OpenClaw is a local-first AI agent runtime that bridges LLMs with messaging platforms and local tools via a persistent Gateway.
Install & Download
1. ClawHub CLI
The fastest way to install a skill directly from the registry.
npx clawhub@latest install openclaw-overview
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 openclaw-overview 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 Overview?
OpenClaw serves as a robust, local-first runtime for AI agents, acting as a persistent bridge between large language models and your digital environment. By utilizing a long-running Gateway process, it seamlessly integrates LLMs, messaging channels, and complex tool execution. This architecture ensures that your Openclaw Skills can operate continuously across multiple platforms while maintaining state, session history, and context window efficiency through automated compaction.
At its core, OpenClaw prioritizes local data sovereignty and flexibility. It allows users to run agents on their own hardware while interacting through familiar interfaces like Telegram, WhatsApp, or Discord. The system manages the entire agent lifecycle, from message routing and context management to scheduled task execution and hardware sensor integration via remote nodes.
OpenClaw Overview Use Cases
- Centralizing AI agent management across multiple messaging platforms such as Telegram, Signal, and WhatsApp.
- Automating local system tasks through first-class tool execution including file I/O, shell commands, and browser automation.
- Extending agent capabilities via custom Openclaw Skills stored in local workspaces.
- Synchronizing hardware sensors from mobile devices (iOS/Android) to a central AI gateway for real-world environmental awareness.
- Orchestrating complex workflows using sub-agents and scheduled cron jobs.
How OpenClaw Overview Works
- The Gateway acts as the single source of truth, managing all session states, token counting, and message routing while providing a WebSocket API for clients.
- Messaging channels connect to the Gateway, allowing users to send inputs from various chat platforms.
- The Agent runtime processes these inputs using primary or fallback LLM models while maintaining context in JSONL-based sessions.
- Integrated tools such as Playwright for browsing or shell execution are triggered directly by the agent to perform real-world actions based on the user's intent.
- Automation layers like Heartbeat and Cron tasks periodically wake the agent to execute scheduled maintenance, background processing, or proactive notifications.
- The system automatically handles context window limits through a compaction process that summarizes old messages while preserving recent history.
OpenClaw Overview Setup
To begin using Openclaw Skills, you need to install the CLI and initialize your environment. Follow these steps to set up the runtime:
# Install OpenClaw globally via npm
npm install -g openclaw
# Run the interactive configuration wizard to set up providers and channels
openclaw configure
# Start the gateway service in the background
openclaw gateway start
# Verify the installation and check system health
openclaw doctor
# List all currently loaded skills
openclaw skills list
OpenClaw Overview Data Schema & Taxonomy
OpenClaw organizes its data and configuration within the ~/.openclaw/ directory. This structure ensures that Openclaw Skills have access to both global settings and agent-specific contexts:
| Component | Path | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Main Config | openclaw.json |
The primary JSON5 configuration for models, providers, and gateway settings. |
| Agent State | agents/<id>/agent/ |
Stores authentication profiles and model registrations for specific agents. |
| Sessions | agents/<id>/sessions/ |
Contains chat history and message logs stored in JSONL format. |
| Workspace | workspace/ |
The active directory containing SOUL.md, USER.md, and custom skill files. |
| Memory | memory/ |
Local storage for semantic search and long-term memory retrieval. |
| Cron Jobs | cron/jobs.json |
Registry for all scheduled tasks and system events. |
OpenClaw Overview Advanced Features
- Multi-Agent Isolation: Support for multiple agents with unique identities, routing rules, and dedicated workspaces.
- Automated Context Compaction: Intelligent context management that summarizes older dialogue to prevent token overflow while maintaining coherence.
- Hardware Node Support: Connect iOS, Android, or IoT devices to the gateway to provide agents with camera, GPS, and notification access.
- Flexible Tool Profiling: Fine-grained security controls to allow or deny specific tools like shell execution or browser automation.
- Subagent Orchestration: The ability for a primary agent to spawn and manage specialized sub-agents for complex task delegation.
- Event-Driven Hooks: Custom script triggers that fire upon message arrival, session creation, or agent completion.
SKILL.md
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