home / skills / petekp / claude-code-setup / openclaw-customizer

openclaw-customizer skill

/skills/openclaw-customizer

This skill helps you configure and customize OpenClaw, enabling creative routing, bot channels, and automation patterns across your setup.

npx playbooks add skill petekp/claude-code-setup --skill openclaw-customizer

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

Files (8)
SKILL.md
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---
name: openclaw-customizer
description: >
  Expert guide for configuring, customizing, and creatively leveraging OpenClaw — the self-hosted AI gateway
  that connects LLMs to messaging channels (Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, Slack, iMessage, etc.).
  Use when the user wants to: (1) Set up or modify their openclaw.json configuration, (2) Write or edit
  bootstrap files (SOUL.md, USER.md, AGENTS.md, IDENTITY.md, TOOLS.md), (3) Configure messaging channels,
  (4) Set up models and providers, (5) Create multi-agent routing, (6) Build skills, hooks, or cron jobs,
  (7) Troubleshoot OpenClaw issues, (8) Get creative ideas for leveraging OpenClaw in non-obvious ways.
  Triggers on: openclaw, gateway, SOUL.md, USER.md, AGENTS.md, IDENTITY.md, channels setup, agent routing,
  heartbeat, cron jobs, openclaw hooks, openclaw skills, openclaw config, openclaw.json, personal assistant setup.
---

# OpenClaw Customizer

Help the user configure, customize, and creatively leverage their OpenClaw instance.

## Approach

Be imaginative and inventive. OpenClaw is a flexible system — suggest non-obvious combinations
of features that solve real problems. Think beyond basic chat: cron jobs, multi-agent routing,
hooks, channel-specific personas, memory pipelines, and automation patterns.

When the user asks about a specific area, load the relevant reference file before responding.

## Reference Files

Load these on demand based on what the user needs:

| Topic | File | When to load |
|-------|------|-------------|
| Config schema & settings | [references/configuration.md](references/configuration.md) | Editing openclaw.json, any config question |
| Bootstrap files | [references/bootstrap-files.md](references/bootstrap-files.md) | SOUL.md, USER.md, AGENTS.md, IDENTITY.md, TOOLS.md |
| Channel setup | [references/channels.md](references/channels.md) | Any messaging channel (Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, Slack, iMessage, etc.) |
| Models & providers | [references/models-providers.md](references/models-providers.md) | Model selection, provider config, failover, auth |
| Tools, skills, hooks, cron | [references/tools-skills-hooks.md](references/tools-skills-hooks.md) | Tool policy, skills, hooks, cron jobs, memory system |
| Multi-agent routing | [references/multi-agent.md](references/multi-agent.md) | Multiple agents, routing, bindings, isolation |
| Creative patterns | [references/creative-patterns.md](references/creative-patterns.md) | Ideas, inspiration, non-obvious uses, advanced patterns |

## Workflow

1. **Understand what the user wants to customize** — ask clarifying questions if needed
2. **Load the relevant reference(s)** — read the specific file(s) for the topic at hand
3. **Propose changes** — show the exact JSON5 config or markdown content to add/modify
4. **Explain the "why"** — help the user understand what each setting does and why you chose it
5. **Suggest adjacent improvements** — if you see an opportunity to make their setup better, mention it

## Key File Locations

- Config: `~/.openclaw/openclaw.json`
- Workspace: `~/.openclaw/workspace/` (or `~/.openclaw/workspace-<agentId>/`)
- Bootstrap: `SOUL.md`, `USER.md`, `AGENTS.md`, `IDENTITY.md`, `TOOLS.md` in workspace root
- Skills: `~/.openclaw/skills/` (shared) or `<workspace>/skills/` (per-agent)
- Hooks: `~/.openclaw/hooks/` (shared) or `<workspace>/hooks/` (per-agent)
- Memory: `<workspace>/memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md` (daily), `<workspace>/MEMORY.md` (long-term)
- Sessions: `~/.openclaw/agents/<agentId>/sessions/`
- Logs: `/tmp/openclaw/openclaw-YYYY-MM-DD.log`
- Cron: `~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json`

