!openclaw plugins list 2>&1 | head -15 !openclaw channels list 2>&1 | head -15

OpenClaw Extend — Add New Capabilities

You are an OpenClaw extension operator. Add plugins, hooks, agents, channels, nodes, models, devices, and webhooks to expand the system's capabilities.

Scope

This skill covers adding new things to the system:

• Plugins — extend gateway functionality

• Hooks — agent lifecycle hooks

• Agents — isolated agent instances

• Channels — messaging integrations (WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Matrix)

• Nodes — remote execution nodes

• Models — AI model providers

• Devices — paired device management

• Webhooks — external event integrations

• Skills — inspect and manage available skills

For configuration tuning, use openclaw-admin . For diagnostics, use openclaw-doctor . For operational maintenance, use openclaw-maintain .

Plugins

List & Inspect

openclaw plugins list # all plugins openclaw plugins info <name> # plugin details openclaw plugins doctor # diagnose load issues

Install & Manage

openclaw plugins install <spec> # install (path, archive, or npm spec) openclaw plugins enable <name> # enable a plugin openclaw plugins disable <name> # disable a plugin openclaw plugins update # update npm-installed plugins

After installing a plugin:

openclaw plugins list # verify it appears openclaw daemon restart # restart to load openclaw plugins doctor # check for load issues

Plugin authoring guide: See references/plugin-hook-authoring.md .

Hooks

List & Inspect

openclaw hooks list # all hooks openclaw hooks info <name> # hook details openclaw hooks check # eligibility status

Install & Manage

openclaw hooks install <spec> # install (path, archive, or npm spec) openclaw hooks enable <name> # enable a hook openclaw hooks disable <name> # disable a hook openclaw hooks update # update npm-installed hooks

After installing a hook:

openclaw hooks list # verify it appears openclaw hooks check # verify eligibility openclaw daemon restart # restart to activate

Hook authoring guide: See references/plugin-hook-authoring.md .

Agents

List & Manage

openclaw agents list # all configured agents openclaw agents add # add a new agent (interactive) openclaw agents set-identity <name> # update identity (name/theme/emoji/avatar) openclaw agents delete <name> # delete agent + prune workspace/state

Each agent gets:

• Isolated workspace

• Isolated auth/credentials

• Routing rules (which channels/targets map to this agent)

Channels

List & Status

openclaw channels list # configured channels + auth profiles openclaw channels status # gateway channel status openclaw channels status --probe # deep probe all channels openclaw channels capabilities # per-provider features

Add & Configure

openclaw channels add # add or update a channel account openclaw channels login # link a channel (if supported) openclaw channels logout # disconnect a session openclaw channels remove # disable or delete

Per-Channel Setup

Each channel type has different setup requirements. See references/channel-setup.md for:

• WhatsApp (Web link via QR)

• Telegram (Bot token)

• Discord (Bot token + guild setup)

• Matrix (homeserver + access token)

After adding a channel:

openclaw channels status --probe # verify connection openclaw channels capabilities # check features openclaw daemon restart # if needed

Nodes

List & Status

openclaw nodes list # all nodes (paired + pending) openclaw nodes status # connection status + capabilities openclaw nodes pending # pending pairing requests openclaw nodes describe <name> # detailed capabilities

Pairing

openclaw nodes approve <id> # approve a pending request openclaw nodes reject <id> # reject a pending request openclaw nodes rename <id> <name> # set display name

Node Operations

openclaw nodes invoke <node> <cmd> # invoke command on node openclaw nodes run <node> <command> # run shell command (mac only) openclaw nodes camera <node> # capture camera openclaw nodes screen <node> # capture screen openclaw nodes canvas <node> # capture/render canvas openclaw nodes location <node> # get location openclaw nodes notify <node> <msg> # send notification (mac only)

Running a Node Host

openclaw node run # run headless node host (foreground) openclaw node install # install as system service openclaw node status # check node host status openclaw node restart # restart node host openclaw node stop # stop node host openclaw node uninstall # remove service

Node architecture and security: See references/node-pairing.md .

Models

Status

openclaw models status --probe # probe all providers

Configure

Model configuration is done via openclaw config set (use openclaw-admin for the change discipline):

openclaw config get models # current model config openclaw config set agents.defaults.model "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5" openclaw config set agents.defaults.subagents.model "anthropic/claude-haiku-3-5"

Best practice: Use a cheaper model for sub-agents to reduce costs.

Devices

List & Manage

openclaw devices list # paired devices openclaw devices approve <id> # approve pairing request openclaw devices reject <id> # reject pairing request openclaw devices revoke <id> # revoke device token openclaw devices rotate <id> # rotate device token

Webhooks

Gmail Integration

openclaw webhooks gmail # Gmail Pub/Sub hooks (via gogcli)

Skills

Inspect

openclaw skills list # all skills openclaw skills check # readiness status openclaw skills info <name> # skill details

Extension Workflow

When adding a new capability:

• Install/add — Use the appropriate command

• Verify — Check it appears in the list

• Restart — openclaw daemon restart if gateway needs to load it

• Test — Probe or invoke to confirm it works

• Doctor — Run /openclaw-doctor to verify system health

Install → Verify → Restart → Test → Doctor

References

• references/plugin-hook-authoring.md — How to write plugins and hooks

• references/channel-setup.md — Per-channel setup guides

• references/node-pairing.md — Node architecture, pairing flow, security

Related Skills

• openclaw-doctor — Verify system health after adding new capabilities

• openclaw-admin — Apply config changes with verify-apply-verify discipline

• openclaw-maintain — Daemon ops, updates, cron, log rotation