OpenClaw Skills & ClawHub: Complete Marketplace Guide (2026)

OpenClaw skills are modular capabilities that teach your AI agent new tasks. ClawHub is where you find them. Here is everything you need to know about both.

OpenClaw skills are modular capability files that teach your AI agent how to perform specific tasks -- from managing your Gmail inbox to controlling Philips Hue lights to reviewing GitHub pull requests. You install them with a single command, and your agent instantly gains new abilities. As of February 2026, ClawHub (the official OpenClaw skill marketplace) hosts 5,705+ community-built skills, all available for free.

OpenClaw, the open-source AI agent created by Peter Steinberger (formerly Clawdbot, then Moltbot), uses a skill system built on SKILL.md markdown files. This guide covers what skills are, how ClawHub works, how to install and build skills, and the security practices you need to follow. Whether you are installing your first skill or building one to publish, everything is here.

What Are OpenClaw Skills?

Skills are markdown files (named SKILL.md) that define instructions, behaviors, and tool access for your OpenClaw agent. Think of them like apps for your phone, but for your AI agent. Each skill teaches OpenClaw how to do something specific.

Here is what makes skills different from just prompting your agent:

• Persistent: Skills stay active across conversations. You install once, and the capability is always available.
• Modular: Each skill is self-contained. Install only what you need. Remove what you do not.
• Dynamic loading: OpenClaw loads relevant skills based on context, so 50 installed skills do not slow down a simple request.
• Shareable: Skills are just text files. You can share them, version control them, or publish them to ClawHub for others.

A skill file tells OpenClaw three things: when to activate (triggers), what to do (instructions), and which tools it can use (permissions). Everything is written in plain markdown that you can read and understand.

ClawHub: The Skills Marketplace

ClawHub (clawhub.com) is the official marketplace for OpenClaw skills. It launched in late 2025 and has grown to 5,705+ skills as of February 2026, with roughly 40-60 new skills added every day.

How ClawHub Works

ClawHub is searchable in two ways:

1. Category browsing: Skills are organized into categories like productivity, developer, smart home, AI models, social media, and media generation.
2. Vector search: Describe what you want in plain English ("I need something that summarizes my emails every morning") and ClawHub finds matching skills using semantic search. This is far more useful than keyword search when you do not know the exact skill name.

Every skill listing shows the author, install count, last update date, user ratings, a description, and the full source code. You can read exactly what a skill does before installing it.

Top Skill Categories

Here is a breakdown of what is available on ClawHub by category:

The developer and productivity categories are the largest and most mature. Smart home skills have grown rapidly since the Home Assistant integration was stabilized in January 2026.

How to Install Skills

Installing a skill takes one command. Here is the process:

claw skill search "email management"

claw skill install gmail-inbox-manager

claw skill list

Auto-Discovery

OpenClaw has an auto-discovery feature that suggests skills based on what you ask it to do. If you say "manage my email" and no email skill is installed, OpenClaw will suggest relevant skills from ClawHub and offer to install them for you.

You can enable or disable auto-discovery:

# Enable auto-discovery (on by default)
claw config set skill.auto-discover true

# Disable if you prefer manual control
claw config set skill.auto-discover false

Other Useful Commands

How to Build Custom Skills

Building your own skill is straightforward. At its simplest, a skill is a SKILL.md file with a specific structure. Here is a minimal example:

# Skill: Daily Weather Report

## Trigger
When the user asks about weather or during morning briefing.

## Instructions
1. Use the web search tool to find the current weather forecast
2. Format the response as: temperature, conditions, and a one-line recommendation
3. If the user has a saved location, use that. Otherwise, ask.

## Tools Required
- web_search

## Author
your-username

## Version
1.0.0

That is a complete, working skill. Save it as SKILL.md in your skills directory and OpenClaw picks it up automatically.

Advanced Skills with the SDK

For skills that need API integrations, persistent state, or complex logic, use the @clawdbot/sdk package:

# Install the SDK
npm install @clawdbot/sdk

# Initialize a new skill project
claw skill init my-custom-skill

The SDK gives you helper functions for API authentication, state management, scheduled triggers, and webhook handling. This is the path for skills that need to connect to external services with API keys or OAuth.

Testing Your Skill

# Test a skill locally without publishing
claw skill test ./my-custom-skill/SKILL.md

# Run in sandbox mode (limited permissions)
claw skill test --sandbox ./my-custom-skill/SKILL.md

The test command runs your skill in an isolated environment and shows you exactly how OpenClaw interprets the instructions, which tools it would call, and where any ambiguities exist.

