A powerful management tool for Node-RED instances that enables automated flow deployment, node management, and runtime diagnostics via a streamlined CLI.
Install & Download
1. ClawHub CLI
The fastest way to install a skill directly from the registry.
npx clawhub@latest install node-red-manager
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 node-red-manager 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 Node-RED Manager?
The Node-RED Manager is a specialized tool designed to streamline the administration of Node-RED environments. It provides a robust interface to the Node-RED Admin API, allowing developers to programmatically manage flows, nodes, and global context. By integrating this skill into your workflow, you can move away from manual GUI updates and embrace a more DevOps-centric approach to automation logic.
As a core component within the Openclaw Skills ecosystem, this manager facilitates complex automation tasks such as syncing flows across environments, performing automated backups, and managing runtime states. It is particularly effective for users running Node-RED within Docker containers, providing direct commands for service monitoring and log management.
Node-RED Manager Use Cases
- Deploying pre-configured automation flows to production environments without using the browser.
- Automating the installation and maintenance of node modules across multiple instances.
- Creating scheduled backups of logic flows to prevent data loss during updates.
- Updating flow context and global variables programmatically to trigger specific automation behaviors.
- Troubleshooting remote Node-RED instances via CLI-based diagnostics and log trailing.
How Node-RED Manager Works
- The skill connects to the Node-RED Admin API using credentials defined in the local environment configuration.
- Users interact with the
scripts/nrutility to send commands for flow, node, or context management. - The manager authenticates with the target instance and executes the requested operation, such as fetching a flow definition or deploying a new JSON asset.
- For containerized setups, the skill leverages Docker Compose to manage the underlying service lifecycle and retrieve real-time logs.
- All operations are logged and results are returned in a developer-friendly format, ensuring clear feedback for every management action.
Node-RED Manager Setup
To get started with this skill on Openclaw Skills, follow these steps:
- Copy the example environment file:
cp .env.example .env
- Configure your Node-RED connection details in the
.envfile:
NODE_RED_URL="https://your-node-red-url"
NODE_RED_USERNAME="admin"
NODE_RED_PASSWORD="your-secure-password"
- Run any management command; the script will automatically handle dependency installation on the first execution.
Node-RED Manager Data Schema & Taxonomy
The Node-RED Manager organizes data around flow definitions and deployment metadata. Below is the primary structure used by this skill:
| Data Type | Description | Primary Location |
|---|---|---|
| Flow Assets | JSON files representing Node-RED logic | assets/flows/*.json |
| Backups | Complete snapshots of the instance flows | node-red-backup-[timestamp].json |
| Environment | Connection strings and credentials | .env |
| Persistent Data | Docker volume storage for Node-RED state | deployments/node-red/data |
Node-RED Manager Advanced Features
- Full CLI-based lifecycle management for flows including list, get, deploy, update, and delete.
- Comprehensive node module management allowing for headless installation and removal of contrib-nodes.
- Deep context access to read or write flow-level and global-level variables programmatically.
- Integrated backup and restore functionality to safeguard complex automation logic.
- Support for both modern and legacy environment variable naming conventions for maximum compatibility within Openclaw Skills environments.
SKILL.md
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