Installing Skills

This guide covers how to install, list, update, and manage OpenClaw skills from the ClawHub marketplace using the CLI. Skills are plugins that add tools and capabilities to your AI agent-browser control, email, calendar, custom APIs, and more. You'll use commands like openclaw skills search, install, list, and update, plus how to configure and secure them.

📖 New to skills? Read Skills & Extensions for an overview of what skills are and how they work. To browse available skills, see the ClawHub Marketplace Guide. For security when installing third-party skills, see Skills Security Audit and OpenClaw Skills Security.

1. What You'll Learn

  • How to search for skills in ClawHub and choose the right one
  • Step-by-step installation with the CLI (openclaw skills install)
  • Configuring skills in your OpenClaw config file
  • Listing installed skills, updating them, and pinning versions
  • Security best practices: audit after install, pin versions, avoid credential leaks
  • Common installation problems and where to get help

2. Prerequisites

3. Security First

Security research (e.g. Snyk) has found that about 7.1% of analyzed ClawHub skills could leak credentials-through logging, error messages, or external calls. Before and after installing any skill:

  • Pin versions - Install a specific version and avoid blind update --all until you've reviewed release notes.
  • Audit after install - Run openclaw security audit (when available in your version) to scan for known issues and credential exposure.
  • Prefer trusted sources - Prefer skills with visible source code (e.g. GitHub) and clear permissions.

For details, see Skills Security Audit and OpenClaw Skills Security.

4. Step-by-Step: Installing a Skill

Step 1: Search for a skill

Use the CLI to search the ClawHub registry by keyword:

openclaw skills search [keyword]

# Examples:
openclaw skills search email
openclaw skills search browser
openclaw skills search calendar

You can also browse by category and ratings on the ClawHub Marketplace (or the official ClawHub site) to find the exact package name.

Step 2: Install the skill

Install by package name. Optionally pin a version to avoid unexpected updates:

# Install latest version
openclaw skills install [skill-name]

# Install a specific version (recommended for production)
openclaw skills install [skill-name]@[version]

Example: openclaw skills install @openclaw/skill-email (package names may vary; check the marketplace or search output).

Step 3: Configure the skill

Many skills need configuration (API keys, endpoints, options). Add the skill's settings to your OpenClaw config file (e.g. under skills or the path documented by the skill). Use environment variables for secrets instead of hardcoding them. See Configuration Guide and Configuration File Structure.

Step 4: Restart the gateway

Skills are loaded at gateway startup. After installing or changing config, restart so the new skill is loaded:

openclaw restart

Step 5: Verify

List installed skills and check logs to confirm the skill loaded without errors:

openclaw skills list
openclaw logs --tail 50

Then test the skill from your configured channel (e.g. send a message that uses the skill's tools).

5. Managing Skills: List, Update, Remove

  • List installed skills: openclaw skills list
  • Update skills: openclaw skills update --all to update all, or update a single skill by name. Review release notes before updating; pin versions in config if you need to stay on a specific release.
  • Remove a skill: Depending on your OpenClaw version, you may have openclaw skills uninstall [skill-name] or remove it from config and delete its files; check the official docs. After removal, run openclaw restart.

6. CLI Reference

Command Description
openclaw skills search [keyword] Search ClawHub for skills matching the keyword
openclaw skills install [name] Install a skill by name (optional @version)
openclaw skills list List installed skills
openclaw skills update --all Update all installed skills to latest compatible versions
openclaw security audit Scan installed skills and config for security issues (run after install)
openclaw restart Restart gateway to load new or updated skills

For the exact syntax and options in your version, see the Official OpenClaw Documentation.

7. Best Practices

  • Start small: Install one or two skills, verify they work, then add more.
  • Pin versions: In production, pin to a specific version to avoid breaking changes.
  • Audit after install: Run openclaw security audit and fix any reported issues.
  • Backup config: Backup your configuration files before adding or changing skills.
  • Monitor logs: After installing, watch openclaw logs --follow for errors or unexpected behavior.
  • Community: Use the Discord community and Troubleshooting when stuck.

8. Common Issues & Solutions

Issue Cause Solution
Skill install fails (network or registry) Registry unreachable, invalid package name, or permission Check network, verify package name with openclaw skills search, run CLI with sufficient permissions
Skill not loading / not available to agent Gateway not restarted, or skill error on load Run openclaw restart; check openclaw logs for load errors
Configuration not applying Config typo, wrong path, or gateway not restarted Validate config with openclaw config validate, fix path, then openclaw restart
Version conflict or broken after update New version incompatible or buggy Pin to a known-good version; reinstall with @version; check skill's release notes
Credential or permission errors Missing or wrong API keys / env vars for the skill Set required env vars or config; use Credential Management best practices

Need more help? See the Skill Issues troubleshooting page and the main Troubleshooting Hub.

9. Related Resources

📚 Skills

🔧 Config & Security

💬 Help

10. Next Steps

After installing skills, consider: