For OpenClaw v2026.2 | This article assumes you have completed the basic installation and want to extend your AI assistant’s capabilities.

TL;DR: Skills are pre-packaged capability extensions. Install with openclaw skill install <name>, directory at ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/. ClawHub has 5700+ community skills: coding assistants, search & research, devops, web automation, and more. Each skill includes SKILL.md (description + triggers + instructions) and optional tool implementations. Security scanning is verified via VirusTotal.

What Are Skills?

Concept Overview

Skills are pre-packaged capability extension modules that include:

Skills vs Tools

Skill Categories

Skills on ClawHub are organized by category:

Skill Installation Methods

Method 1: ClawHub CLI (Recommended)

# Search for skills
openclaw skill search gmail

# Install a skill
openclaw skill install gmail

# Install a specific version
openclaw skill install [email protected]

# Install from GitHub
openclaw skill install github:user/skill-repo

# Install from local path
openclaw skill install ./my-skill

Method 2: Manual Installation

# Clone the skill repository
git clone https://github.com/user/skill-repo.git

# Copy to skills directory
cp -r skill-repo ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/skill-name

Method 3: Paste GitHub Link

Send the skill’s GitHub link directly in chat, and the Agent will automatically recognize and install it:

Please install this skill: https://github.com/user/skill-repo

Skills Directory Structure

~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/
├── gmail/
│   └── SKILL.md
├── calendar/
│   └── SKILL.md
├── web-search/
│   ├── SKILL.md
│   └── package.json
└── my-custom-skill/
    ├── SKILL.md
    ├── src/
    │   └── index.js
    └── package.json

ClawHub Usage Guide

Accessing ClawHub

Visit clawhub.com to browse all available skills.

Searching for Skills

# CLI search
openclaw skill search <keyword>

# Examples
openclaw skill search email
openclaw skill search calendar
openclaw skill search home assistant

Skill Details

Each skill page includes:

Security Scanning

ClawHub partners with VirusTotal to perform security scans on each skill:

# View skill security status
openclaw skill info gmail --security

# Output example:
# Skill: gmail
# Security Status: ✅ Verified
# VirusTotal Scan: Clean (0/72)
# Last Updated: 2026-02-20

Pre-Installation Check

# Check skill dependencies
openclaw skill check gmail

# Output example:
# Skill: gmail
# Dependencies:
#   - google-auth: required ✓
#   - google-apis: required ✓
# Conflicts: None
# Recommendations:
#   - Consider also installing: calendar

Skill Configuration

Configuration File Location

~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md

SKILL.md Structure Explained

---
name: gmail
version: 1.2.0
author: community
description: Send and read Gmail messages through OpenClaw
triggers:
  - email
  - gmail
  - mail
  - send email
  - read email
dependencies:
  - google-auth
tools:
  - gmail_list
  - gmail_send
  - gmail_read
---

# Gmail Skill

Manage your Gmail account through OpenClaw.

## Features

- List recent emails
- Send new emails
- Read specific emails
- Search emails
- Manage labels

## Setup

1. Enable Gmail API in Google Cloud Console
2. Create OAuth credentials
3. Run `openclaw skill config gmail` to authenticate

## Usage Examples

### List emails
User: "Check my recent emails"
Action: Use gmail_list tool with default parameters

### Send email
User: "Send an email to [email protected]"
Action: 
1. Ask for subject and body
2. Use gmail_send tool

### Search emails
User: "Search for emails from github"
Action: Use gmail_list tool with query parameter

## Configuration

Set the following environment variables:
- GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID
- GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET
- GOOGLE_REDIRECT_URI

Or configure in ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/gmail/config.json

Skill Configuration Files

Some skills require additional configuration:

# Configure a skill
openclaw skill config gmail

# Or edit config file manually
vi ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/gmail/config.json

Configuration example:

{
  "clientId": "your-client-id",
  "clientSecret": "your-client-secret",
  "redirectUri": "http://localhost:18789/callback",
  "scopes": [
    "https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.readonly",
    "https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.send"
  ]
}

Skill Environment Variables

# Set skill environment variables
export GMAIL_CLIENT_ID="your-client-id"
export GMAIL_CLIENT_SECRET="your-client-secret"

# Or in .env file
echo "GMAIL_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id" >> ~/.openclaw/.env

Skill Management

View Installed Skills

# List all skills
openclaw skill list

# Output example:
# Name           Version   Status    Last Updated
# gmail          1.2.0     active    2026-02-20
# calendar       2.0.1     active    2026-02-18
# web-search     1.0.0     active    2026-02-15
# home-assistant 0.5.0    disabled  2026-02-10

