How to Create an OpenClaw Skill: Template, Test Flow, and Safe Rollout

If you searched openclaw skill template or openclaw skill create, this is the exact page you need.

If you can install OpenClaw Skills, the next step is creating your own.

A custom skill lets you encode your team's workflows once and reuse them across tasks. Instead of repeating the same instructions every chat, you define a stable playbook the agent can load when relevant.

If you have not completed setup yet, start with How to Install OpenClaw Skills.

TL;DR

• Define one narrow workflow outcome before writing SKILL.md.
• Keep structure deterministic: inputs, ordered steps, guardrails, failure handling.
• Validate with dry runs and edge cases before team rollout.

Test context and author notes

This guide is maintained with hands-on validation in a local OpenClaw development workspace.

• Last validation: 2026-02-11
• Test setup: macOS local workspace + sample skill folder
• Validation focus: SKILL.md structure, preflight checks, and failure-path handling
• Sample run count used in this guide: 12+ dry-run validations

Table of contents

• What a custom skill should solve
• Folder structure
• SKILL.md template
• References and scripts
• Testing and rollout
• Troubleshooting
• FAQ
• References

1. Choose a clear skill scope

Before writing files, define one narrow outcome:

• Good: "Generate a weekly incident summary from logs"
• Too broad: "Handle all DevOps tasks"

Use this decision rule:

Reference:

• OpenClaw Skills Documentation

2. Create the skill folder structure

Start with the minimum shape:

my-skill/
  SKILL.md

Recommended extended shape:

my-skill/
  SKILL.md
  references/
    api-notes.md
    glossary.md
  scripts/
    helper.sh

Figure: Recommended OpenClaw skill folder structure for reusable workflows, including required and optional files.

Naming tips:

• Use lowercase and hyphenated folder names, such as weekly-report.
• Keep names concrete so the trigger intent is obvious.

Reference:

• OpenClaw Tools and Skills Overview

3. Write SKILL.md the right way

SKILL.md is the core contract between your workflow and the agent.

Minimal template

---
name: weekly-report
description: Build a weekly operational summary from project logs and issue trackers.
---

# Weekly Report

## What it does
Generates a concise weekly summary for engineering and operations stakeholders.

## Inputs needed
- Date range
- Project identifier
- Log and issue data source

## Workflow
1. Collect source records
2. Group by category and severity
3. Summarize key changes and incidents
4. Produce short and executive versions

## Guardrails
- Do not expose secrets or tokens
- Flag missing data instead of guessing

What makes SKILL.md effective

• Clear purpose in one sentence
• Explicit inputs and constraints
• Ordered steps that can be executed deterministically
• Guardrails for risky actions

Reference:

• OpenClaw Skills Documentation

4. Add optional support files

Optional files make skills more reliable without bloating the top-level instructions.

references/ is ideal for:

• API endpoints and parameter notes
• Internal glossary and naming rules
• Data schema snippets

scripts/ is ideal for:

• Repetitive command wrappers
• Small transforms for logs or JSON
• Environment-specific helpers

Keep secrets out of these files. Use env vars or secure configuration.

Reference:

• OpenClaw ClawHub Documentation

5. Test before production

Treat skill release as a mini software release.

Observed practice from these tests:

• Keep first-run checks narrow (single outcome, single dependency path)
• Separate structural validation from runtime integration validation
• Require two consecutive passing runs before promoting changes

Reference:

• OpenClaw Skills Documentation

Test flow

1. Run a narrow dry-run task.
2. Verify expected tool calls and outputs.
3. Test at least one edge case.
4. Confirm failure behavior is explicit and safe.

Test matrix (example)

Real execution record (local preflight)

Environment:

• Date: 2026-02-11
• Workspace: local (/tmp/openclaw-skill-sample/weekly-report)
• File tested: SKILL.md
• Preflight result: pass
• Validation time: <1s

Validation checks performed:

• required file exists (SKILL.md)
• frontmatter includes name and description
• required sections include ## What it does and ## Workflow

This preflight does not replace runtime integration tests, but it catches common structural errors before rollout.

6. Common build errors and fixes

Skill exists but never triggers

Cause:

• Name/description too generic

Fix:

• Rewrite description to match user wording and intended use cases.

Skill triggers but produces inconsistent outputs

Cause:

• Steps are ambiguous or missing required inputs

Fix:

• Add deterministic sequence and explicit required parameters.

Skill fails in server environment only

Cause:

• Missing dependencies or different permission policy

Fix:

• Compare runtime capabilities and env vars between local and server.

Example error snippet:

Error: permission denied to execute shell tool
at skill-runner.executeStep(...)

First response:

• Verify capability policy for the runtime
• Re-run with minimal permission set plus required tool
• Document the exact requirement in SKILL.md guardrails

Root-cause flow (RCA)

Use this sequence to avoid guesswork:

1. Reproduce: run the same input with debug logging enabled.
2. Classify: tag the failure as permission, dependency, config, or logic.
3. Isolate: disable optional steps and test the smallest failing step.
4. Confirm: apply one fix at a time and re-run the same test case.
5. Document: write the confirmed cause and fix into SKILL.md guardrails.

RCA template:

OpenClaw create custom skill tutorial: quick flow

If your intent is openclaw create custom skill tutorial, use this short flow:

1. Create folder + SKILL.md.
2. Add explicit name and description matching user intent.
3. Define required inputs and deterministic workflow steps.
4. Add guardrails for permission-sensitive actions.
5. Run one happy-path and one edge-case dry run.

Known limits

• A skill improves repeatability but does not replace runtime permissions.
• Large, all-in-one skills can become fragile; split by workflow when needed.
• Third-party references can drift; review and update periodically.

Final checklist

• Narrow and explicit scope
• Clear name and description
• Required inputs listed
• Guardrails included
• Dry-run test passed
• Edge-case behavior verified

Next step

After your first custom skill is stable:

• Review How to Install OpenClaw Skills for team rollout patterns.
• Read What Is an OpenClaw Skill? for architecture context.
• Continue with all tutorials.

CTA

Copy the SKILL template section above, create your first SKILL.md, and run one dry-run task today. Then refine the file only after observing real execution logs.

References

• OpenClaw Skills Documentation
• OpenClaw Tools and Skills Overview

FAQ

What causes a custom skill to never trigger?

Usually the name/description is too vague for intent matching. Use concrete task wording.

Should I put dependencies in SKILL.md or scripts?

Keep execution logic in SKILL.md and repetitive commands in scripts/. Document required dependencies in both.