The Ultimate Guide to OpenClaw Skills Configuration

## Introduction Configuring skills in OpenClaw can be a game-changer for your AI assistant, especially when deploying on platforms like Telegram and Discord. Did you know that over 70% of users face issues with auto-loading unnecessary skills, leading to performance degradation and security risks? This guide will help you navigate the intricacies of OpenClaw's skills configuration, ensuring you maximize functionality while maintaining security. ## Understanding OpenClaw Skills OpenClaw allows users to manage various AI capabilities through its `skills` configuration. This is stored in the `~/.openclaw/openclaw.json` file, where you can specify which skills your assistant should load and activate. Proper management of these skills is crucial for both performance and security, especially in a hosted environment like EaseClaw. ## Key Benefits - **Enhanced Functionality**: Tailor your AI assistant’s capabilities by enabling the right skills. - **Improved Security**: Limit skills to only those necessary, reducing potential attack vectors. - **Easy Management**: Modify and monitor skills effortlessly via the Gateway dashboard. - **Customization**: Ability to add custom skills or integrate third-party tools. ## Step-by-Step Guide ### 1. Locate and Edit Config To start, navigate to your OpenClaw configuration file. You can find it at: ``` ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json ``` Alternatively, use the command `openclaw onboard` for an interactive setup that guides you through the configuration process. ### 2. Control Bundled Skills In the `skills` section of your config, you can set the `allowBundled` parameter. This should be an array that includes only the skills you want to load automatically: ```json "allowBundled": ["gemini", "peekaboo"] ``` By limiting this to essential skills, you minimize the risk of unwanted functionalities being activated. ### 3. Add Custom Skills Directories If you have custom skills stored in other directories, specify these in the `load.extraDirs` section: ```json "load.extraDirs": ["~/Projects/agent-scripts/skills"] ``` Set `load.watch` to `true` (default) to auto-reload changes during agent runs, and adjust `load.watchDebounceMs` to `250` for effective monitoring. ### 4. Configure Installs For managing installations, set `install.preferBrew` to `true` for Homebrew tools. Specify the package manager with: ```json "install.nodeManager": "npm" ``` This ensures that the right dependencies are installed, and remember to restart your agent to apply changes. ### 5. Per-Skill Overrides You can enable or disable skills individually by using: ```json "entries.": { "enabled": false, "env": { "API_KEY": "your_api_key" } } ``` This allows you to maintain control over what each skill can do, enhancing security. ### 6. Install Skills from Chat/ClawHub You can easily install new skills directly from your chat application. Just paste a GitHub link, like so: ``` install this skill https://github.com/your-repo/skill ``` OpenClaw will fetch and install the skill for you. Explore ClawHub for community-driven skills that can enrich your assistant’s capabilities. ### 7. Verify in Dashboard After configuring your skills, check the Gateway dashboard to ensure they are loaded correctly. Navigate to **Skills** and refresh if necessary. Make sure to enable any tools required for specific skills. ### 8. Test Your Setup Finally, test your AI assistant by prompting it with commands like: ``` list skills use coding skill ``` Monitor logs for any errors or issues to ensure everything is functioning smoothly. ## Best Practices - **Layered Enablement**: Start with core tools (file access, commands, web) before adding additional skills. Match skills to your specific needs to avoid unnecessary bloat. - **Whitelist Aggressively**: Keep `allowBundled` limited to 5-10 essential skills. This keeps auto-loading to a minimum and enhances security. - **Security First**: Always review skills for their access levels and use environment variables for sensitive information instead of plaintext keys. - **Optimize for Telegram/Discord**: Use Node.js runtime for reliability and configure heartbeats in your agents for consistent messaging. - **Enable Auto-Maintenance**: Set up a heartbeat cron job to perform self-checks, improving the resilience of your assistant. | Configuration Field | Purpose | Example | |------------------------------|---------------------------------|-------------------------------------------| | `allowBundled` | Whitelist bundled skills | `[