OpenClaw Skill Creator

Create skills compatible with OpenClaw's skill system.

OpenClaw Skill Structure

skill-name/
├── SKILL.md              # Required - Main definition
├── scripts/              # Optional - Executable code
├── references/           # Optional - Context documentation
└── assets/               # Optional - Templates, images

SKILL.md Format

---
name: skill-name
description: "What the skill does AND when to trigger it"
metadata:
  openclaw:
    emoji: "🔧"
    requires:
      bins: ["python3", "curl"]      # Required binaries
      anyBins: ["docker", "podman"]  # Any one of these
    install:
      - id: "brew"
        kind: "brew"
        formula: "tool-name"
        bins: ["tool"]
        label: "Install via Homebrew"
      - id: "apt"
        kind: "apt"
        package: "tool-name"
        bins: ["tool"]
        label: "Install via apt"
---

# Skill Title

Instructions for the agent...

Workflow

1. Initialize Skill

python3 ~/.claude/skills/openclaw-skill-creator/scripts/init_openclaw_skill.py \
  --name "my-skill" \
  --path "./skills" \
  --emoji "🚀" \
  --requires "python3,curl" \
  --resources "scripts,references"

2. Implement Skill

Edit the generated files:

Write SKILL.md instructions
Add scripts to scripts/
Add documentation to references/
Add templates to assets/

3. Package Skill

python3 ~/.claude/skills/openclaw-skill-creator/scripts/package_openclaw_skill.py \
  ./skills/my-skill

Creates my-skill.skill (ZIP file).

Key Differences from Claude Code Skills

Feature	Claude Code	OpenClaw
metadata.openclaw	No	Yes (emoji, requires, install)
Package format	Folder	.skill ZIP
Init script	Manual	init_openclaw_skill.py

OpenClaw Metadata Reference

See references/openclaw_metadata.md for complete metadata documentation.

Design Principles

Concise - Only include what the agent doesn't already know
Progressive Disclosure - Load references only when needed
Degrees of Freedom - Match specificity to task fragility

Common Patterns

API Integration Skill

metadata:
  openclaw:
    emoji: "🌐"
    requires:
      bins: ["curl", "jq"]

Python Processing Skill

metadata:
  openclaw:
    emoji: "🐍"
    requires:
      bins: ["python3"]
    install:
      - id: "brew"
        kind: "brew"
        formula: "python@3.11"
        bins: ["python3"]
        label: "Install Python 3.11"

Multi-Tool Skill

metadata:
  openclaw:
    emoji: "🔧"
    requires:
      bins: ["git"]
      anyBins: ["docker", "podman"]
    install:
      - id: "docker-brew"
        kind: "brew"
        formula: "docker"
        bins: ["docker"]
        label: "Install Docker (brew)"