Skill Authoring

Create modular, self-contained skills that extend agent capabilities.

The 6-Step Workflow

1. Understand → 2. Plan → 3. Init → 4. Edit → 5. Package → 6. Iterate

Step 1: Understand the Skill

Ask clarifying questions if needed. Understand:

• What functionality should this skill support?
• What are concrete usage examples?
• What should trigger this skill?

When to skip: When usage patterns are already clear.

Step 2: Plan Reusable Contents

Identify what to bundle:

• scripts/ — Executable code (Python/Bash) for deterministic tasks
• references/ — Documentation to load when needed
• assets/ — Files used in output (templates, icons)

Step 3: Initialize the Skill

Always use init_skill.py — never create manually:

python3 <skill-creator>/scripts/init_skill.py <name> --path <output-dir> --resources scripts,references,assets

Example:

python3 /usr/local/lib/node_modules/openclaw/skills/skill-creator/scripts/init_skill.py my-skill --path /var/root/.openclaw/workspace/skills --resources scripts,references

Step 4: Edit the Skill

SKILL.md Structure

---
name: skill-name
description: Clear description of what it does AND when to trigger it. Include Chinese triggers too.
---

# Skill Name

## Quick Start

## Details...

Naming Rules

• Lowercase, hyphens only
• Under 64 characters
• Verb-led preferred (e.g., pdf-edit, list-skills)

Key Principles

• Concise: Only add what the model doesn't already know
• Progressive disclosure: Keep SKILL.md lean, put details in references/
• Imperative mood: Use "do this" not "does this"

Step 5: Package the Skill

python3 <skill-creator>/scripts/package_skill.py <path/to/skill-folder>

Output: .skill file (zip format).

Validation runs automatically before packaging.

Step 6: Iterate

Test with real tasks, gather feedback, improve.

Skill Template

skill-name/
├── SKILL.md           # Required: name + description + instructions
├── scripts/           # Optional: executable code
├── references/        # Optional: load-as-needed docs
└── assets/            # Optional: output files

Quick Reference

Keep SKILL.md under 500 lines. Move details to references/.