OpenClaw skills are local instruction packages built around a SKILL.md file. They teach an OpenClaw agent when and how to use tools, and can include supporting files. On a VPS, you install OpenClaw first, inspect a skill’s requirements and trust information, then install it either in the active workspace or in the shared ~/.openclaw/skills directory. Finally, configure its binaries, environment variables, API keys and agent visibility before enabling it.
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This guide covers the complete VPS workflow: what a skill contains, where OpenClaw looks for one, the supported installation sources, exact commands, verification, scope control for multiple agents, and recovery when an install does not load.
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What an OpenClaw skill is
OpenClaw’s documentation defines a skill as “a markdown instruction file that teach your agent how and when to use tools.” In practical terms, it is a directory-based package whose required entry point is SKILL.md. The file provides the operating instructions an agent should follow; adjacent files can hold scripts, templates or other support material required by those instructions.
A skill is not a model plug-in that exists only in a cloud account. OpenClaw loads skill files available on the machine, evaluates whether they are eligible in the current environment, and then exposes eligible instructions to an agent. Eligibility can depend on environment variables, required command-line binaries and other conditions. Installing a directory therefore does not guarantee that every agent can immediately use it.
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Why the directory and file layout matters
SKILL.mdis the entry point. Git and local installs expect this file at the source root. If it is nested in another directory, the installer cannot treat the source as a valid skill without reorganizing the checkout.- Supporting files stay beside the instructions. Relative paths in the markdown normally assume the package’s directory structure remains intact.
- Eligibility is evaluated at load time. A skill that needs a binary, an environment variable or an API key may be installed but filtered out until that requirement is met.
Where OpenClaw stores skills
The default destination depends on the command’s scope. Running openclaw skills install without --global writes to the active workspace’s skills/ directory. That makes the capability local to the project or workspace from which you run the command.
Adding --global installs the skill in the shared ~/.openclaw/skills directory. Global skills are visible to local agents unless an allowlist narrows visibility. This is useful on a VPS hosting several agents that should share a common capability, but it is not a substitute for access control: an agent-level configuration can still restrict or replace the available set.
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Loading precedence when names collide
OpenClaw resolves duplicate skill names in this order:
- Workspace-level skills
- Global skills in
~/.openclaw/skills - Bundled skills shipped with OpenClaw
A workspace copy therefore overrides a global copy with the same name, and a global copy overrides a bundled one. This precedence is useful for testing a patched instruction set without changing the shared installation, but it also creates a risk: an unexpected workspace directory can silently take precedence over a version you intended to use.
Agent-level scope
Agent configuration can provide a shared baseline or replace it with an explicit list of allowed skills. An empty list can lock that agent out of every skill. On a multi-agent VPS, install broadly only when the capability is safe for all tenants; otherwise use per-agent allowlists so each agent sees the smallest practical set.
What you need before installing on a VPS
Prepare the host and the account that will run OpenClaw before installing any third-party skill.
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- A user account with permission to install OpenClaw and write to the intended workspace or home directory.
- A supported Node.js runtime. OpenClaw’s official installer can provision one when needed.
- Outbound network access if you will fetch a registry or Git source.
- A defined OpenClaw workspace if you want a project-local installation.
- Any external binaries, environment variables or API keys required by the skill you plan to use.
Use a dedicated non-root account for routine operation where possible. Keep secrets out of shell history and out of the SKILL.md file itself; provide them through the supported skill environment or API-key settings in OpenClaw’s configuration.
Install OpenClaw on the VPS
Connect to the server over SSH, then use OpenClaw’s official installer or the package route documented by the project. The installer command supplied by the project is:
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bashThe installer provisions a supported Node.js runtime when one is needed. If your organization does not permit piping a downloaded script directly to a shell, download the script for inspection first, review it under your normal change-control process, and then execute it according to your policy.
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After installation, start a fresh shell if the installer changed your PATH, then confirm that the CLI responds:
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Find and inspect a skill before installing it
OpenClaw provides discovery and diagnostic commands. Search by a capability or keyword, list what is already available, inspect one skill in detail, and run the eligibility checker before asking an agent to rely on it.
openclaw skills search "calendar"
openclaw skills list
openclaw skills info <name>
openclaw skills checkWhat each command tells you
openclaw skills search "calendar"helps locate matching registry entries when you know the function but not the exact slug.openclaw skills listshows skills visible in the current OpenClaw context, which helps distinguish an install problem from an allowlist or precedence problem.openclaw skills info <name>displays the selected skill’s metadata and requirements so you can identify dependencies before enabling it.openclaw skills checkevaluates installed skills against the current environment, exposing missing binaries, variables or other eligibility failures.
