A versatile command-line utility for parsing, filtering, and transforming JSON data with a powerful functional domain-specific language.
Install & Download
1. ClawHub CLI
The fastest way to install a skill directly from the registry.
npx clawhub@latest install jq
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 jq 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 jq JSON Processor?
jq is the industry-standard command-line JSON processor, designed to work seamlessly with Unix pipes and shell scripts. It allows developers to extract specific fields, map over arrays, and reshape complex JSON objects into desired formats. As a core component within Openclaw Skills, jq enables automated agents to handle data manipulation tasks with precision and speed, making it indispensable for modern DevOps and data processing pipelines.
jq JSON Processor Use Cases
- Extracting specific fields or keys from large API responses for downstream processing.
- Filtering arrays based on specific conditions or boolean flags within automated workflows.
- Transforming and reshaping JSON objects to match external schema requirements or database formats.
- Merging multiple JSON files into a single array for aggregate analysis and reporting.
- Pretty-printing minified JSON files to make them human-readable during debugging.
How jq JSON Processor Works
- Input is received by the utility via a file argument or piped directly from standard input (stdin).
- A filter string is applied to the incoming JSON stream using the tool's domain-specific language.
- The processor parses the structure and executes operations like selection, mapping, or reduction as specified.
- The processed result is outputted to standard output (stdout), with optional formatting using flags like raw or compact output.
jq JSON Processor Setup
Install via Homebrew for macOS and Linux environments:
brew install jq
For other platforms, including Windows, download pre-compiled binaries or build from source via the official jqlang.org website. Once installed, verify the setup by running jq --version in your terminal. This tool integrates perfectly with Openclaw Skills environments for streamlined data handling.
jq JSON Processor Data Schema & Taxonomy
| Component | Description | Syntax Example |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Reference to the current root object | . |
| Object Identifier | Accessing a specific property or key | .key |
| Array Index | Accessing an element at a specific position | .[0] |
| Slicing | Extracting a subset of an array | .[1:10] |
| Iterators | Processing every item within an array | .[] |
| Functions | Built-in operations for math and strings | length, add, keys |
jq JSON Processor Advanced Features
- Support for complex conditionals and logical operators using select and if-then-else blocks.
- Advanced array manipulation including unique de-duplication, grouping, and sorting.
- Slurping multiple separate files into a single array for cross-file data processing and merging.
- Raw output mode for extracting strings without surrounding quotes, ideal for shell variable assignment.
- Automatic key sorting to ensure consistent JSON structure for version control and diffing.
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