← back
·10 min read

How to Create Your Own OpenClaw Skill (Step-by-Step Guide)

How to Create Your Own OpenClaw Skill (Step-by-Step Guide)
openclawskillstutorialdevelopmentclawhub

Every skill on ClawHub started with someone deciding their AI agent needed to do something new. Maybe they wanted their agent to control their smart lights. Maybe they needed it to post to their blog. Maybe they just wanted to play trivia games in their group chat. Whatever the motivation, building an OpenClaw skill is surprisingly straightforward once you understand the format.

I have both used hundreds of skills and helped people build new ones. This guide covers everything you need to go from idea to published skill on ClawHub, including the SKILL.md format, best practices, testing strategies, and the publishing process.

What Is an OpenClaw Skill?

An OpenClaw skill is a modular capability package that extends what an AI agent can do. At its core, a skill is a folder containing at minimum a SKILL.md file that describes the skill's purpose, usage instructions, and available tools.

Skills can range from simple (a single SKILL.md with instructions for using an external API) to complex (multiple files including scripts, configuration templates, and reference documentation).

The key insight is that OpenClaw skills are designed for AI agents, not humans. The SKILL.md file is written to be read and understood by an AI, telling it exactly how to use the skill's capabilities.

The SKILL.md Format

The SKILL.md file is the heart of every OpenClaw skill. It follows a specific structure that AI agents know how to parse and act on.

Basic Structure

# Skill Name

Brief description of what this skill does.

## Setup

Prerequisites and configuration steps needed before the skill can be used.

## Usage

How the AI agent should use this skill, including available commands,
API endpoints, or tool invocations.

## Examples

Concrete examples of the skill in action.

## Notes

Additional context, limitations, or tips.

Writing Effective SKILL.md Content

The difference between a good skill and a great skill often comes down to how well the SKILL.md is written. Here are the principles I follow:

Be explicit about capabilities. Do not assume the AI agent will infer what the skill can do. State it clearly. "This skill can create, read, update, and delete blog posts on a WordPress site" is better than "This skill manages WordPress content."

Include exact formats. If the skill uses an API, show the exact request format with all required headers and parameters. AI agents follow precise instructions better than vague guidelines.

Provide error handling guidance. Tell the agent what to do when things go wrong. "If the API returns a 429 status, wait 60 seconds before retrying" prevents the agent from making mistakes.

Show examples. Include at least two or three concrete examples of the skill being used. These serve as templates the agent can adapt to new situations.

Advanced SKILL.md Features

More sophisticated skills use additional sections:

## Configuration

Environment variables or config files the skill needs.

## Tools

Specific tool invocations available through this skill.

## References

Links to API documentation, related skills, or external resources.

## Troubleshooting

Common issues and their solutions.

Step 1: Define Your Skill's Purpose

Before writing any code or documentation, clearly define what your skill does and does not do. Answer these questions:

  • What problem does this skill solve? Be specific.
  • Who is the target user? Developers? Business owners? Everyone?
  • What external services does it require? APIs, accounts, hardware?
  • What are the boundaries? What should the skill explicitly not do?

A well-scoped skill is better than an overly ambitious one. If you are building a Shopify integration, you might start with product management only, then add order tracking in a later version. This keeps the SKILL.md focused and the agent's behavior predictable.

Step 2: Set Up Your Skill Directory

Create a folder for your skill. The naming convention on ClawHub uses lowercase with hyphens:

my-awesome-skill/
├── SKILL.md
├── README.md (optional, for humans)
├── config.example.json (optional)
└── scripts/ (optional)
    └── setup.sh

The only required file is SKILL.md. Everything else is optional but can be helpful depending on the skill's complexity.

Step 3: Write Your SKILL.md

This is where you spend most of your time. Let me walk through a complete example.

Say you are building a skill that lets your AI agent post to a Mastodon account. Here is what the SKILL.md might look like:

# Mastodon Poster

Post status updates to a Mastodon account from your OpenClaw agent.

## Setup

1. Create an application in your Mastodon instance:
   Settings > Development > New Application
2. Grant the `write:statuses` scope
3. Copy the access token
4. Set the environment variable:
   `MASTODON_TOKEN=your_access_token_here`
5. Set your instance URL:
   `MASTODON_INSTANCE=https://mastodon.social`

## Usage

To post a status update, make an HTTP POST request:

POST {MASTODON_INSTANCE}/api/v1/statuses
Headers:
  Authorization: Bearer {MASTODON_TOKEN}
  Content-Type: application/json
Body:
  {
    "status": "Your post content here",
    "visibility": "public"
  }

Visibility options: public, unlisted, private, direct

## Examples

Post a simple update:
POST https://mastodon.social/api/v1/statuses
Authorization: Bearer abc123
{"status": "Hello from my AI agent!", "visibility": "public"}

Post with a content warning:
POST https://mastodon.social/api/v1/statuses
Authorization: Bearer abc123
{"status": "Spoiler content here", "spoiler_text": "Movie spoilers", "visibility": "public"}

## Notes

- Maximum status length depends on the instance (usually 500 characters)
- Rate limit: 300 requests per 5 minutes
- If rate limited (HTTP 429), wait for the time specified in the
  X-RateLimit-Reset header before retrying

Notice how every instruction is concrete and specific. The agent knows exactly what HTTP method to use, what headers to include, and how to handle errors.

