How to Install Skills in OpenClaw

A skill is a set of instructions packaged as a SKILL.md file that an AI agent reads to learn a new workflow. OpenClaw uses the same SKILL.md standard as Claude Code, so installation follows the same pattern with slightly different paths.

Quick Answer: Download a skill zip from Agensi, unzip to ~/.openclaw/skills/, and start a new session. OpenClaw loads skills automatically. For project-level skills, use .openclaw/skills/ in your repo root.

Commands and paths at a glance

Every command above assumes OpenClaw is installed (openclaw --version returns a version). OpenClaw also ships with over 100 built-in AgentSkills covering file management, shell commands, web browsing, and API calls, so your installed skills sit alongside those.

What do I need before installing skills?

Make sure OpenClaw is installed and working. Open your terminal and verify:

openclaw --version

If you get a version number, you're ready. You also need a skills directory. OpenClaw creates ~/.openclaw/skills/ automatically on first run, but you can create it manually:

mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/skills

How do I install skills from Agensi?

The fastest method. Go to agensi.io/skills, find a skill, and download it. You get a zip file.

# Unzip to your skills directory
unzip code-reviewer.zip -d ~/.openclaw/skills/

# Verify the file structure
ls ~/.openclaw/skills/code-reviewer/
# Should show: SKILL.md (and optionally scripts/, references/)

Start a new OpenClaw session. The skill loads automatically based on its description. You can verify it loaded by asking OpenClaw to list available skills.

How do I install skills from GitHub?

Search GitHub for SKILL.md files or browse repositories that publish skills:

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/username/my-skill.git

# Copy the skill folder to your skills directory
cp -r my-skill ~/.openclaw/skills/

Make sure the SKILL.md file is at ~/.openclaw/skills/my-skill/SKILL.md, not nested deeper. A common mistake is ending up with ~/.openclaw/skills/my-skill/my-skill/SKILL.md, that won't work.

Always read the SKILL.md before installing GitHub-sourced skills. Unlike Agensi marketplace skills, GitHub skills aren't security-scanned.

How do I use MCP to load skills on demand?

With Agensi's one-liner curl installer, you can drop any skill into OpenClaw in a single command: mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/skills && curl -sL https://www.agensi.io/api/install/<slug> | tar xz -C ~/.openclaw/skills/. No manual unzip, no folder management.

How do I share skills with my team?

Put skills in .openclaw/skills/ at the root of your project repository and commit them to git. Everyone who clones the repo gets the skills automatically.

your-project/
├── .openclaw/
│   └── skills/
│       ├── code-reviewer/
│       │   └── SKILL.md
│       └── test-generator/
│           └── SKILL.md
├── src/
└── package.json

Project-level skills override personal skills if they share the same name. This lets teams enforce specific workflows without affecting developers' personal skill setups.

What are the most common installation mistakes?

Double-nested folders. After unzipping, check that the path is ~/.openclaw/skills/skill-name/SKILL.md, not ~/.openclaw/skills/skill-name/skill-name/SKILL.md.

Missing SKILL.md file. A folder without SKILL.md inside it is ignored. The file must be named exactly SKILL.md (case-sensitive on Linux/Mac).

Wrong directory. OpenClaw uses ~/.openclaw/skills/, not ~/.claude/skills/. If you're switching between agents, double-check the path. Both agents use the same SKILL.md format, but they read from different directories.

Not starting a new session. Skills load at session startup. If you install a skill mid-session, it won't be available until you start a new one.

Can I reuse my whole Claude Code skills folder?

Yes. Instead of copying skills one by one you can symlink the entire directory:

# Copy a specific skill
cp -r ~/.claude/skills/code-reviewer ~/.openclaw/skills/code-reviewer

# Or symlink every Claude skill into OpenClaw
ln -s ~/.claude/skills/* ~/.openclaw/skills/

Most skills work across both agents without any change, because the SKILL.md format is identical.

Which skills need adjustment for OpenClaw?

The format is the same, but a few behaviours differ:

• Skills using Claude Code's context: fork setting to run as subagents may behave differently, since OpenClaw handles concurrent tasks through its own gateway system.
• Skills that call Claude-specific slash commands (like /simplify or /batch) won't work, because those are built into Claude Code.
• Skills that stick to plain markdown instructions, shell commands, and file operations behave identically on both platforms.

How do I create a skill for OpenClaw?

mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/skills/my-skill

Then create SKILL.md inside it. The frontmatter is identical to Claude Code:

---
name: my-skill
description: Description of what this skill does and when to use it.
---

# My Skill

Instructions here.

What should I check before installing an untrusted skill?

OpenClaw is open source, so anyone can publish skills, and community repositories have had security incidents, including malicious skills performing data exfiltration and prompt injection. Before installing from an untrusted source:

• Read the whole SKILL.md.
• Check every file in the skill's scripts/ directory.
• Be sceptical of skills that make network requests or read credentials and sensitive files.

Marketplaces like Agensi run an automated security scan on every submission, which is why a marketplace copy of a skill is safer than a random repo. See how the Agensi security scan works.

Can I use the same skills in Claude Code?

Yes. SKILL.md is a cross-agent standard. The same skill file works in OpenClaw, Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor, and Gemini CLI. Just copy it to the appropriate skills directory for each agent:

• OpenClaw: ~/.openclaw/skills/
• Claude Code: ~/.claude/skills/
• Codex CLI: ~/.codex/skills/
• Cursor: .cursor/skills/ (project-level only)

For a full path reference, read Where Are Claude Skills Stored?.

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Find and install security-scanned skills for OpenClaw, Claude Code, and more on Agensi.

Keep reading

• OpenClaw Installation Guide
• OpenClaw Docker Setup
• How to Uninstall OpenClaw