- ClaWHub is OpenClaw's official skill registry — one command installs any skill from the catalog directly into your agent system
- Each skill listing shows version, compatibility range, author, install count, and last-updated date — read this before installing
- Official skills are maintained by the OpenClaw team; community skills are user-submitted and clearly labeled
- Use
openclaw skill search [query]to filter by keyword, category, or official-only status - Submitting your own skill requires a valid SKILL.md file and a public Git repo — the CLI handles the rest
Most OpenClaw setups stay at 30% of their potential. Not because the platform is limited — because builders don't know what's already available in ClaWHub. The registry has grown to over 200 skills as of early 2025, covering everything from email automation to browser control to voice synthesis. One search, one install command, and your agent has a new capability.
What Is ClaWHub?
ClaWHub is the official skill registry for OpenClaw — the central catalog where you discover, evaluate, and install agent skills. Think of it as the npm registry for OpenClaw skills. Every skill in the catalog is versioned, tagged with compatibility information, and attributed to an author. The registry is queried directly from the OpenClaw CLI, so you never need to leave your terminal.
The registry serves two populations: builders who want to add capabilities to their agents without writing code, and developers who want to share skills they've built. Both groups interact through the same CLI interface.
As of early 2025, ClaWHub hosts official skills maintained by the core OpenClaw team, plus a growing library of community-contributed skills that have passed basic validation. The distinction matters — we'll cover it in detail below.
Browsing and Searching the Registry
From your terminal, run the following to list all available skills:
openclaw skill listThat returns every skill in the registry — which gets unwieldy fast once you're past 50 results. Use the search command instead:
# Search by keyword
openclaw skill search gmail
# Filter to official skills only
openclaw skill search gmail --official
# Filter by category
openclaw skill search --category productivity
# Combine filters
openclaw skill search calendar --category productivity --officialResults show the skill name, version, compatibility range, author, and a one-line description. The output is designed to be scanned — you'll know within seconds whether a skill matches what you need.
Run openclaw version before searching. Skills list a compatibility range — installing a skill outside that range can cause silent failures. Knowing your gateway version lets you filter results to skills that are guaranteed to work.
Reading Skill Metadata
Before installing any skill, inspect its metadata. This tells you exactly what you're getting — and whether it's safe to install in a production environment.
openclaw skill info gmail-skillThe output includes several fields worth understanding:
| Field | What It Means |
|---|---|
| version | Semantic version of the skill (major.minor.patch) |
| compatibility | Min/max OpenClaw gateway version this skill is tested against |
| author | Maintainer name and contact — check for official vs community |
| installs | Total installs — a signal of community trust and real-world usage |
| updated | Last publish date — avoid skills not updated in 6+ months |
| requires | External API keys or dependencies the skill needs to function |
The requires field is the most important one to check. A skill that needs a Google OAuth token or an API key will tell you here. If you see requirements you can't fulfill, skip the skill or look for an alternative.
Installing a Skill
Installation is a single command. OpenClaw handles fetching, integrity verification, and registration automatically.
# Install a skill by name
openclaw skill install gmail-skill
# Install a specific version
openclaw skill install gmail-skill@2.1.0
# Install and immediately verify
openclaw skill install gmail-skill --verifyThe --verify flag runs the skill's built-in health check after installation. This confirms the skill loaded correctly and all required environment variables are present. For skills that need API keys, you'll see clear error messages if something is missing — better to catch it at install time than during an agent run.
After installation, list active skills to confirm the new skill is registered:
openclaw skill lsMost skills activate immediately without restarting the gateway. A small subset of skills that hook into low-level gateway events require a restart — the install output will tell you if that's needed.
Installing a skill outside its declared compatibility range rarely gives you an error upfront. Instead, the skill loads but produces unexpected behavior at runtime. Always match the skill's compatibility range to your openclaw version output before proceeding.
