OpenClaw Skills: How to Build Your Own Custom Skill

OpenClaw comes with powerful built-in skills. But every workflow is different. When you need something specific — a company API, a custom calculation, a unique integration — you build a custom skill.

This guide shows you how to create your own OpenClaw skill from scratch. No complex framework to learn. Just JavaScript and a simple API.

What Is an OpenClaw Skill?

A skill is a JavaScript module that:

Exposes one or more tools to the agent
Accepts parameters from natural language
Returns results for the agent to use
Has access to the file system and network

Think of skills as plugins that extend what your OpenClaw agent can do.

Setting Up Your Development Environment

You'll need:

Node.js 18+ installed
A text editor (VS Code recommended)
OpenClaw installed: npm install -g openclaw

# Verify your setup
node --version  # v18.x or higher
openclaw --version

Skill Structure

A minimal skill has three files:

my-skill/
├── index.js          # Main entry point
├── skill.json        # Metadata and tool definitions
└── README.md         # Documentation

skill.json

Defines your skill's tools:

{
  "name": "weather-skill",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "Get weather information for any city",
  "tools": [
    {
      "name": "get_weather",
      "description": "Get current weather for a city",
      "parameters": {
        "type": "object",
        "properties": {
          "city": {
            "type": "string",
            "description": "City name (e.g., 'New York')"
          }
        },
        "required": ["city"]
      }
    }
  ]
}

index.js

Implements the tools:

// index.js
const axios = require('axios');

module.exports = {
  async get_weather({ city }) {
    const response = await axios.get(
      `https://api.weather.com/v1/current?city=${encodeURIComponent(city)}`
    );
    
    return {
      temperature: response.data.temp,
      condition: response.data.condition,
      humidity: response.data.humidity
    };
  }
};

Building Your First Skill

Let's build a skill that fetches stock prices:

# Create skill directory
mkdir stock-price-skill
cd stock-price-skill
npm init -y
npm install axios

Create skill.json:

{
  "name": "stock-price",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "Get current stock prices",
  "tools": [
    {
      "name": "get_stock_price",
      "description": "Get current price for a stock symbol",
      "parameters": {
        "type": "object",
        "properties": {
          "symbol": {
            "type": "string",
            "description": "Stock symbol (e.g., 'AAPL', 'TSLA')"
          }
        },
        "required": ["symbol"]
      }
    }
  ]
}

Create index.js:

const axios = require('axios');

module.exports = {
  async get_stock_price({ symbol }) {
    try {
      const response = await axios.get(
        `https://api.example.com/stocks/${symbol.toUpperCase()}`
      );
      
      return {
        symbol: symbol.toUpperCase(),
        price: response.data.price,
        change: response.data.change_percent,
        currency: 'USD'
      };
    } catch (error) {
      return { error: `Could not fetch price for ${symbol}` };
    }
  }
};

Testing Your Skill

Test locally before deploying:

# Test the skill
openclaw skill test .

# Or test a specific tool
openclaw skill test . --tool get_stock_price --input '{"symbol": "AAPL"}'

Deploying to OpenClaw

Install your skill in an agent:

# Local installation
openclaw skill install /path/to/stock-price-skill

# Or from npm (after publishing)
openclaw skill install stock-price-skill

Add to your agent's openclaw.yaml:

skills:
  - name: stock-price
    enabled: true

Example Skills

Database Query

Query SQL databases and return results to the agent.

File Converter

Convert between CSV, JSON, Excel formats.

Slack Notifier

Send messages to Slack channels.

Calculator

Advanced math with unit conversions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What programming language do I need?

JavaScript or TypeScript. OpenClaw skills run in Node.js. If you know basic JavaScript, you can build skills.

Can I use external APIs?

Yes! Skills can make HTTP requests to any API. Just handle authentication properly and document rate limits for users.

How do I share my skill?

Publish to npm with the 'openclaw-skill' keyword. Other users can install with 'openclaw install your-skill'.

Can skills store data?

Yes. Skills can read/write to files in their directory or use the agent's MEMORY.md. For databases, use external services via API.

Are there limits on what skills can do?

Skills run in the same sandbox as the agent. File system access, network requests, and child processes work. No special privileges required.

Final Thoughts

Building custom skills is how you make OpenClaw truly yours. Start simple — a single API call, a file operation, a calculation. Then expand as you identify more needs.

The best skills solve specific problems you face daily. Build for your workflow, share with the community, and see what others create.

Ready to Build Your Skill?

Deploy OpenClaw and start creating custom tools today.

Get Started →