OpenClaw Plugins: Steal These Must-Have Installs for Power Users

Forty-seven plugins in the ClaWHub registry. Most teams install three and ignore the rest. The wrong three. Here's what we've seen consistently across production deployments: teams miss the plugins that would save hours each week because they don't know where to look. This guide fixes that — the install commands, the plugin names that matter, and the ones that silently corrupt your setup.

How the OpenClaw Plugin System Works

Plugins extend agents at the skill layer. When you install a plugin, it registers one or more skills into OpenClaw's skill registry. Agents can then invoke those skills as part of their reasoning — the model decides when to call a skill, what arguments to pass, and how to use the result.

Plugins can also add hooks (code that runs on specific gateway events), new channel connectors, and config extensions. The install command handles all of this: it fetches the plugin package from the ClaWHub registry, validates compatibility, writes config defaults, and registers skills — all in one step.

As of early 2025, plugins run in OpenClaw's isolated skill sandbox, which means a buggy plugin can't crash the gateway process itself. It can, however, cause agents to fail on skill calls — which is why knowing which plugins have stability issues matters.

Plugin Install Command Reference

The core commands you'll use daily:

# Install a plugin globally (available to all agents)
openclaw plugins install web-search

# Install for a specific agent only
openclaw plugins install web-search --agent researcher-001

# Install a specific version
openclaw plugins install web-search@2.1.0

# Install from a local path (for custom plugins)
openclaw plugins install ./my-custom-plugin

# List all installed plugins and their versions
openclaw plugins list

# Search the registry for plugins
openclaw plugins search --keyword "calendar"

# Check for available updates
openclaw plugins list --outdated

# Update a specific plugin
openclaw plugins update web-search

# Update all plugins at once
openclaw plugins update --all

# Remove a plugin
openclaw plugins uninstall web-search

Must-Have Plugins for Power Users

These are the plugins that change what your agents can do. Install these first, in this order.

1. web-search

Gives agents real-time internet access. Without it, your agents are limited to their training data. The web-search plugin connects to a configurable search backend — Brave Search, SerpAPI, or Bing — and returns structured results agents can reason over.

openclaw plugins install web-search

After installation, configure your search API key in openclaw config. The plugin fails silently without a valid key — agents will respond as if the skill doesn't exist.

2. code-exec

Allows agents to write and execute code in a sandboxed environment. Essential for data analysis agents, scripting automation, and any task where computation beats reasoning.

openclaw plugins install code-exec

The sandbox supports Python by default. Configure additional runtimes (Node.js, Bash) in the plugin config after installation. Set execution timeouts — the default 30-second limit is too short for heavy data processing tasks.

3. file-tools

Read, write, and manipulate files on the gateway host. Agents can parse PDFs, read CSVs, write reports, and pass files between pipeline stages. This is the backbone of document processing workflows.

openclaw plugins install file-tools

4. memory-extended

Adds long-term, searchable memory beyond OpenClaw's built-in shared memory. Agents store observations, learn from interactions, and retrieve relevant context from past sessions. Indispensable for any agent that accumulates knowledge over time.

openclaw plugins install memory-extended

5. http-client

Lets agents make arbitrary HTTP requests to external APIs. Connect your agents to Slack, Notion, GitHub, Airtable, or any REST API without writing a custom plugin. Point the skill at an endpoint and let the agent handle the rest.

openclaw plugins install http-client

Managing Installed Plugins

Plugins accumulate. Teams install plugins for experiments, forget to remove them, and end up with agents carrying 15 plugins when they only use 4. Unused plugins add startup time and create unnecessary skill collision risk.

# See all installed plugins with version and agent scope
openclaw plugins list --verbose

# See which skills each plugin registers
openclaw plugins info web-search

# See which agents use a plugin
openclaw plugins list --show-agents

# Disable a plugin without uninstalling it
openclaw plugins disable web-search

# Re-enable
openclaw plugins enable web-search

Here's where most people stop — they install and forget. The smart move is running openclaw plugins list --outdated as part of your weekly maintenance. Plugin updates often include security patches and bug fixes that don't make it into release announcements.

Plugins That Commonly Break Setups

Not every plugin in the registry is production-ready. Here's what we've seen cause real problems:

• browser-control — requires a Chromium instance on the gateway host. On headless servers without a display server configured, this plugin crashes on every skill call. Install only if you've confirmed your host environment supports headless Chrome.
• telegram-advanced — conflicts with the base Telegram channel connector. Installing both causes duplicate message delivery and webhook registration errors. Use one or the other, never both.
• web-search-pro — a third-party plugin that conflicts with the official web-search plugin on skill name registration. Both claim the search skill name, and whichever loads second silently overwrites the first. Result: unpredictable search provider selection.
• llm-router — older versions (pre-1.3.0) contain a memory leak in the routing decision cache. Install only version 1.3.0 or later: openclaw plugins install llm-router@1.3.0.

Common Plugin Installation Mistakes

• Installing globally when per-agent scope is appropriate — research agents don't need the calendar plugin. Routing agents don't need code-exec. Global installation makes every skill available to every agent, which increases the chance of unintended skill invocations in agents not designed to use them.
• Forgetting to configure plugin API keys after installation — plugins that depend on external APIs install successfully but fail silently at runtime. Always run openclaw plugins info [name] after installation to check which config keys are required.
• Not checking compatibility before installing — plugins declare minimum OpenClaw version requirements. Installing an incompatible plugin produces a confusing error. Run openclaw version first and check the plugin's registry page for compatibility info.
• Installing multiple plugins that register the same skill name — the last-installed plugin wins. Earlier plugins' implementations of that skill become unreachable. Always check openclaw plugins info [name] to see which skill names a plugin registers before installing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I install a plugin in OpenClaw?

Run openclaw plugins install [plugin-name]. The CLI fetches from the ClaWHub registry, validates compatibility, and activates the plugin. Most plugins are active immediately — no gateway restart required unless the plugin adds a new channel type.

Where can I find available OpenClaw plugins?

Run openclaw plugins search to browse the ClaWHub registry from the CLI. Add --tag productivity or --tag integration to filter by category. The ClaWHub Marketplace website also shows ratings and download counts for popular plugins.

Can I install plugins for a specific agent only?

Yes. Use the --agent flag: openclaw plugins install web-search --agent researcher-001. Without the flag, plugins install globally and are available to all agents. Per-agent installation prevents plugins from interfering with agents that don't need them.

How do I remove a plugin that's breaking my setup?

Run openclaw plugins uninstall [plugin-name] to remove it immediately. If a plugin causes crashes on startup, add --force to bypass uninstall hooks. Restart any agents that were using the plugin after removal to clear it from their loaded skill set.

Do plugins update automatically?

Plugins do not auto-update by default. Run openclaw plugins update to update all installed plugins, or specify a plugin name for targeted updates. Check openclaw plugins list --outdated to see what has newer versions before running a bulk update.

What's the difference between a plugin and a skill in OpenClaw?

Skills are capabilities agents invoke — web search, code execution, file reading. Plugins are packages that deliver one or more skills plus optional config, hooks, and channel integrations. Every skill comes from a plugin, but plugins can deliver much more than just skills.