## Live Documentation

For anything not covered in the reference files, fetch from the OpenClaw docs:
- Docs index: `https://docs.openclaw.ai/llms.txt`
- Getting started: `https://docs.openclaw.ai/start/getting-started`
- Configuration: `https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/configuration.md`
- Configuration examples: `https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/configuration-examples.md`

## Guidelines

- Always show concrete JSON5 snippets or markdown content — not just descriptions
- Use JSON5 format (comments and trailing commas are OK in openclaw.json)
- When suggesting SOUL.md or USER.md content, tailor it to what you know about the user
- Suggest `openclaw doctor` when troubleshooting
- Remind about `allowFrom` security — never suggest `open` DM policy without a warning
- For multi-agent setups, emphasize workspace isolation and credential separation
- When suggesting cron jobs, always include timezone awareness

Overview

This skill is an expert guide for configuring, customizing, and creatively leveraging OpenClaw — the self-hosted AI gateway that connects LLMs to messaging channels. I provide concrete JSON5 and markdown snippets, step-by-step edits for bootstrap files, and practical patterns for agents, channels, hooks, cron jobs, and multi-agent routing. Use it to turn OpenClaw into a secure, automated assistant platform tailored to your workflows.

How this skill works

I inspect and edit the relevant OpenClaw files (openclaw.json, SOUL.md, USER.md, AGENTS.md, IDENTITY.md, TOOLS.md), channel configs, skill and hook code, and cron entries. I produce ready-to-paste JSON5 or markdown snippets, explain each change, and suggest adjacent improvements like failover providers, memory pipelines, and persona bindings. I also recommend diagnostic steps (openclaw doctor, logs, heartbeat) and security checks (allowFrom policies, credential isolation).

When to use it

  • Setting up or modifying ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
  • Writing or refining bootstrap files: SOUL.md, USER.md, AGENTS.md, IDENTITY.md, TOOLS.md
  • Connecting or debugging messaging channels (Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, Slack, iMessage)
  • Creating multi-agent routing, bindings, or workspace isolation
  • Building skills, hooks, cron jobs, or debugging OpenClaw runtime issues

Best practices

  • Always edit JSON5 with comments and trailing commas for readability and include timezone in cron jobs
  • Use allowFrom to restrict inbound channels; never recommend a fully open DM policy without clear warning
  • Keep agent workspaces isolated (~/.openclaw/workspace-<agentId>/) and separate provider credentials per agent
  • Include failover model providers and explicit rate/timeout settings in openclaw.json
  • Add a heartbeat hook and use openclaw doctor plus /tmp/openclaw/openclaw-YYYY-MM-DD.log when troubleshooting

Example use cases

  • Create a Telegram personal assistant with channel-specific persona: modify USER.md for tone and AGENTS.md for routing, then set Telegram webhook in channels config
  • Build a multi-agent pipeline: a router agent inspects messages and forwards to domain agents (sales, support) with isolated workspaces and credentials
  • Schedule daily memory consolidation with a cron job (timezone-aware) that appends to <workspace>/MEMORY.md
  • Add a post-message hook to log every incoming chat to a searchable datastore and trigger a summarizer skill
  • Configure provider failover: primary Anthropic Claude, secondary OpenAI with explicit provider order in openclaw.json

FAQ

What diagnostic steps should I run first when something breaks?

Run openclaw doctor, check /tmp/openclaw/openclaw-YYYY-MM-DD.log, verify heartbeat, and confirm channel webhooks and provider credentials. Share those logs for targeted fixes.

How do I safely allow public messaging channels?

Use allowFrom to restrict trusted user IDs or group IDs, add rate limits, require explicit identity verification in USER.md, and never set open DM policy without authentication and audit hooks.