- Use native
openclawcommands to search, install, and update skills, and to install plugins from ClawHub. - Use the separate
clawhubCLI for registry auth, publish, delete/undelete, and sync workflows.
Quick start
Native OpenClaw flows
- Skills
- Plugins
openclaw commands install into your active workspace and
persist source metadata so later update calls can stay on ClawHub.openclaw plugins install clawhub:... only accepts installable plugin
families. If a ClawHub package is actually a skill, OpenClaw stops and
points you at openclaw skills install <slug> instead.Anonymous ClawHub plugin installs also fail closed for private packages.
Community or other non-official channels can still install, but OpenClaw
warns so operators can review source and verification before enabling
them.What ClawHub is
- A public registry for OpenClaw skills and plugins.
- A versioned store of skill bundles and metadata.
- A discovery surface for search, tags, and usage signals.
- A
SKILL.mdfile with the primary description and usage. - Optional configs, scripts, or supporting files used by the skill.
- Metadata such as tags, summary, and install requirements.
Workspace and skill loading
The separateclawhub CLI also installs skills into ./skills under
your current working directory. If an OpenClaw workspace is configured,
clawhub falls back to that workspace unless you override --workdir
(or CLAWHUB_WORKDIR). OpenClaw loads workspace skills from
<workspace>/skills and picks them up in the next session.
If you already use ~/.openclaw/skills or bundled skills, workspace
skills take precedence. For more detail on how skills are loaded,
shared, and gated, see Skills.
Service features
| Feature | Notes |
|---|---|
| Public browsing | Skills and their SKILL.md content are publicly viewable. |
| Search | Embedding-powered (vector search), not just keywords. |
| Versioning | Semver, changelogs, and tags (including latest). |
| Downloads | Zip per version. |
| Stars and comments | Community feedback. |
| Moderation | Approvals and audits. |
| CLI-friendly API | Suitable for automation and scripting. |
Security and moderation
ClawHub is open by default — anyone can upload skills, but a GitHub account must be at least one week old to publish. This slows down abuse without blocking legitimate contributors.Reporting
Reporting
- Any signed-in user can report a skill.
- Report reasons are required and recorded.
- Each user can have up to 20 active reports at a time.
- Skills with more than 3 unique reports are auto-hidden by default.
Moderation
Moderation
- Moderators can view hidden skills, unhide them, delete them, or ban users.
- Abusing the report feature can result in account bans.
- Interested in becoming a moderator? Ask in the OpenClaw Discord and contact a moderator or maintainer.
ClawHub CLI
You only need this for registry-authenticated workflows such as publish/sync.Global options
Working directory. Default: current dir; falls back to OpenClaw workspace.
Skills directory, relative to workdir.
Site base URL (browser login).
Registry API base URL.
Disable prompts (non-interactive).
Print CLI version.
Commands
Auth (login / logout / whoami)
Auth (login / logout / whoami)
--token <token>— paste an API token.--label <label>— label stored for browser login tokens (default:CLI token).--no-browser— do not open a browser (requires--token).
Search
Search
--limit <n>— max results.
Install / update / list
Install / update / list
--version <version>— install or update to a specific version (single slug only onupdate).--force— overwrite if the folder already exists, or when local files do not match any published version.clawhub listreads.clawhub/lock.json.
Publish skills
Publish skills
--slug <slug>— skill slug.--name <name>— display name.--version <version>— semver version.--changelog <text>— changelog text (can be empty).--tags <tags>— comma-separated tags (default:latest).
Publish plugins
Publish plugins
<source> can be a local folder, owner/repo, owner/repo@ref, or a
GitHub URL.Options:--dry-run— build the exact publish plan without uploading anything.--json— emit machine-readable output for CI.--source-repo,--source-commit,--source-ref— optional overrides when auto-detection is not enough.
Delete / undelete (owner or admin)
Delete / undelete (owner or admin)
Sync (scan local + publish new or updated)
Sync (scan local + publish new or updated)
--root <dir...>— extra scan roots.--all— upload everything without prompts.--dry-run— show what would be uploaded.--bump <type>—patch|minor|majorfor updates (default:patch).--changelog <text>— changelog for non-interactive updates.--tags <tags>— comma-separated tags (default:latest).--concurrency <n>— registry checks (default:4).
Common workflows
- Search
- Install
- Update all
- Publish a single skill
- Sync many skills
- Publish a plugin from GitHub
Plugin package metadata
Code plugins must include the required OpenClaw metadata inpackage.json:
runtimeExtensions at that output. Git checkout installs can still fall
back to TypeScript source when no built files exist, but built runtime
entries avoid runtime TypeScript compilation in startup, doctor, and
plugin loading paths.
Versioning, lockfile, and telemetry
Versioning and tags
Versioning and tags
Local changes vs registry versions
Local changes vs registry versions
Updates compare the local skill contents to registry versions using a
content hash. If local files do not match any published version, the
CLI asks before overwriting (or requires
--force in
non-interactive runs).Sync scanning and fallback roots
Sync scanning and fallback roots
clawhub sync scans your current workdir first. If no skills are
found, it falls back to known legacy locations (for example
~/openclaw/skills and ~/.openclaw/skills). This is designed to
find older skill installs without extra flags.Storage and lockfile
Storage and lockfile
- Installed skills are recorded in
.clawhub/lock.jsonunder your workdir. - Auth tokens are stored in the ClawHub CLI config file (override via
CLAWHUB_CONFIG_PATH).
Telemetry (install counts)
Telemetry (install counts)
When you run
clawhub sync while logged in, the CLI sends a minimal
snapshot to compute install counts. You can disable this entirely:Environment variables
| Variable | Effect |
|---|---|
CLAWHUB_SITE | Override the site URL. |
CLAWHUB_REGISTRY | Override the registry API URL. |
CLAWHUB_CONFIG_PATH | Override where the CLI stores the token/config. |
CLAWHUB_WORKDIR | Override the default workdir. |
CLAWHUB_DISABLE_TELEMETRY=1 | Disable telemetry on sync. |