Run these commands as the same Unix user and from the same workspace that will run the agent. A skill installed under one account or workspace may not appear when you inspect another.
Supported installation sources and their trade-offs
The installer accepts owner-qualified ClawHub references, skills.sh references, Git repositories and local directories. Choose the source according to how you intend to review and maintain the code.
| Source | Command form | Best fit | Operational considerations |
|---|---|---|---|
| ClawHub | openclaw skills install @owner/<slug> |
A published registry skill with a stable owner and slug | Inspect verification and scan state before enabling; registry maintenance follows the published entry. |
| skills.sh | openclaw skills install skills-sh:owner/repo/slug |
A skill referenced through the skills.sh namespace | Confirm the referenced repository and its root layout before relying on it. |
| Git | openclaw skills install git:owner/repo@ref |
A branch, tag or other Git reference you control or have reviewed | Pin and review the selected reference; updates require fetching or reinstalling the source according to your release process. |
| Local directory | openclaw skills install ./path/to/skill --as my-tool |
Private development, a local checkout or a skill you are authoring | The source root must contain SKILL.md; --as changes the derived local slug. |
When a comparable detail is not stated by the project, do not infer it. For example, no universal update interval, support policy or numeric security score is published for any source.
Install a skill in the workspace
A workspace install is the least surprising choice when only one project or agent should use the capability. Change to the workspace directory, then run the owner-qualified command:
openclaw skills install @owner/<slug>OpenClaw writes the result to that workspace’s skills/ directory. Immediately inspect the result:
openclaw skills list
openclaw skills info <name>
openclaw skills checkIf the skill does not appear, verify that you are still in the intended workspace, that the install command completed without an error, and that the agent’s allowlist has not excluded it.
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Install a skill globally
Use a global install when several local agents should be able to share the same capability:
openclaw skills install @owner/<slug> --globalThe destination is ~/.openclaw/skills for the user who ran the command. A global install is not system-wide across every Unix account; another account has a different home directory and does not automatically inherit it.
After installing globally, inspect from each agent context that should use it. If one agent sees the skill and another does not, compare their per-agent allowlists and workspace copies. A workspace-level copy can also override the global version without changing the global directory.
Install from Git or a local directory
Git source
For a Git source, provide the owner, repository and reference in the supported form:
openclaw skills install git:owner/repo@refThe reference identifies what you intend to install. Review the repository at that reference and confirm that SKILL.md is at the source root, not only inside a subfolder. Treat a moving branch differently from a fixed tag or commit in your change-control notes, because the contents can change when you reinstall.
Local source
For a checked-out or newly authored skill, point OpenClaw at the directory:
openclaw skills install ./path/to/skill --as my-toolThe path is resolved from your current shell location. The directory must contain SKILL.md at its root. Use --as my-tool only when you need a different local slug from the name OpenClaw would derive automatically; changing the slug can affect how you refer to the skill in configuration and diagnostics.
Verify a registry skill before enabling it
For a registry skill, inspect the available trust information before exposing it to an agent that can access sensitive tools or credentials:
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openclaw skills verify @owner/<slug> --cardVerification can return a trust envelope and expose the security-scan state. Read those results alongside the skill’s instructions and declared requirements. A verification result is evidence to consider, not permission to skip review: you still need to understand what commands the skill asks an agent to run, which files it reads or writes, and which credentials it can use.
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A practical review checklist
- Read the complete
SKILL.md, including command examples and any instructions that download or execute files. - Check whether required binaries are expected to run with elevated privileges.
- Identify every environment variable and API key, and decide whether the agent genuinely needs each one.
- Compare the owner, repository and requested slug with the source you intended to install.
- Run
openclaw skills checkbefore granting credentials so missing prerequisites are visible first. - Test in a disposable workspace or a restricted agent when the skill is unfamiliar.
Configure binaries, variables and API keys
OpenClaw’s configuration file is ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json. Its skills section supports extra skill directories, symlink-target allowlists, file watching, bundled-skill allowlists, installer preferences and per-skill environment or API-key settings.
Use the configuration capabilities that match your deployment:
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- Extra skill directories: include a reviewed directory outside the default workspace and global locations when you have a deliberate reason to do so.
- Symlink-target allowlists: restrict which linked directories OpenClaw may follow instead of allowing arbitrary filesystem targets.
- File watching: enable watching when you need OpenClaw to notice controlled edits during development; disable or limit it in a locked-down production workflow if automatic reloads are undesirable.
- Bundled-skill allowlists: keep only the bundled capabilities required by the deployment.
- Installer preferences: make source and installation behavior explicit for repeatable administration.
