Skills are the primary way to extend OpenClaw’s capabilities. Whether you want to integrate a private API, automate a specific workflow, or add a new tool, Skills provide a standardized way to package instructions and functionality.

A Skill is simply a directory containing a SKILL.md file.

• Metadata: YAML frontmatter defines the skill’s name and description.
• Instructions: The Markdown body tells the LLM when and how to use the skill.
• Tools: Skills can define their own tools (via scripts) or use existing system tools.

• OpenClaw/Moltbot Installed: You need a running Gateway.
• Workspace Access: You must have access to the ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/ directory.

1. Create the Skill Directory Skills typically live in your workspace. Create a new folder for your skill.

   mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/hello-world

2. Create SKILL.md Create a SKILL.md file in that directory. This is the brain of your skill.

   ---
   name: hello_world
   description: A simple skill that says hello.
   ---
   
   # Hello World Skill
   
   When the user asks for a greeting or says "hello", use the `echo` tool (or just respond directly) to say:
   "Hello from your custom skill! 🚀"

3. Add Functionality (Optional) You can instruct the agent to use existing tools like bash, browser, or web_fetch. Example: A skill that checks Hacker News.

   # Hacker News Checker
   To check Hacker News:
   1. Use `web_fetch` to get `https://news.ycombinator.com`.
   2. Summarize the top 3 stories.

4. Refresh Skills Tell your agent to “refresh skills” or simply restart the Gateway. OpenClaw watches the skills directory and will auto-discover the new addition.

5. Test It Send a message to your agent.

   “Say hello using your new skill.”

• Clear Triggers: Define exactly when the skill should be used (e.g., “Use this skill when the user asks about X”).
• Safety: If your skill uses bash, be extremely careful. Do not allow the model to execute arbitrary code from user input unless necessary.
• Modularity: Keep skills focused on a single domain (e.g., “Calendar Skill”, “Deployment Skill”).

You can include scripts (Node.js, Python, Bash) in your skill directory and instruct the agent to run them.

Example structure:

hello-world/
├── SKILL.md
└── greet.js

SKILL.md:

To greet the user, run `node {{skillPath}}/greet.js`.

(Note: {{skillPath}} is a placeholder you can manually resolve or instruct the agent to find relative to the skill file).

Once you’ve built a useful skill, you can share it with the community or your team.

• ClawdHub: ClawdHub is the official registry for shared skills.
• Git: Commit your skills/ directory to a private repo for team synchronization.

To manage where OpenClaw looks for skills, see Skills Config.