Introduce Policy plugin for workspace conformance checks

## What changed On 21 May 2026 OpenClaw released a bundled Policy plugin. The plugin runs policy-backed checks on channel conformance, surfaces doctor lint findings, and applies opt-in workspace repairs directly from the CLI.

The feature ships with the core package. No separate install step is needed for existing users who manage OpenClaw through the YAML config and terminal commands.

## Why it matters Self-hosted agents often drift into broken states after updates or custom skill additions. The new plugin gives Vibe Builders an automated way to catch those issues before they surface in daily heartbeat messages or browser tasks.

It also raises the baseline reliability of the free tier. Teams that previously avoided OpenClaw because of silent configuration errors now have a concrete reason to test the CLI path again.

## How to use it Update to the current release through the standard CLI command, then run openclaw policy check to scan the workspace. Review the lint output in the terminal before deciding on fixes.

To apply repairs, use openclaw policy repair with the opt-in flag. The command is available immediately on the free self-hosted version from the GitHub repository.

## Watch for Monitor community reports over the next four weeks to see whether reported setup failures decline. The bet breaks if the plugin rejects valid custom MCP bridges or self-written skills too often. The logical next step is a similar plugin for security and token-usage guardrails.