OpenClaw Skill Template

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A starter template for creating OpenClaw Skills. Skills are language-agnostic Markdown files with YAML frontmatter that extend OpenClaw's capabilities by providing access to tools, APIs, and external systems.

Fork this repo and start building your own skill. Every claw extends the reach.

What is an OpenClaw Skill?

An OpenClaw Skill is a Markdown file (SKILL.md) containing:

• YAML frontmatter: Metadata (name, description, requirements, installation instructions)
• Markdown body: Documentation describing purpose, usage, commands, and examples

Skills are distributed via the ClawHub registry and installed locally to ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/<skill-name>/. They enable Claude to interact with external systems without requiring code deployments or complex plugin infrastructure.

Quick Start

1. Use This Template

Click the "Use this template" button on GitHub to create a new repo based on this template.

2. Clone Your Repo

git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/my-skill.git
cd my-skill

3. Edit the Template

Edit SKILL.md with your skill's metadata and documentation:

---
name: my-skill
description: "What my skill does and when to use it."
metadata:
  openclaw:
    emoji: 🎯
    requires:
      bins:
        - my-cli-tool
    install:
      - id: brew
        kind: brew
        formula: my-tool
        bins: [my-cli-tool]
        label: "Install via Homebrew"
---

## Purpose
...

4. Test Locally

# Install to your local skills directory
cp -r . ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/my-skill

# Verify it loads
openclaw skills list | grep my-skill

# Test invocation
openclaw invoke my-skill --help

5. Publish to ClawHub

# From within the skill directory
clawhub publish

# Verify it's published
clawhub search my-skill

File Structure

my-skill/
├── SKILL.md          # Main skill file with frontmatter and docs
├── README.md         # This file
├── CHANGELOG.md      # Version history
├── LICENSE           # MIT License
├── .github/
│   └── workflows/
│       └── ci.yml    # GitHub Actions validation
└── examples/         # Example skill implementations
    ├── hello-world/
    │   └── SKILL.md
    └── api-connector/
        └── SKILL.md

SKILL.md Format Reference

Frontmatter Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
name	string	Yes	Unique skill identifier (kebab-case)
description	string	Yes	One-line description of the skill's purpose
metadata.openclaw.emoji	string	No	Single emoji for UI display
metadata.openclaw.requires.bins	array	No	Required executables/binaries
metadata.openclaw.requires.env	array	No	Required environment variables
metadata.openclaw.install	array	No	Installation methods (brew, apt, manual)

Installation Methods

Define how users should install your skill's dependencies:

install:
  - id: brew
    kind: brew
    formula: package-name        # Homebrew package name
    bins: [binary-name]          # Resulting binary to verify
    label: "Install via Homebrew"

  - id: apt
    kind: apt
    package: package-name        # APT package name
    bins: [binary-name]
    label: "Install via APT"

  - id: manual
    kind: manual
    label: "Manual installation"
    steps:
      - "Step 1: ..."
      - "Step 2: ..."

Markdown Body Structure

Recommended sections in your SKILL.md body:

1. Purpose: What the skill does
2. When to Use: Specific use cases
3. When NOT to Use: Where this skill is inappropriate
4. Setup: Prerequisites and local testing instructions
5. Commands / Actions: Available operations
6. Examples: Copy-paste-ready examples
7. Notes: Limitations, security, troubleshooting

Examples

This template includes two example skills in the examples/ directory:

examples/hello-world/SKILL.md

The simplest possible skill with no dependencies. Great for understanding the basics.

examples/api-connector/SKILL.md

A more complex skill that requires environment variables and a CLI tool. Demonstrates real-world patterns.

Validation

This template includes GitHub Actions (.github/workflows/ci.yml) that automatically validates:

• SKILL.md exists
• YAML frontmatter is syntactically valid
• Required fields (name, description) are present
• All referenced binaries are valid

Validation runs on every push and pull request.

Publishing to ClawHub

When your skill is complete:

1. Update CHANGELOG.md with your changes
2. Ensure SKILL.md has all required fields
3. Push to your repo and tag a release (e.g., v1.0.0)
4. Run clawhub publish to submit to the registry
5. (Optional) Submit a PR to awesome-openclaw

Installation Methods Reference

Homebrew Installation

For macOS and Linux users:

- id: brew
  kind: brew
  formula: my-package
  bins: [my-binary]
  label: "Install via Homebrew"

APT Installation

For Debian/Ubuntu users:

- id: apt
  kind: apt
  package: my-package
  bins: [my-binary]
  label: "Install via APT"

Manual Installation

For tools without package managers or custom setups:

- id: manual
  kind: manual
  label: "Manual installation"
  steps:
    - "Download from https://example.com/download"
    - "Extract the archive"
    - "Add to PATH or move to /usr/local/bin"
    - "Verify: my-binary --version"

Best Practices

• Clear description: Make it obvious what your skill does in one sentence
• Real examples: Include working examples that users can copy
• Document limitations: Explain what your skill can't do
• Test locally: Always test with ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/ before publishing
• Semantic versioning: Follow SEMVER in your CHANGELOG.md
• Security: Never store credentials in the skill; use environment variables

Resources

• OpenClaw Docs: https://docs.openclaw.io
• ClawHub Registry: https://clawhub.io
• GitHub Skills Repository: https://github.com/OpenClawHQ/skills
• Contributing Guide: https://github.com/OpenClawHQ/.github/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md

Contributing

Have questions or found an issue? Open an issue or submit a PR on GitHub.

License

MIT License. See LICENSE for details.

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Built with the OpenClaw Skill Template. Every skill extends Claude's reach.