118 lines
3.7 KiB
Markdown
118 lines
3.7 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: "Creating Skills"
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summary: "Build and test custom workspace skills with SKILL.md"
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read_when:
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- You are creating a new custom skill in your workspace
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- You need a quick starter workflow for SKILL.md-based skills
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---
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# Creating Skills
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Skills teach the agent how and when to use tools. Each skill is a directory
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containing a `SKILL.md` file with YAML frontmatter and markdown instructions.
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For how skills are loaded and prioritized, see [Skills](/tools/skills).
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## Create your first skill
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<Steps>
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<Step title="Create the skill directory">
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Skills live in your workspace. Create a new folder:
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```bash
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mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/hello-world
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```
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</Step>
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<Step title="Write SKILL.md">
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Create `SKILL.md` inside that directory. The frontmatter defines metadata,
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and the markdown body contains instructions for the agent.
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```markdown
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---
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name: hello_world
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description: A simple skill that says hello.
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---
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# Hello World Skill
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When the user asks for a greeting, use the `echo` tool to say
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"Hello from your custom skill!".
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```
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</Step>
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<Step title="Add tools (optional)">
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You can define custom tool schemas in the frontmatter or instruct the agent
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to use existing system tools (like `exec` or `browser`). Skills can also
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ship inside plugins alongside the tools they document.
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</Step>
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<Step title="Load the skill">
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Start a new session so OpenClaw picks up the skill:
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```bash
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# From chat
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/new
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# Or restart the gateway
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openclaw gateway restart
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```
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Verify the skill loaded:
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```bash
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openclaw skills list
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```
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</Step>
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<Step title="Test it">
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Send a message that should trigger the skill:
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```bash
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openclaw agent --message "give me a greeting"
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```
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Or just chat with the agent and ask for a greeting.
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</Step>
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</Steps>
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## Skill metadata reference
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The YAML frontmatter supports these fields:
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| Field | Required | Description |
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| ----------------------------------- | -------- | ------------------------------------------- |
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| `name` | Yes | Unique identifier (snake_case) |
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| `description` | Yes | One-line description shown to the agent |
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| `metadata.openclaw.os` | No | OS filter (`["darwin"]`, `["linux"]`, etc.) |
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| `metadata.openclaw.requires.bins` | No | Required binaries on PATH |
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| `metadata.openclaw.requires.config` | No | Required config keys |
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## Best practices
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- **Be concise** — instruct the model on _what_ to do, not how to be an AI
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- **Safety first** — if your skill uses `exec`, ensure prompts don't allow arbitrary command injection from untrusted input
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- **Test locally** — use `openclaw agent --message "..."` to test before sharing
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- **Use ClawHub** — browse and contribute skills at [ClawHub](https://clawhub.com)
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## Where skills live
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| Location | Precedence | Scope |
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| ------------------------------- | ---------- | --------------------- |
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| `\<workspace\>/skills/` | Highest | Per-agent |
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| `~/.openclaw/skills/` | Medium | Shared (all agents) |
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| Bundled (shipped with OpenClaw) | Lowest | Global |
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| `skills.load.extraDirs` | Lowest | Custom shared folders |
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## Related
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- [Skills reference](/tools/skills) — loading, precedence, and gating rules
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- [Skills config](/tools/skills-config) — `skills.*` config schema
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- [ClawHub](/tools/clawhub) — public skill registry
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- [Building Plugins](/plugins/building-plugins) — plugins can ship skills
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