The increasing global challenge of climate change, combined with the rapid urbanization occurring in China, has made the management of urban ecological risks an urgent concern. Due to the inherent complexity of urban ecological risks, which cannot be completely eliminated, the adoption of active adaptive management and continuous dynamic monitoring throughout the entire process are critical for effectively addressing these ecological risks. However, current adaptive management systems are frequently disjointed, and there is a notable lack of research dedicated to the integrated management of urban ecological risks across all stages. Therefore, there is an urgent need to establish a cohesive and standardized theoretical framework. This study proposes a comprehensive framework for the adaptive management of ecological risk, drawing on a review and synthesis of existing research on urban ecological risk management and adaptive management, both domestically and internationally. The proposed framework is based on a three-dimensional model of "potential-connectedness-resilience" and the four phases of the adaptive cycle of "exploitation, conservation, release, reorganization" according to adaptation theory. It explores the dynamic response relationships between ecological risks and the phases of urban development, along with corresponding management strategies. The proposed framework consists of a three-layer cycle. The innermost layer includes the four steps of adaptive management of ecological risk: identifying the problem, analyzing the three-dimensional framework of adaptation theory, characterizing ecological risks and identifying adaptive phases, and implementing adaptive risk management. The middle layer represents a comprehensive process control mechanism, which consists of the pre-disaster warning phase, the in-disaster response phase, and the post-disaster restoration phase. The outer layer signifies the ultimate objective of adaptive management, which is to establish a complex adaptive system that is guided by the principles of "risk acceptance, proactive adaptation, resilience development, and dynamic cycles". This framework shifts the focus of ecological risk management from a singular emphasis on specific adaptive capacities to a broader consideration of multiple adaptive capacities, synergies, and trade-offs. This approach aims to develop a system capable of absorbing and adapting to future disturbances. Furthermore, the study explores emerging research frontiers, which include the development of an ecological risk indicator system, the quantitative prediction of ecological risk, the establishment of an ecological risk management framework, and the implementation of adaptive decision-making throughout the entire process. This initiative aims to enhance the understanding of adaptive management of urban ecological risks throughout the entire process in China, thereby contributing to the formulation of future urban development pathways and the achievement of sustainable development.