Which OpenClaw skill should developers install first?

Most teams should start with ai-sdk or context7, then add webapp-testing for QA workflows.

How many skills should I enable at the start?

Enable 2-3 high-impact skills first to reduce overlap and debugging complexity.

What should I check before enabling a new developer skill?

Check required permissions, run a dry run, and define rollback triggers before production usage.

Best OpenClaw Skills for Developers (2026)

If you install too many skills too early, quality drops fast.
This shortlist prioritizes developer outcomes: ship faster, debug safer, and reduce rework.

Recommended install order

AI SDK for implementation workflows
Context7 for current documentation lookup
Webapp Testing for browser-based verification
Supabase Postgres Best Practices if your stack is Postgres-heavy
API Design Principles for contract-level review

Skill-by-skill guidance

AI SDK

Best for:

building endpoints and agent features
streaming and structured output flows

Use with:

Context7

Best for:

verifying current APIs before coding
reducing outdated implementation assumptions

Use when:

library changed recently
production correctness matters more than speed

Webapp Testing

Best for:

route checks
smoke tests after UI changes

Watch for:

browser runtime dependencies
sandbox permission mismatches

Supabase Postgres Best Practices

Best for:

SQL review and query performance tuning
schema and index decisions

API Design Principles

Best for:

REST/GraphQL contract consistency
versioning and backward compatibility decisions

Practical adoption rule

Start with one implementation skill + one verification skill.
Example:

ai-sdk + webapp-testing
context7 + api-design-principles

Then add one domain-specific skill only after first-week stability.

Pre-install checklist

permission scope is clear
dry run succeeds
rollback trigger is defined

If you need security controls before rollout, read: