Finding and Installing OpenClaw Skills from ClawHub

Clawpedia · For Humans

Browse, evaluate, and install community-built skills from the ClawHub skill registry.

Overview

ClawHub is the central repository for OpenClaw skills — comparable to npm for Node.js or the App Store for smartphones. Here you'll find community-created skills, read reviews, and install them with a single command. This guide covers browsing, evaluating, installing, and managing skills from ClawHub.

What Is ClawHub?

ClawHub (https://clawhub.dev) is the official skill registry for OpenClaw. It hosts:

• Community skills developed by the OpenClaw community
• Official skills maintained by the OpenClaw team
• Verified skills that have passed security and quality reviews

Skill Categories on ClawHub

Browsing Skills

From the CLI

# Search for skills by keyword
openclaw skills search weather

# Search with filters
openclaw skills search calendar --verified --sort downloads

# Browse by category
openclaw skills browse --category productivity

# List trending skills
openclaw skills trending

# Show details about a specific skill
openclaw skills info smart-home-control

Example output of skills info:

Name:          smart-home-control
Version:       2.1.3
Author:        @homebridge-dev
Downloads:     12,450
Rating:        ★★★★☆ (4.3/5)
Verified:      ✅
License:       MIT
Platforms:     All
Dependencies:  mqtt, node-hue-api

Description:
  Control smart home devices through OpenClaw. Supports
  Philips Hue, MQTT devices, Home Assistant, and more.

Trigger Examples:
  - "Turn off the living room lights"
  - "Set thermostat to 22 degrees"
  - "Lock the front door"

From the Website

Visit https://clawhub.dev to browse skills with a graphical interface. Each skill page shows:

• Description and screenshots
• Installation instructions
• Configuration options
• User reviews and ratings
• Version history and changelog
• Source code link (for open-source skills)

Installing Skills

Basic Installation

# Install a skill
openclaw skills install weather-forecast

# Install a specific version
openclaw skills install weather-forecast@2.0.1

# Install multiple skills at once
openclaw skills install weather-forecast calendar-sync news-digest

What Happens During Installation?

• Download: The skill package is downloaded from ClawHub.
• Verify: The package signature is verified (for verified skills).
• Dependencies: Required libraries are installed.
• Register: The skill is registered with the agent.
• Load: If the agent is running, the skill is hot-loaded immediately.

$ openclaw skills install weather-forecast
Downloading weather-forecast@3.1.0... done
Verifying signature... ✅
Installing dependencies... done (2 packages)
Registering skill... done
Skill loaded successfully.

Configuration required:
  api_key: Set your weather API key
  Run: openclaw skills config weather-forecast --set api_key YOUR_KEY

Post-Installation Configuration

Many skills require configuration (API keys, preferences, etc.):

# View required configuration
openclaw skills config weather-forecast --list

# Set configuration values
openclaw skills config weather-forecast --set api_key "abc123"
openclaw skills config weather-forecast --set default_city "Berlin"
openclaw skills config weather-forecast --set units "metric"

Or in config.yaml:

skills:
  weather-forecast:
    api_key: "abc123"
    default_city: "Berlin"
    units: metric

Managing Installed Skills

Listing Skills

# List all installed skills
openclaw skills list

# Output:
# Name                 Version  Status    Source
# weather-forecast     3.1.0    enabled   clawhub
# calendar-sync        1.4.2    enabled   clawhub
# custom-greeter       0.1.0    enabled   local
# news-digest          2.0.0    disabled  clawhub

Updating Skills

# Check for updates
openclaw skills outdated

# Update a specific skill
openclaw skills update weather-forecast

# Update all skills
openclaw skills update --all

# Update to a specific version
openclaw skills update weather-forecast@3.2.0

Disabling and Removing Skills

# Disable without removing (keeps configuration)
openclaw skills disable news-digest

# Re-enable
openclaw skills enable news-digest

# Remove completely
openclaw skills remove weather-forecast

# Remove and delete configuration
openclaw skills remove weather-forecast --purge

Evaluating Skills Before Installing

Not all skills are created equal. Here's how to evaluate them:

Quality Indicators

Security Considerations

# Check a skill's permissions before installing
openclaw skills permissions weather-forecast

# Output:
# Permissions requested:
#   ✅ network: true     (makes API calls to wttr.in)
#   ✅ filesystem: none   (no file access)
#   ✅ memory: read       (reads user location preference)
#   ✅ execute: none      (no code execution)

Warning: Be cautious with skills that request filesystem: write or execute: full permissions. Only install these from trusted authors.

Skill Lockfile

OpenClaw maintains a lockfile (~/.openclaw/skills.lock) that pins exact versions:

{
  "weather-forecast": {
    "version": "3.1.0",
    "integrity": "sha256-abc123...",
    "source": "clawhub"
  },
  "calendar-sync": {
    "version": "1.4.2",
    "integrity": "sha256-def456...",
    "source": "clawhub"
  }
}

This ensures reproducible installations. Share the lockfile to replicate your exact skill setup on another machine.

Bulk Installation

Restore your complete skill setup from a lockfile:

# Export your current setup
openclaw skills export > my-skills.json

# Import on a new machine
openclaw skills import my-skills.json

Or use a skills.yaml file:

# skills.yaml
skills:
  - name: weather-forecast
    version: ">=3.0.0"
  - name: calendar-sync
    version: "^1.4.0"
  - name: news-digest
    version: latest

openclaw skills install --from skills.yaml

Troubleshooting

Installation Fails with "Dependency Conflict"

Two skills may require different versions of the same library. Fix:

# Force resolution
openclaw skills install weather-forecast --force-resolve

# Or update conflicting skills first
openclaw skills update --all

Skill Not Found on ClawHub

The skill may have been removed or renamed. Search by keyword instead of exact name:

openclaw skills search weather

Skill Loads but Doesn't Trigger

• Test it directly: openclaw skills test weather-forecast --input "weather in Berlin".
• Lower the match threshold: openclaw config set skills.match_threshold 0.5.
• Check if another skill has higher priority for the same triggers.

---

Enabling Built-in Skills and Managing Skill Permissions

Skills are what make OpenClaw more than just a chatbot — they give your agent the ability to take real actions like sending emails, setting reminders, controlling smart home devices, or interacting with APIs. Installing skills is quick and straightforward.

What Are Skills?

A skill is a plugin that extends OpenClaw's capabilities. Each skill is a self-contained package that:

• Defines what actions the agent can perform
• Includes the code to execute those actions
• Registers triggers so the AI knows when to use them
• Manages its own configuration and dependencies

Finding Skills on ClawHub

# Search for skills on ClawHub
openclaw skill search "email"
# SKILL                    VERSION   AUTHOR       DOWNLOADS   RATING
# email-sender             2.1.0     openclaw     15.2k       ★★★★★
# email-reader             1.8.0     openclaw     12.1k       ★★★★½
# email-auto-responder     1.2.0     community    3.4k        ★★★★

# Browse by category
openclaw skill browse --category productivity
openclaw skill browse --category communication
openclaw skill browse --category devops
openclaw skill browse --category home-automation

# View skill details
openclaw skill info email-sender
# Name: email-sender
# Version: 2.1.0
# Author: openclaw (official)
# Description: Send emails via SMTP or API providers
# Requires: SMTP credentials or SendGrid/Mailgun API key
# Permissions: network-access

Installing Skills

# Install a skill from ClawHub
openclaw skill install email-sender
# → Downloading email-sender@2.1.0...
# → Verifying checksum...
# → Installing dependencies...
# → Skill 'email-sender' installed successfully!

# Install a specific version
openclaw skill install email-sender@1.9.0

# Install multiple skills at once
openclaw skill install email-sender calendar-sync task-tracker

# Install from a local directory
openclaw skill install ./my-custom-skill/

# Install from a Git repository
openclaw skill install https://github.com/user/custom-skill.git

Configuring Installed Skills

Most skills require some configuration after installation:

# Run skill setup wizard
openclaw skill setup email-sender
# → SMTP Host: smtp.gmail.com
# → SMTP Port: 587
# → Username: your-email@gmail.com
# → Password: ********
# → Default sender name: Your Name
# → Configuration saved!

Or edit the configuration directly:

# ~/.openclaw/skills/email-sender/config.yaml
smtp:
  host: smtp.gmail.com
  port: 587
  secure: true
  auth:
    user: ${EMAIL_USER}
    pass: ${EMAIL_PASS}
defaults:
  sender_name: "Your Name"
  signature: "Sent via OpenClaw"

Managing Skills

# List installed skills
openclaw skill list
# SKILL              VERSION   STATUS    LAST USED
# email-sender       2.1.0     active    2 hours ago
# calendar-sync      1.5.0     active    1 day ago
# weather            1.0.2     active    3 hours ago
# old-skill          0.9.0     disabled  30 days ago

# Enable/disable a skill
openclaw skill enable calendar-sync
openclaw skill disable old-skill

# Update a skill
openclaw skill update email-sender

# Update all skills
openclaw skill update --all

# Uninstall a skill
openclaw skill uninstall old-skill

Popular Skills

Skill Permissions

Skills must declare their required permissions:

# Check skill permissions before installing
openclaw skill info suspicious-skill --permissions
# Required permissions:
#   ⚠️  shell-execute (CRITICAL)
#   ⚠️  file-write (HIGH)
#   ℹ️  network-access (MEDIUM)
# Proceed with installation? [y/N]

Troubleshooting Skill Issues

Tip: Start with the official skills (marked with the OpenClaw badge on ClawHub). They're well-maintained, thoroughly tested, and follow security best practices. Community skills can be excellent too, but review their permissions and ratings before installing.

Next Steps

• Write your own skill: Writing Your First Custom Skill for OpenClaw.
• Understand the skill structure: Skill File Structure: Organizing an OpenClaw Skill.
• Deploy custom skills: Deploying a Custom OpenClaw Skill: Best Practices.