Publishing to ClawHub

# Authenticate with ClawHub
claw auth login

# Publish your skill
claw skill publish ./my-custom-skill/

# Update an existing published skill
claw skill publish --update ./my-custom-skill/

Published skills go through a basic automated review (syntax validation, permission scanning, duplicate detection) before appearing on ClawHub. The review typically takes under 5 minutes.

Security Warning: Vetting Skills Before Installing

This section matters. Read it carefully.

As of February 2026, 341 malicious skills have been identified and removed from ClawHub (Source: CrowdStrike Threat Intelligence). Most were data exfiltration attempts: skills that appeared to do something useful but secretly sent your data (API keys, file contents, conversation history) to external servers.

ClawHub runs automated scans, but malicious skills still slip through. You are the last line of defense.

VirusTotal Scanning

For skills that include code files (not just SKILL.md), run them through VirusTotal before installing:

# Download without installing
claw skill download gmail-power-user

# Scan the downloaded files
# Upload the skill directory to virustotal.com
# Or use the VT CLI if you have it installed
vt scan file ./downloaded-skills/gmail-power-user/

Red Flags to Watch For

• Skills that ask you to set environment variables with API keys they should not need
• Instructions that include curl commands to unknown domains
• Skills requesting write access to your home directory or system files
• Obfuscated code in companion script files
• Recently created authors with no other published skills

Best Skills by Category

These are the most-installed, highest-rated skills in each major category as of February 2026. All have been vetted by the community and have thousands of installs.

Productivity

Developer

Smart Home

Automation & Integration

Tips for Skill Management

Once you have more than a handful of skills installed, management matters. Here are practices from power users:

1. Audit quarterly

Run claw skill list --verbose every few months. Remove skills you have not used. Each installed skill consumes a small amount of context, and unused skills add up.

2. Pin versions for critical workflows

If a skill is central to your daily operations (like your email manager), pin its version to prevent breaking changes from automatic updates:

claw skill pin gmail-inbox-manager@2.4.1

This keeps that version locked while you update everything else.

3. Use skill groups

Organize related skills into groups that you can enable or disable together:

# Create a group
claw skill group create "work" gmail-inbox-manager calendar-assistant github-pr-reviewer

# Disable the group on weekends
claw skill group disable "work"

# Re-enable Monday morning
claw skill group enable "work"

4. Keep a backup

Export your skill configuration so you can restore it on a new machine or after a reset:

# Export
claw skill export > my-skills-backup.json

# Import on a new machine
claw skill import my-skills-backup.json

5. Read changelogs before updating

Major version updates sometimes change behavior. Before running claw skill update --all, check what changed:

claw skill changelog gmail-inbox-manager

This shows recent changes so you can decide whether to update or stay on your current version.

FAQ

What are OpenClaw skills?

OpenClaw skills are modular capability files (written in SKILL.md markdown format) that teach your AI agent how to perform specific tasks. They extend what OpenClaw can do without changing the core software. Skills are loaded dynamically, so you only activate the ones you need.

What is ClawHub?

ClawHub is the official marketplace for OpenClaw skills. It hosts over 5,705 community-contributed skills as of February 2026. You can search by category, popularity, or use vector search to find skills by describing what you want in plain English. Installation is one command.

How do I install an OpenClaw skill?

Run claw skill install [skill-name] in your terminal. For example: claw skill install gmail-inbox-manager. The skill downloads and activates automatically. You can also browse and install from ClawHub's web interface at clawhub.com. Use claw skill list to see installed skills.

Are OpenClaw skills safe to install?

Most are safe, but caution is required. As of February 2026, 341 malicious skills have been identified and removed from ClawHub. Always check the author reputation, install count, last update date, and read the SKILL.md source before installing. Avoid skills that request unnecessary permissions like file system access or API key exports.

Can I create my own OpenClaw skills?

Yes. Skills are SKILL.md markdown files that define instructions, triggers, and tool access. You can create a skill in any text editor, test it locally with claw skill test, and publish to ClawHub with claw skill publish. The @clawdbot/sdk package provides helper functions for advanced skills that need API integrations.

Related Guides

• What Is OpenClaw? -- the fundamentals
• 15 Best OpenClaw Use Cases -- what to build with skills
• Is OpenClaw Safe? -- security deep dive including malicious ClawHub skills
• OpenClaw WhatsApp & Telegram Setup -- connect messaging channels to use your skills
• OpenClaw for Business -- enterprise use cases and skill deployment considerations
• Run OpenClaw for Free -- $0/month setup guide
• Best OpenClaw Skills to Install First -- prioritized install order for new users
• OpenClaw Not Working? -- fix every common error
• 7 Best OpenClaw Alternatives -- compared for 2026