OpenClaw Skills Guide: Complete Guide to Extending Your AI Assistant

Skills are what make OpenClaw powerful. While the core assistant handles chat and basic operations, skills extend OpenClaw with specialized capabilities—from email management to browser automation to smart home control. This guide covers everything you need to know about OpenClaw skills.

What Are Skills?

Skills are reusable automation workflows that extend OpenClaw’s capabilities. Each skill is defined in a SKILL.md file that describes:

• What the skill does
• When it should be triggered
• What actions it can perform
• What parameters it accepts

Think of skills as plugins or extensions, but simpler. They’re just markdown files that OpenClaw reads and executes.

Why Skills Matter

Without skills, OpenClaw is a basic AI assistant. With skills, it becomes:

• An email manager that categorizes and responds to messages
• A browser automation tool that fills forms and extracts data
• A file organizer that processes and categorizes documents
• A smart home controller that manages your IoT devices
• A health tracker that summarizes your fitness data
• Anything else you can imagine

Skills transform OpenClaw from a chat interface into a true AI agent capable of complex workflows.

Finding Skills: ClawHub Marketplace

The easiest way to find skills is through ClawHub, the community marketplace for OpenClaw skills. ClawHub hosts hundreds of skills organized by category:

• Email: Gmail management, Outlook integration, email automation
• Browser: Web scraping, form filling, OAuth handling
• Files: Organization, processing, backup
• Smart Home: Home Assistant, Philips Hue, IoT control
• Health: WHOOP, Oura, fitness tracking
• Productivity: Calendar, tasks, reminders
• Development: GitHub, Git operations, code management

Visit ClawHub to browse available skills. Each skill includes:

• Description of what it does
• Installation instructions
• Usage examples
• Requirements and dependencies

Installing Skills

Method 1: From ClawHub

1. Browse ClawHub and find a skill you want
2. Copy the skill’s repository URL or SKILL.md file
3. Install using OpenClaw’s skill installation command:

openclaw skill install <skill-url>

Or manually:

1. Download the SKILL.md file
2. Place it in your OpenClaw skills directory (usually ~/.openclaw/skills/)
3. Restart OpenClaw or run openclaw skill reload

Method 2: Direct Installation

Some skills can be installed directly:

openclaw skill install github.com/user/skill-name

Method 3: Manual Installation

1. Create a skills directory: mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/skills
2. Download or create a SKILL.md file
3. Place it in the skills directory
4. OpenClaw will automatically detect it

Using Skills

Once installed, skills are available automatically. OpenClaw knows what skills you have and will use them when appropriate. You can also explicitly invoke skills:

In chat:

You: "Use the email skill to check my inbox"
OpenClaw: [Uses email skill to read and categorize emails]

Direct invocation: Some skills have specific triggers. For example, an email skill might trigger when you say “check email” or “read my messages.”

Building Your Own Skills

The best part about OpenClaw skills is how easy they are to create. Skills are just markdown files following the SKILL.md format.

SKILL.md Format

Here’s the basic structure of a skill file:

# Skill Name

## Description
Brief description of what this skill does.

## Triggers
- When user says: "check email"
- When user says: "read my messages"
- When context includes: email-related requests

## Capabilities
- Read inbox
- Categorize emails
- Draft replies
- Send emails

## Parameters
- `email_provider`: Gmail, Outlook, IMAP
- `action`: read, categorize, reply, send

## Examples
- "Check my Gmail inbox"
- "Categorize unread emails"
- "Draft a reply to the latest email"

## Implementation Notes
Any technical details about how the skill works.

Simple Skill Example

Here’s a complete example skill for file organization:

# File Organizer Skill

## Description
Automatically organizes files in the Downloads folder by type and date.

## Triggers
- When user says: "organize my downloads"
- When user says: "clean up my files"
- When scheduled: daily at 2 AM

## Capabilities
- Scan Downloads folder
- Identify file types
- Create organized folder structure
- Move files to appropriate folders
- Generate summary report

## Parameters
- `source_folder`: Path to organize (default: ~/Downloads)
- `organize_by`: type, date, both (default: both)

## Examples
- "Organize my Downloads folder"
- "Clean up files by type"
- "Set up automatic file organization"

## Implementation Notes
- Creates folders: Documents, Images, Videos, Archives, etc.
- Preserves file modification dates
- Generates JSON report of actions taken

Advanced Skill Example

Here’s a more complex skill for browser automation:

# Flight Check-in Skill

## Description
Automatically checks in for flights using browser automation.

## Triggers
- When user says: "check in for my flight"
- When scheduled: 24 hours before flight time
- When context includes: flight confirmation email

## Capabilities
- Extract flight details from email or user input
- Navigate to airline website
- Fill check-in form
- Select seats if available
- Download boarding pass
- Send confirmation

## Parameters
- `airline`: United, Delta, American, etc.
- `confirmation_number`: Flight confirmation code
- `passenger_name`: Name on reservation
- `auto_seat`: true/false for automatic seat selection

## Examples
- "Check me in for my United flight ABC123"
- "Set up automatic check-in for my flight tomorrow"
- "Check in and get me a window seat"

## Implementation Notes
- Uses OpenClaw's browser control capabilities
- Handles OAuth flows if airline requires login
- Saves boarding pass to ~/Documents/BoardingPasses/
- Sends confirmation via chat app

Skill Best Practices

1. Clear Description

Always include a clear description of what the skill does and when it’s useful.

2. Specific Triggers

Define clear triggers so OpenClaw knows when to use the skill. Be specific about phrases and contexts.

3. Well-Defined Capabilities

List all capabilities clearly. This helps OpenClaw understand what the skill can do.

4. Parameter Documentation

Document all parameters, their types, defaults, and valid values.

5. Examples

Include multiple examples showing different use cases. This helps both users and OpenClaw understand the skill.

6. Error Handling

Consider edge cases and errors. Document what happens when things go wrong.

OpenClaw Writing Its Own Skills

One of OpenClaw’s most powerful features is that it can write its own skills. Just ask:

You: "Create a skill that backs up my Documents folder to Dropbox every night"
OpenClaw: [Creates SKILL.md file for backup skill]

OpenClaw will:

1. Create a new SKILL.md file
2. Define triggers, capabilities, and parameters
3. Implement the logic
4. Install the skill automatically
5. Start using it immediately

This means you can extend OpenClaw’s capabilities through conversation, without writing code yourself.

Popular Skills to Try

Email Management

• Gmail Organizer: Categorizes and organizes Gmail inbox
• Email Responder: Drafts thoughtful replies automatically
• Newsletter Unsubscriber: Unsubscribes from unwanted emails

Browser Automation

• Form Filler: Fills web forms automatically
• Data Extractor: Scrapes data from websites
• OAuth Handler: Handles OAuth flows for API access

File Operations

• Downloads Organizer: Organizes Downloads folder automatically
• Document Processor: Processes and categorizes documents
• Photo Organizer: Organizes photos by date and location

Smart Home

• Home Assistant Controller: Controls Home Assistant devices
• Philips Hue Manager: Manages Hue lighting
• Climate Controller: Adjusts smart thermostats

Health & Fitness

• WHOOP Summarizer: Daily health summaries from WHOOP
• Oura Tracker: Sleep and activity tracking
• Fitness Logger: Logs workouts and progress

Troubleshooting Skills

Skill Not Working

1. Check that the skill is installed: openclaw skill list
2. Verify the SKILL.md format is correct
3. Check OpenClaw logs for errors
4. Ensure all dependencies are installed

Skill Not Triggering

1. Review trigger phrases in the skill
2. Try using exact trigger phrases
3. Check if skill conflicts with another skill
4. Verify skill is enabled

Performance Issues

1. Check if skill is doing too much
2. Review implementation for efficiency
3. Consider breaking into multiple skills
4. Check system resources

Sharing Your Skills

Created a useful skill? Share it with the community:

1. GitHub: Host your skill on GitHub
2. ClawHub: Submit to ClawHub marketplace
3. Documentation: Write clear docs and examples
4. Community: Share in Discord or forums

The community thrives on shared skills. Your contribution helps everyone.

Next Steps

Now that you understand skills:

1. Browse ClawHub to find skills you need
2. Install a few skills to see how they work
3. Try creating a simple skill yourself
4. Ask OpenClaw to create a skill for you
5. Share your skills with the community

For more information, see:

• OpenClaw Memory System - How skills interact with memory
• OpenClaw Browser Control - Browser automation in skills
• OpenClaw MCP Servers - Connecting external tools
• Installation Guide - Setting up OpenClaw
• FAQ - Common questions about skills

Skills are what make OpenClaw uniquely powerful. Start exploring the skills ecosystem today and transform your AI assistant into exactly what you need.