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How to Install and Manage OpenClaw Skills Safely

By agentclw Team·
skillssecurityintermediate

Understanding OpenClaw Skills

Skills are modular plugins that extend OpenClaw's capabilities. They can automate tasks, connect to external services, process data, and much more. The ClawHub marketplace hosts thousands of community-created skills — but not all of them are safe.

In this guide, you will learn how to safely manage skills and protect yourself from malicious ones.

Finding Skills

There are several ways to discover skills:

  1. Our curated directory at agentclw.com/skills — every skill is security-vetted
  2. ClawHub — the official marketplace at clawhub.ai
  3. GitHub — many developers publish skills as open-source repositories
  4. The claw search command — search from your terminal
claw search "memory"

Installing Skills

Install a skill from ClawHub:

claw install cognitive-memory

Install from a GitHub repository:

claw install github:username/repo-name

Install a specific version:

claw install cognitive-memory@1.2.0

Security Vetting Checklist

Before installing any skill, run through this checklist:

  1. Check the permissions — What does the skill need access to?

    claw info cognitive-memory --permissions

  2. Review the source code — Is the repository open-source? Can you read the code?

  3. Check the author — Is this a known developer or organization?

  4. Look for community reviews — Check ClawHub ratings and GitHub issues

  5. Use our security ratings — Visit the skill page on agentclw.com/skills for our independent assessment

Understanding Permission Levels

Skills request different levels of access:

| Permission | Risk Level | Description | |-----------|-----------|-------------| | File Read | Low | Can read files on your system | | File Write | Medium | Can create and modify files | | Network | Medium | Can make HTTP requests | | Shell Execute | High | Can run system commands | | Full System | Critical | Unrestricted system access |

Our recommendation: Avoid skills that request Shell Execute or Full System access unless you fully trust the author and have reviewed the source code.

Managing Installed Skills

List all installed skills:

claw skills list

Update a specific skill:

claw skills update cognitive-memory

Update all skills:

claw skills update --all

Remove a skill:

claw skills remove cognitive-memory

Configuring Skill Permissions

You can restrict what a skill can do even after installation:

claw skills config cognitive-memory --set permissions.network=false

Or edit the skill configuration directly in ~/.config/openclaw/skills/cognitive-memory/config.yaml.

Warning Signs of Malicious Skills

Watch out for these red flags:

  • Obfuscated code — If you cannot read the source, do not install it
  • Excessive permissions — A note-taking app should not need shell access
  • No source repository — Legitimate skills typically have public repos
  • Very new with no reviews — Be cautious with brand-new skills
  • Requests API keys or passwords — Skills should use OAuth, not direct credentials

What To Do If You Installed a Malicious Skill

If you suspect a skill is malicious:

  1. Remove it immediately: claw skills remove <skill-name>
  2. Check for unauthorized changes: claw audit --recent
  3. Rotate any API keys or tokens the skill had access to
  4. Report the skill on ClawHub and in the OpenClaw Discord