Step 4: Add Supporting Files

Depending on your skill's complexity, you might want to include:

Configuration Templates

If your skill needs configuration, provide a template:

{
  "instance_url": "https://mastodon.social",
  "default_visibility": "public",
  "max_retries": 3
}

Setup Scripts

For skills that require system dependencies, include a setup script:

#!/bin/bash
# Install required dependencies
pip install mastodon.py
echo "Mastodon skill dependencies installed."

Reference Documentation

For skills that interact with complex APIs, consider including a condensed API reference. This saves tokens by keeping frequently needed information local instead of requiring web lookups.

Step 5: Test Your Skill

Testing an OpenClaw skill means verifying that an AI agent can read your SKILL.md and successfully use the skill without any additional guidance.

Manual Testing

  1. Install the skill on your OpenClaw instance
  2. Ask your agent to use the skill for a basic task
  3. Observe whether the agent correctly follows the SKILL.md instructions
  4. Note any confusion or errors

Common Testing Issues

Ambiguous instructions. If the agent does something unexpected, your SKILL.md probably was not specific enough. Rewrite the ambiguous section.

Missing error handling. The first time an API returns an error, you will discover what error handling guidance you forgot to include.

Assumed knowledge. Do not assume the agent knows things that are not in the SKILL.md. If the agent needs to know the API uses pagination, say so explicitly.

Iterative Improvement

The best skills go through several rounds of testing and revision. Each time the agent misuses the skill, treat it as a documentation bug and fix the SKILL.md accordingly.

Step 6: Publish to ClawHub

Once your skill is tested and working, publishing it to ClawHub makes it available to the entire OpenClaw community.

Publishing Process

  1. Create an account on ClawHub if you do not have one
  2. Package your skill directory with all required files
  3. Submit through the ClawHub interface with a description, category, and tags
  4. Review process ensures the skill meets quality standards
  5. Published! Your skill appears in the ClawHub marketplace

Metadata for Discovery

When publishing, provide good metadata so users can find your skill:

  • Clear title that describes what the skill does
  • Accurate category (productivity, gaming, health, etc.)
  • Relevant tags for search discovery
  • Concise description highlighting key features
  • Screenshots or examples showing the skill in action

The Skill-Creator Skill

Here is something meta: there is a skill on ClawHub called skill-creator that helps you build new skills. It is a skill for creating skills.

The skill-creator skill guides your AI agent through the process of defining a new skill, writing the SKILL.md, generating configuration templates, and preparing the skill for publication. If you are new to skill creation, this is a great place to start because the agent walks you through each step.

Best Practices

After working with dozens of skills, I have identified patterns that separate excellent skills from mediocre ones.

Keep It Focused

A skill should do one thing well. If you find yourself adding unrelated features, split them into separate skills. Focused skills are easier to maintain, test, and combine with other skills.

Version Your SKILL.md

When you update a skill, note what changed. AI agents may behave differently with updated instructions, and users need to know what to expect.

Document Edge Cases

Think about unusual inputs and scenarios. What happens if the user provides an empty string? What if the API is down? What if the configuration is missing? Document these cases so the agent handles them gracefully.

Respect Rate Limits

If your skill uses external APIs, always include rate limit information and retry guidance. An agent that hammers an API without respecting limits will get blocked, and the user will blame the skill.

Security First

Never hardcode API keys or secrets in the SKILL.md. Always use environment variables or configuration files. Include warnings about sensitive data handling where appropriate.

Write for AI, Not Humans

Remember that SKILL.md is primarily read by AI agents. Be precise and unambiguous. Use consistent terminology. Avoid idioms or colloquialisms that might confuse the agent.

A separate README.md can provide human-friendly documentation with context, motivation, and background that humans find useful but agents do not need.

Skill Architecture Patterns

As the ClawHub ecosystem matures, several common patterns have emerged for skill architecture.

API Wrapper Pattern

The simplest and most common pattern. The skill wraps an external API, translating between natural language requests and API calls. Most skills on ClawHub follow this pattern.

Pipeline Pattern

Some skills chain multiple operations together. A "blog post publisher" skill might generate content, create featured images, optimize for SEO, and publish, all as a single workflow.

Event-Driven Pattern

Skills that respond to external events (webhooks, scheduled checks, notifications) use this pattern. An inventory monitoring skill that alerts when stock is low is event-driven.

Composite Pattern

Complex skills that combine multiple simpler skills into a unified experience. A "store manager" skill might use inventory, order, and analytics skills internally.

Contributing to the Ecosystem

The OpenClaw skill ecosystem grows through community contributions. Every skill you publish helps other users and strengthens the platform. Some ways to contribute beyond publishing new skills:

  • Improve existing skills by submitting updates with better documentation
  • Report issues when you find skills that do not work as described
  • Share use cases that help others discover skills they did not know they needed
  • Help new creators by reviewing and providing feedback on draft skills

The OpenClaw GitHub repository and official documentation are excellent resources for understanding the platform deeply.

What to Build Next

If you are looking for inspiration, here are categories where ClawHub could use more skills:

  • Local business tools (appointment scheduling, POS integration)
  • Education (flashcard systems, progress tracking, tutoring)
  • Creative tools (music composition, art generation, writing assistance)
  • DevOps (monitoring, deployment, incident response)

Check the current ClawHub marketplace to see what already exists and where the gaps are.

Related Posts