A comprehensive toolkit for scaffolding, testing, documenting, and debugging REST and GraphQL APIs using Openclaw Skills.
Install & Download
1. ClawHub CLI
The fastest way to install a skill directly from the registry.
npx clawhub@latest install api-dev
2. Manual Installation
Copy the skill folder to one of these locations
~/.openclaw/skills/ <project>/skills/ Priority: Workspace > Local > Bundled
3. Prompt Installation
Copy this prompt to OpenClaw to install it automatically.
Help me install api-dev using Clawhub. If Clawhub is not installed, install it first (npm i -g clawhub).
Prefer to download?
Get the raw skill files in a ZIP archive.
What is API Development?
The API Development skill provides a robust framework for managing the complete lifecycle of HTTP-based services. By leveraging this skill within Openclaw Skills, developers can transition seamlessly from initial endpoint scaffolding to advanced debugging and documentation. It integrates powerful command-line utilities to handle both REST and GraphQL architectures, making it an essential asset for modern web development.
This skill eliminates the friction of manual API verification by providing standardized patterns for integration testing, performance benchmarking, and specification validation. Whether you are troubleshooting CORS issues or inspecting JWT tokens, these automated workflows ensure that your APIs remain reliable, documented, and performant.
API Development Use Cases
- Scaffolding new REST or GraphQL endpoints with boilerplate Express or Python code.
- Automating API verification using curl scripts and custom test runners.
- Generating and validating OpenAPI/Swagger specifications to ensure documentation accuracy.
- Implementing lightweight mock servers to unblock frontend development teams.
- Debugging complex HTTP request/response issues, including headers and payload verification.
- Performing quick load tests and response time benchmarking for critical endpoints.
How API Development Works
- Analyze the API requirements to determine the necessary endpoints, methods, and data structures.
- Scaffold the initial server environment or endpoint logic using provided templates.
- Execute targeted curl commands to verify connectivity and validate JSON response schemas.
- Draft an OpenAPI specification to document the service contract and validate it against industry standards.
- Deploy automated test scripts in Bash or Python to perform end-to-end integration testing.
- Utilize debugging utilities to monitor performance regressions or resolve authentication issues.
API Development Setup
To utilize the API Development features within Openclaw Skills, ensure your environment has the required dependencies. Most systems include curl by default, but you will need Node.js or Python for advanced scripting.
# Verify core dependencies
curl --version
node -v
python3 --version
# Install Express for scaffolding examples
mkdir my-api && cd my-api
npm init -y
npm install express
API Development Data Schema & Taxonomy
The skill organizes API metadata and logic into several key file types to ensure a structured development workflow.
| File Name | Purpose | Data Type |
|---|---|---|
openapi.yaml |
Defines the API structure, endpoints, and security schemes. | YAML / Specification |
server.js |
The primary entry point for Node.js based REST APIs. | JavaScript / Logic |
api-test.sh |
Bash-based runner for automated integration tests. | Shell Script |
mock_server.py |
A lightweight script to simulate API responses. | Python / Mocking |
response.json |
Captured output from curl requests for analysis. | JSON / Data |
API Development Advanced Features
- Dynamic JWT inspection to decode payloads directly from the command line without external dependencies.
- Automated CORS preflight testing to verify cross-origin resource sharing configurations.
- Response time regression monitoring using awk-based benchmarking tools.
- Headless OpenAPI linting and validation using specialized CLI tools.
- Multi-environment support through configurable base URL variables in test runners.
SKILL.md
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