- Per-skill environment and API-key settings: provide only the variables and credentials the selected skill requires, rather than placing broad secrets in the shell environment.
The exact configuration values depend on the skill and your OpenClaw release. After editing the file, rerun openclaw skills list and openclaw skills check in the target context. Do not put an API key directly into a command copied into shared logs or into a skill’s markdown instructions.
Use least privilege on a multi-agent VPS
A VPS can host multiple workspaces and agents, so installation scope is also a security decision.
Shared capability
Install globally when every relevant agent needs the same reviewed skill and the skill’s credentials can be safely separated. Then use agent-level configuration to expose the skill only to the agents that need it.
Project-specific capability
Install in the workspace when the skill belongs to one project, is under active development, or needs a different version from the shared installation. The workspace precedence rule lets you test this copy without replacing the global copy.
Isolation
Use explicit per-agent allowlists when agents have different trust levels. Remember that an empty list means no skills are available to that agent. Test the effective visibility with openclaw skills list from each agent’s actual workspace and account.
End-to-end VPS procedure
The following sequence keeps discovery, installation and authorization separate:
- SSH into the Linux VPS using the account that will run OpenClaw.
- Install OpenClaw with the official installer or the project’s documented package route.
- Open a fresh shell if necessary and run
openclaw --helpto confirm the CLI is available. - Search and inspect candidates with
openclaw skills search,openclaw skills listandopenclaw skills info. - For a registry candidate, run
openclaw skills verify @owner/<slug>and review the trust envelope and scan state. - Choose workspace or global scope, then run the matching
openclaw skills installcommand. - For Git or local sources, confirm that the source root contains
SKILL.md; add--asonly if you need a different slug. - Run
openclaw skills checkand resolve every missing binary, variable or API key before enabling the skill. - Edit the
skillssection of~/.openclaw/openclaw.jsonfor required directories, allowlists and per-skill credentials. - Re-run
openclaw skills listand check visibility from every agent that should use the skill. - Start with a restricted test task, observe the commands and files the agent touches, and expand access only after the behavior matches your review.
Troubleshooting common installation failures
“Command not found” for openclaw
The CLI is not on the current shell’s PATH, or the installation was performed under another account. Start a new shell, verify the account, and rerun the installer or package setup according to the project’s instructions.
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The skill installs but does not appear
Check the working directory, account and scope first. A workspace install is tied to that workspace; a global install is tied to the installing user’s ~/.openclaw/skills. Then inspect agent allowlists and run openclaw skills list in the context that will execute the agent.
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Git or local installation rejects the source
Inspect the source root. SKILL.md must be directly at that root. If a repository contains several directories, point the installer at the directory that actually contains the file, or reorganize the checkout so the skill package has the expected layout.
openclaw skills check reports missing requirements
Read the diagnostic for the named binary, environment variable or API key. Install the required binary through your normal system process, then configure the variable or key under the skill settings in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json. Run the check again before giving the agent access.
A workspace copy behaves differently from the global copy
Compare names and paths. Workspace skills take precedence over global skills, so the agent may be loading the local copy. Inspect both directories and remove, rename or update the unintended copy.
A skill is visible to one agent but not another
Compare each agent’s explicit allowlist. An agent can replace the shared baseline with its own list, and an empty list disables all skills. Also check whether the agents run under different Unix users or workspaces.
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Maintaining and removing skills safely
Keep a record of each installed source, scope and reference. Registry skills can follow their published maintenance path; Git and local sources generally require you to review and reinstall the source when you decide to update. Re-run verification and the eligibility check after a change, especially when the skill’s required binaries or credentials have changed.
When retiring a skill, first remove it from the agents’ allowlists and revoke credentials that were issued solely for it. Then remove the workspace or global package using the filesystem and OpenClaw administration procedure appropriate to your release. Confirm with openclaw skills list that no active context still exposes the retired name, and check for a higher-precedence copy in a workspace.
Key decisions at a glance
| Question | Choose this when |
|---|---|
| Workspace or global? | Workspace for one project, development or isolation; global for a reviewed capability shared by multiple agents. |
| Registry, Git or local? | Registry for a published owner-qualified slug; Git for a reviewed repository reference; local for your own checkout or private development. |
| Enable immediately? | Only after reading SKILL.md, checking requirements and reviewing registry verification or the source reference. |
| How much access? | Use the narrowest agent allowlist, directory access and credential set that completes the task. |
The Bottom Line
An OpenClaw skill is a local SKILL.md-based instruction package. On a VPS, install OpenClaw, inspect and verify the source, install it in the workspace or ~/.openclaw/skills, satisfy its runtime requirements, and control exposure with per-agent configuration before putting it to work.
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