An intelligent skill for Openclaw that automates the cloning, configuration, and execution of GitHub repositories by following project documentation.
Install & Download
1. ClawHub CLI
The fastest way to install a skill directly from the registry.
npx clawhub@latest install repo-runner
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 repo-runner 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 Repo Runner?
Repo Runner is a specialized tool within the Openclaw Skills ecosystem designed to eliminate the manual toil of setting up unfamiliar codebases. It analyzes a GitHub URL or local directory, identifies project types (Node, Python, Go, Rust, Docker), and executes the exact setup steps defined in the project's documentation.
This skill prioritizes security by treating repo code as untrusted, requiring explicit user confirmation before running installation scripts or handling environment secrets. It ensures that developers can move from discovery to execution in seconds without guessing the correct commands or runtime requirements.
Repo Runner Use Cases
- Rapidly testing a new open-source library or tool directly from a GitHub URL.
- Bootstrapping a local development environment for a newly joined project without manual setup.
- Verifying build and test processes across different language ecosystems like Rust, Go, or Python.
- Automatically configuring and launching containerized projects using Docker Compose.
- Safely exploring untrusted repositories using built-in confirmation safeguards.
How Repo Runner Works
- Clones the target repository into the designated Openclaw workspace projects directory.
- Scans for canonical documentation such as README.md, docs folders, and CONTRIBUTING.md to extract prerequisites.
- Runs internal detection scripts to identify the project runtime and dependency managers (e.g., package.json, Cargo.toml).
- Verifies that required runtimes exist on the system and prompts for installation if missing.
- Manages environment variables by copying .env.example files and requesting sensitive keys from the user.
- Executes installation commands like npm ci or pip install only after receiving explicit user approval.
- Launches the application using documented run targets, captures logs, and reports accessible ports or URLs.
Repo Runner Setup
To enable this capability within your environment, ensure you have the Openclaw Skills framework configured. Follow these steps to prepare the runner:
# Navigate to your skills directory
cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/repo-runner
# Ensure detection scripts are executable
chmod +x scripts/detect_project.sh
chmod +x scripts/suggest_node_commands.sh
You may also need to ensure that language runtimes (Node, Python, Docker, etc.) are installed on your host system to support specific project types.
Repo Runner Data Schema & Taxonomy
Repo Runner organizes project data and metadata within the Openclaw workspace to maintain isolation and clarity:
| Component | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Project Root | <workspace>/projects/<repo> |
The location where the GitHub repository is cloned. |
| Environment | .env |
The local configuration file generated from template examples. |
| Lockfiles | package-lock.json, yarn.lock, pnpm-lock.yaml |
Used to ensure deterministic and safe dependency installation. |
| Virtual Env | .venv/ |
Isolated Python environments created for Python-based projects. |
| Workspace Log | Console Output | Detailed logs of the detection, install, and run phases. |
Repo Runner Advanced Features
- Multi-language detection supporting Node.js, Python, Rust, Go, and Docker environments.
- Safeguard mechanisms that require confirmation for potentially dangerous post-install scripts.
- Intelligent lockfile detection to ensure frozen-lockfile installs (npm ci, pnpm install --frozen-lockfile).
- Automated virtual environment management for Python to prevent system-wide package pollution.
- Support for Docker Compose stacks, allowing complex multi-container apps to be launched via one command.
- Integrated log monitoring to detect common failures and suggest iterative fixes based on Openclaw Skills logic.
SKILL.md
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