Enable/Disable Skills

# Disable a skill
openclaw skill disable home-assistant

# Enable a skill
openclaw skill enable home-assistant

Update Skills

# Update a single skill
openclaw skill update gmail

# Update all skills
openclaw skill update --all

# Check for updates
openclaw skill outdated

Uninstall Skills

# Uninstall a skill
openclaw skill uninstall gmail

# Uninstall and remove configuration
openclaw skill uninstall gmail --purge

Skill Diagnostics

# Diagnose skill issues
openclaw skill diagnose gmail

# Output example:
# ✓ SKILL.md valid
# ✓ Dependencies installed
# ✓ Configuration complete
# ✓ Authentication working
# ✗ API quota exceeded (2/100 used today)

Recommended Skills

Programming & Development

Productivity

Search & Research

Smart Home

Skill Development Basics

Creating a New Skill

# Create skill template
openclaw skill create my-skill

# Generated directory structure
my-skill/
├── SKILL.md
├── config.json.example
└── README.md

SKILL.md Template

---
name: my-skill
version: 1.0.0
author: your-name
description: Brief description of what this skill does
triggers:
  - trigger-word-1
  - trigger-word-2
dependencies: []
tools: []
---

# My Skill

Detailed description of the skill.

## Features

- Feature 1
- Feature 2
- Feature 3

## Setup

1. Step 1
2. Step 2
3. Step 3

## Usage Examples

### Example 1
User: "..."
Action: ...

### Example 2
User: "..."
Action: ...

## Configuration

Required configuration and environment variables.

## Notes

Any additional notes or warnings.

Adding Tool Definitions

## Tools

This skill provides the following tools:

### my_tool_name

Description of what this tool does.

Parameters:
- `param1` (string, required): Description
- `param2` (number, optional): Description, default: 0

Returns:
- Result description

Example usage:
User: "..."
Action: Use my_tool_name with param1="value"

Publishing a Skill

# Validate skill
openclaw skill validate my-skill

# Publish to ClawHub
openclaw skill publish my-skill

# Or push to GitHub
git add .
git commit -m "Initial skill release"
git push origin main

Skill Security

Security Best Practices

Skill Permissions

# View skill permissions
openclaw skill permissions gmail

# Output example:
# Skill: gmail
# Permissions:
#   - network:outbound (gmail.googleapis.com)
#   - filesystem:read (credential files)
#   - filesystem:write (token cache)
# Risk Level: Medium

Restricting Skill Permissions

{
  "skills": {
    "gmail": {
      "permissions": {
        "network": {
          "allow": ["gmail.googleapis.com", "oauth2.googleapis.com"],
          "deny": ["*"]
        },
        "filesystem": {
          "allow": ["~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/gmail/"],
          "deny": ["*"]
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Resolving Skill Conflicts

Common Conflicts

Resolving Conflicts

# View skill conflicts
openclaw skill conflicts

# Output example:
# Conflict: email trigger
#   - gmail
#   - outlook
# Resolution: Specify skill name or adjust priorities

# Set skill priority
openclaw skill priority gmail 10
openclaw skill priority outlook 5

Isolated Environments

For skills with dependency conflicts, use isolated environments:

{
  "skills": {
    "isolatedSkills": ["gmail", "outlook"],
    "isolationMode": "per-skill"
  }
}

Troubleshooting

Skill Not Working

# Check skill status
openclaw skill list --status

# Check skill loading
openclaw skill load gmail --verbose

# View skill logs
openclaw logs --filter skill:gmail

Authentication Failure

# Re-authenticate
openclaw skill auth gmail --reauth

# Check authentication status
openclaw skill auth gmail --status

Dependency Issues

# Check dependencies
openclaw skill deps gmail

# Install dependencies
openclaw skill deps gmail --install

# Update dependencies
openclaw skill deps gmail --update

Skill Loading Errors

# Validate SKILL.md syntax
openclaw skill validate gmail

# Output example:
# ✗ Error: Invalid frontmatter
#   Line 5: Unknown field 'invalid-field'
# ✗ Error: Missing required field 'name'

Summary

The Skills system is the core of OpenClaw’s extensibility:

• Rich ecosystem: 5700+ community skills covering various scenarios
• Simple installation: One command to install
• Flexible configuration: Supports customization and overrides
• Secure and controllable: Permission management and security scanning

By choosing and configuring skills wisely, you can give your AI assistant unlimited capability extensions.

Key Takeaways:

• Understood Skills concepts and structure
• Mastered multiple methods for installing and managing skills
• Learned to use ClawHub to discover and evaluate skills
• Learned about skill security and permission management
• Gained foundational knowledge for skill development

Changelog:

• 2026-02-26: Initial release, based on OpenClaw v2026.2

Series Navigation:

• ← Previous: Multi-Model Configuration and Switching
• → Next: Skills Development Primer