Terminal.skills
Skills/openclaw
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openclaw

Deploy and manage OpenClaw, a self-hosted gateway bridging messaging platforms to AI coding agents. Use when a user asks to set up OpenClaw, connect WhatsApp or Telegram or Discord to an AI agent, configure multi-agent routing, schedule cron jobs in OpenClaw, set up webhooks, manage OpenClaw channels, pair a messaging account, configure heartbeats, spawn sub-agents, or troubleshoot OpenClaw gateway issues. Covers installation, channel setup, agent configuration, cron scheduling, webhooks, and sub-agents.

#openclaw#messaging#ai-agents#gateway#self-hosted
terminal-skillsv1.0.0
Works with:claude-codeopenai-codexgemini-clicursor
Source

Usage

$
✓ Installed openclaw v1.0.0

Getting Started

  1. Install the skill using the command above
  2. Open your AI coding agent (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, or Cursor)
  3. Reference the skill in your prompt
  4. The AI will use the skill's capabilities automatically

Example Prompts

  • "Process all PDFs in the uploads folder and extract invoice data"
  • "Set up a workflow that converts uploaded spreadsheets to formatted reports"

Documentation

Overview

Manage OpenClaw, an open-source self-hosted gateway that connects messaging platforms (WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Slack, Signal, iMessage) to AI coding agents. Covers the full lifecycle from installation through multi-agent routing, cron scheduling, webhooks, and sub-agent orchestration. Configuration lives at ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json.

Instructions

When a user asks for help with OpenClaw, determine which task they need:

Task A: Install and onboard

bash
# Install globally
npm install -g openclaw@latest

# Interactive onboarding (creates config, pairs first channel, starts gateway)
openclaw onboard --install-daemon

# Or manual setup
openclaw channels login      # Scan QR to pair WhatsApp
openclaw gateway --port 18789  # Start the gateway

The Control UI is accessible at http://127.0.0.1:18789/ after the gateway starts.

Task B: Configure channels

Edit ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json to enable channels. Each channel has dmPolicy (pairing, allowlist, open, disabled) and groupPolicy (open, allowlist, disabled).

WhatsApp:

json5
{ channels: { whatsapp: { enabled: true, allowFrom: ["+15555550123"], groups: { "*": { requireMention: true } } } } }

Telegram:

json5
{ channels: { telegram: {
  enabled: true, token: "BOT_TOKEN", dmPolicy: "pairing", groupPolicy: "allowlist",
  allowedGroups: { "-100123456789": { allowedUsers: ["987654321"] } }
} } }

Discord:

json5
{ channels: { discord: {
  enabled: true, token: "BOT_TOKEN", groupPolicy: "allowlist",
  guilds: { "123456789012345678": { requireMention: true, users: ["987654321098765432"], channels: { "general": { allow: true } } } }
} } }

Verify connectivity with openclaw channels status --probe.

Task C: Set up agents and routing

Define multiple agents in agents.list. Each agent gets an isolated workspace, session store, and tool access.

json5
{
  agents: {
    list: [
      { id: "alfred", name: "Alfred", workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace-alfred", default: true },
      { id: "support", name: "Support Agent", workspace: "~/agents/support" }
    ],
    defaults: {
      model: { provider: "anthropic", name: "claude-sonnet-4-20250514" },
      thinking: "off",
      heartbeat: { every: "30m", activeHours: { start: "08:00", end: "22:00", timezone: "America/New_York" } }
    }
  }
}

Route messages to agents using bindings (evaluated in priority order):

json5
{
  bindings: [
    { match: { channel: "whatsapp", peer: { kind: "group", id: "120363403215116621@g.us" } }, agentId: "support" },
    { match: { channel: "telegram", peer: { kind: "group", id: "-100123" } }, agentId: "alfred" },
    { match: { channel: "discord", guildId: "123456789012345678", roles: ["111111111111111111"] }, agentId: "alfred" }
  ]
}

CLI commands: openclaw agents list, openclaw agents info <id>, openclaw agents create.

Task D: Schedule cron jobs

Cron runs inside the gateway and persists jobs at ~/.openclaw/cron/. Enable with "cron": { "enabled": true }.

bash
# One-shot reminder (UTC, auto-deletes after run)
openclaw cron add --name "Reminder" --at "2026-02-15T16:00:00Z" \
  --session main --system-event "Check project deadlines" --wake now --delete-after-run

# Recurring isolated job with delivery to WhatsApp
openclaw cron add --name "Morning brief" --cron "0 7 * * *" \
  --tz "America/Los_Angeles" --session isolated \
  --message "Summarize overnight updates" \
  --announce --channel whatsapp --to "+15551234567"

# Manage jobs
openclaw cron list
openclaw cron run <job-id>           # Run immediately
openclaw cron runs --id <job-id>     # View run history
openclaw cron edit <job-id> --message "Updated prompt"

Schedule types: at (one-shot), every (fixed interval), cron (5-field expression with timezone).

Task E: Set up webhooks

Enable webhook ingestion for external triggers:

json5
{
  hooks: {
    enabled: true,
    token: "SHARED_SECRET",
    path: "/hooks",
    allowedAgentIds: ["hooks", "main"]
  }
}

Endpoints:

  • POST /hooks/wake — enqueue a system event: {"text": "description", "mode": "now"}
  • POST /hooks/agent — isolated agent run: {"message": "task", "deliver": true, "channel": "slack", "to": "channel:C123"}
  • POST /hooks/<name> — custom mapped endpoints via hooks.mappings

Authenticate with Authorization: Bearer <token> header.

