OpenClaw init-hooks turns container startup into a persistent, ordered automation pipeline that survives restarts, rebuilds, and gateway refreshes.
Install & Download
1. ClawHub CLI
The fastest way to install a skill directly from the registry.
npx clawhub@latest install init-hooks
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 init-hooks 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 OpenClaw init-hooks?
OpenClaw init-hooks is a startup-hook manager for OpenClaw containers and hosts. It lets you register actions that run automatically during boot, restart, or pod rebuild, while keeping the hook registry persisted in workspace/.init-hooks/ so Openclaw Skills can reuse the same automation state across lifecycles.
It supports three primary hook sources: inline shell commands, local shell/Python scripts, and CDN-hosted zip or tar.gz bundles that are downloaded and extracted on demand. The skill also includes a config sync companion for openclaw.json and gateway updates, making it a practical way to keep startup automation, runtime configuration, and execution logs aligned.
OpenClaw init-hooks Use Cases
- Bootstrap environment variables, directories, and runtime settings on every OpenClaw startup.
- Restore credentials, session state, or account setup after container or pod recreation.
- Run local shell scripts or Python setup code as part of a repeatable boot sequence.
- Pull remote initialization bundles from a CDN and execute them without manual unpacking.
- Test a hook immediately with
runand inspect execution output inlast-run.log. - Manage startup order for multiple hooks with explicit
ordervalues. - Sync
openclaw.jsonand gateway configuration after edits so runtime and persisted config stay aligned. - Build reliable Openclaw Skills bootstrap flows for containerized agent environments.
How OpenClaw init-hooks Works
- Install the skill with
manage.py install, which creates~/.openclaw/workspace/.init-hooks/, initializeshooks.json, generatesdispatcher.sh, and injects the dispatcher intopost-init.shor the container startup script when possible. - Add hooks using one of the supported source types:
inlinefor shell commands,scriptfor local shell files,pythonfor local Python files, or URL-backed script packages for CDN downloads. - Persist every change in
hooks.json, the source of truth, and let the CLI regeneratedispatcher.shautomatically after add, edit, enable, disable, or delete operations. - Execute hooks on startup or on demand with
runorrun <id>; enabled hooks run in ascendingorder, and a failure in one hook does not stop the rest. - Log each run to
~/.openclaw/workspace/.init-hooks/last-run.logwhile also teeing output to stdout and printing a success/failure summary at the end. - Sync config changes with
sync_openclaw_config.pyafter editingopenclaw.jsonor gateway settings, using--patch,--run,--run-inline, or--checkto keep runtime and persisted paths consistent.
OpenClaw init-hooks Setup
- Install the hook runtime and verify the current status.
SCRIPT="$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/init-hooks/scripts/manage.py"
python3 "$SCRIPT" install
python3 "$SCRIPT" status
- Add a startup hook. Inline commands are the fastest way to bootstrap a container.
python3 "$SCRIPT" add --name "Initialize log directory" --type inline --content "mkdir -p ~/logs && echo started >> ~/logs/boot.log"
- Add a local script or Python hook when the startup logic is more complex.
python3 "$SCRIPT" add --name "Restore credentials" --type script --path "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/scripts/restore-credentials.sh"
python3 "$SCRIPT" add --name "Agent workspace config" --type python --path "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/scripts/set-agents.py"
- Sync OpenClaw config changes after modifying
openclaw.jsonor gateway settings.
SYNC="$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/init-hooks/scripts/sync_openclaw_config.py"
python3 "$SYNC" --check
- Optional: configure extra persistence paths or a custom startup script for container environments.
export INIT_HOOKS_SYNC_PATHS="/app/clawconfig/openclaw.json:/app/k8s-config/clawconfig/openclaw.json"
export INIT_HOOKS_START_SH="/app/start.sh"
OpenClaw init-hooks Data Schema & Taxonomy
Storage layout
| Path | Purpose | Notes |
|---|---|---|
~/.openclaw/workspace/.init-hooks/hooks.json |
Hook registry | Source of truth for all hooks and their enabled/order state. |
~/.openclaw/workspace/.init-hooks/dispatcher.sh |
Generated dispatcher | Auto-generated runner; manual edits are overwritten by the next operation. |
~/.openclaw/workspace/.init-hooks/last-run.log |
Execution log | Append-only log for each startup/run invocation, also tee'd to stdout. |
~/.openclaw/workspace/.init-hooks/downloads/ |
CDN cache | Stores extracted remote hook bundles as hook_<id>.*. |
~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/init-hooks/scripts/manage.py |
CLI entry point | Handles install, CRUD, status, and execution operations. |
~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/init-hooks/scripts/sync_openclaw_config.py |
Config sync utility | Reconciles openclaw.json and any extra persistence targets. |
Hook metadata taxonomy
id: Stable numeric identifier used forshow,edit,enable,disable, anddelete.name: Human-readable hook label.type: Hook source type, such asinline,script, orpython.enabled: Whether the hook participates in startup execution.order: Ascending execution order; default step is10.content: Inline shell content forinlinehooks.path: Local filesystem path forscriptandpythonhooks.url: CDN archive URL for remotely hosted hook bundles.entry: Entry file inside a downloaded archive when one is not auto-detected.
Data and generation rules
hooks.jsonis the truth and should be edited only through the CLI.dispatcher.shis generated fromhooks.jsonand regenerated after every CRUD change.- Remote URL hooks are cached under
downloads/; deleting the cache forces a fresh download on the next run. openclaw.jsonis synchronized throughsync_openclaw_config.py, with optional extra paths controlled byINIT_HOOKS_SYNC_PATHS.
OpenClaw init-hooks Advanced Features
- Persistent startup automation that survives gateway restarts, container restarts, and pod rebuilds.
- Automatic dispatcher regeneration after every
add,edit,enable,disable, ordeleteaction. - Support for inline shell commands, local shell scripts, local Python scripts, and CDN-hosted zip/tar.gz packages.
- Ordered execution with
--orderso bootstrapping can be staged deterministically. - Broad failure isolation: one failing hook does not stop the rest of the startup sequence.
- One-command test execution with
runandrun <id>, plus append-only logging inlast-run.log. - Config synchronization workflows for
openclaw.jsonand gateway changes viasync_openclaw_config.py. - Safe, idempotent installation that injects into
post-init.shor the container startup script when available. - Clean Openclaw Skills bootstrap for repeatable developer, agent, and container environments.
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