut.

[angus96]

that's what i wanted, looking forward to it