Official vs Community Skills
ClaWHub divides skills into two tiers, and the distinction has real consequences for how much you should trust a skill before putting it in front of production traffic.
Official skills are maintained by the OpenClaw engineering team. They go through automated test suites, manual code review, and compatibility testing against every supported gateway version before each release. Official skills carry an "Official" badge in CLI output and on the web registry.
Community skills are contributed by the broader OpenClaw developer community. They pass basic automated validation — syntax checks, SKILL.md completeness, dependency declaration — but they don't go through the same depth of review as official skills. Community skills are clearly labeled in search results.
Sound familiar? This mirrors how you think about Docker Hub official images vs community images. Use official skills in production pipelines. Use community skills in development environments, validate their behavior, then promote to production only after your own testing.
Submitting Your Own Skill to ClaWHub
Built a skill worth sharing? The submission process is straightforward. You need two things: a valid SKILL.md file at the root of your skill directory, and a public Git repository.
# Validate your skill before submitting
openclaw skill validate ./my-skill/
# Publish to ClaWHub
openclaw skill publish ./my-skill/ --repo https://github.com/you/my-skillThe validation step checks your SKILL.md format, verifies all declared dependencies are reachable, and runs any test files in the skill directory. Fix any issues it surfaces before publishing — submissions that fail validation are returned immediately without entering the review queue.
After successful submission, your skill enters the community review queue. Basic automated checks run within minutes. If they pass, the skill appears in the community section of ClaWHub within 24 hours. The OpenClaw team reserves the right to delist skills that generate security reports or consistently fail in community environments.
Common Mistakes When Using ClaWHub
- Installing without checking compatibility — the most common cause of mysteriously broken skills. Always run
openclaw versionand match against the skill's compatibility field. - Skipping the info command — the install output is brief. The
openclaw skill info [name]output is comprehensive. Read it before you commit. - Installing community skills in production without testing — community skills haven't been through deep review. Test in a staging environment first.
- Not setting required environment variables — a skill that needs
GMAIL_CLIENT_IDwon't tell you in a helpful way if that variable is missing until the agent tries to use it. Read therequiresfield and set variables before installing. - Forgetting to update skills — skills don't auto-update. Run
openclaw skill update --allperiodically to stay on supported versions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ClaWHub in OpenClaw?
ClaWHub is OpenClaw's official skill registry — a centralized catalog where you browse, search, and install skills for your agents. It hosts both community-contributed and officially maintained skills, each with metadata covering version, compatibility, author, and install commands.
How do I install a skill from ClaWHub?
Run openclaw skill install [skill-name] from your terminal. OpenClaw fetches the skill from ClaWHub, verifies its integrity, and registers it with your agent system. The skill is active immediately — no agent restart required for most skills.
Are ClaWHub skills safe to install?
Official skills are maintained by the OpenClaw team and reviewed before publishing. Community skills are user-submitted and clearly labeled. Always check the author, download count, and last-updated date before installing community skills — apply the same judgment you would to any open source package.
Can I submit my own skill to ClaWHub?
Yes. Package your skill with a valid SKILL.md file, push it to a public Git repository, then run openclaw skill publish. The submission enters a review queue. Community skills are published after basic validation; official skill status requires a separate nomination process.
How do I search ClaWHub from the CLI?
Run openclaw skill search [query] to filter the registry by keyword. Add --category to narrow by skill type, and --official to show only OpenClaw-maintained skills. Results include name, version, compatibility range, and a short description.
What does skill compatibility mean in ClaWHub metadata?
Compatibility lists the minimum and maximum OpenClaw gateway versions the skill is tested against. Installing a skill outside its compatibility range may cause unexpected behavior. Always match skills to your gateway version — check with openclaw version before browsing the registry.
T. Chen architects multi-agent systems for enterprise clients and has contributed several skills to the ClaWHub registry. Spent six months evaluating every official and top-tier community skill available as of early 2025 to build a repeatable agent capability assessment framework.