Task F: Use sub-agents

Sub-agents run background tasks in isolated sessions. No configuration needed for defaults.

json5
{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      subagents: {
        model: "minimax/MiniMax-M2.1",
        thinking: "low",
        maxConcurrent: 4,
        archiveAfterMinutes: 120
      }
    }
  }
}

Spawn by telling the agent: "Spawn a sub-agent to research the latest Node.js release notes."

Manage with /subagents list, /subagents stop <id>, /subagents log <id>.

Task G: Monitor and troubleshoot

bash
openclaw status              # Local creds and sessions
openclaw status --deep       # Gateway health checks
openclaw gateway status      # Gateway process info
openclaw logs --follow       # Stream gateway logs
openclaw doctor              # Diagnose common issues
openclaw channels status --probe  # Test channel connectivity

Workspace files: IDENTITY.md (personality), SOUL.md (memory), HEARTBEAT.md (periodic tasks), TOOLS.md (tool access), AGENTS.md (subagent allowlist).

Examples

Example 1: Personal WhatsApp assistant with heartbeats

User request: "Set up OpenClaw as a personal assistant on WhatsApp with periodic check-ins"

bash
$ npm install -g openclaw@latest
$ openclaw channels login   # Scan QR with assistant's phone

Config (~/.openclaw/openclaw.json):

json5
{
  agent: {
    model: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-20250514",
    workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace",
    heartbeat: { every: "30m", activeHours: { start: "08:00", end: "22:00", timezone: "America/New_York" } }
  },
  channels: { whatsapp: { allowFrom: ["+15555550123"], groups: { "*": { requireMention: true } } } },
  session: { scope: "per-sender", reset: { mode: "daily", atHour: 4, idleMinutes: 10080 } }
}
bash
$ openclaw gateway --port 18789
Gateway started on http://127.0.0.1:18789/
# Agent now responds via WhatsApp and runs heartbeat checks every 30 min

Example 2: Multi-agent team with cron and Discord routing

User request: "Set up two agents — one for code review in Discord, one for daily standup via Telegram"

Config:

json5
{
  agents: { list: [
    { id: "reviewer", name: "Code Reviewer", workspace: "~/agents/reviewer", default: true },
    { id: "standup", name: "Standup Bot", workspace: "~/agents/standup" }
  ] },
  bindings: [
    { match: { channel: "discord", guildId: "123456789012345678" }, agentId: "reviewer" },
    { match: { channel: "telegram", peer: { kind: "group", id: "-1001234567890" } }, agentId: "standup" }
  ],
  channels: {
    discord: { enabled: true, token: "DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN", guilds: { "123456789012345678": { requireMention: true } } },
    telegram: { enabled: true, token: "TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN", groupPolicy: "allowlist", allowedGroups: { "-1001234567890": {} } }
  },
  cron: { enabled: true }
}
bash
$ openclaw cron add --name "Daily standup" --cron "0 9 * * 1-5" \
  --tz "America/New_York" --session isolated \
  --message "Compile yesterday's commits and open PRs into a standup summary" \
  --announce --channel telegram --to "group:-1001234567890"
Cron job created: job-abc123

Example 3: Webhook-triggered CI notifications to WhatsApp

User request: "Send me a WhatsApp message whenever my CI pipeline finishes"

Config addition:

json5
{
  hooks: {
    enabled: true, token: "ci-webhook-secret-2024",
    mappings: [{ match: { path: "ci-notify" }, action: "agent", deliver: true, channel: "whatsapp", to: "+15555550123" }]
  }
}

GitHub Actions step:

yaml
- name: Notify via OpenClaw
  run: |
    curl -X POST "https://openclaw.example.com/hooks/ci-notify" \
      -H "Authorization: Bearer ${{ secrets.OPENCLAW_HOOK_TOKEN }}" \
      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
      -d '{"message": "Deploy of ${{ github.repository }} completed (${{ job.status }})"}'

Guidelines

  • Use a separate phone number for the WhatsApp assistant to avoid mixing personal and agent messages.
  • Always configure allowFrom on WhatsApp to restrict who can message the agent.
  • Start with heartbeat.every: "0m" (disabled) until you trust the setup, then increase to "30m".
  • Agent workspaces should be treated as the agent's memory — back them up with git (use a private repo).
  • Session keys follow the pattern agent:<agentId>:<channel>:<kind>:<id>. Use dmScope: "per-channel-peer" for multi-user setups.
  • Cron jobs without --tz use the gateway host's timezone. Always specify --tz for predictable scheduling.
  • Webhook tokens should be stored securely and rotated periodically. Never use query string authentication.
  • Sub-agents cannot spawn their own sub-agents (no nesting). Use maxConcurrent to control resource usage.
  • For troubleshooting, start with openclaw doctor and openclaw logs --follow to identify issues quickly.
  • OpenClaw config uses JSON5 format (comments and trailing commas are allowed).

Information

Version
1.0.0
Author
terminal-skills
Category
Automation
License
Apache-2.0

Use Cases

→Generate Legal Contracts and Clauses with Open Source Tools