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Building OpenClaw Plugins: Create Your First Plugin in Minutes

Learn how to create plugins that extend OpenClaw without modifying its core. This guide covers requirements, plugin shapes, and publishing to ClawHub for developers.

Read this when

  • You want to create a new OpenClaw plugin
  • You need a quick-start for plugin development
  • You are choosing between channel, provider, CLI backend, tool, or hook docs

Plugins extend OpenClaw without modifying its core. A plugin can add a messaging channel, model provider, local CLI backend, agent tool, hook, media provider, or another capability owned by the plugin.

You do not need to add an external plugin to the OpenClaw repository. Publish the package to ClawHub and users install it with:

openclaw plugins install clawhub:<package-name>

Bare package specs still install from npm during the launch cutover. Use the clawhub: prefix when you want ClawHub resolution.

Requirements

  • Node 22.22.3+, Node 24.15+, or Node 25.9+, and npm or pnpm.
  • TypeScript ESM modules.
  • For in-repo bundled plugin work, clone the repository and run pnpm install. Source-checkout plugin development is pnpm-only because OpenClaw discovers bundled plugins from extensions/* workspace packages.

Choose the plugin shape

Quickstart

Build a minimal tool plugin by registering one required agent tool. This is the shortest useful plugin shape and covers the package, manifest, entry point, and local proof.

Create package metadata

{
  "name": "@myorg/openclaw-my-plugin",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "type": "module",
  "dependencies": {
    "typebox": "1.1.39"
  },
  "peerDependencies": {
    "openclaw": ">=2026.3.24-beta.2"
  },
  "openclaw": {
    "extensions": ["./index.ts"],
    "compat": {
      "pluginApi": ">=2026.3.24-beta.2",
      "minGatewayVersion": "2026.3.24-beta.2"
    },
    "build": {
      "openclawVersion": "2026.3.24-beta.2",
      "pluginSdkVersion": "2026.3.24-beta.2"
    }
  }
}

{
  "id": "my-plugin",
  "name": "My Plugin",
  "description": "Adds a custom tool to OpenClaw",
  "contracts": {
    "tools": ["my_tool"]
  },
  "activation": {
    "onStartup": true
  },
  "configSchema": {
    "type": "object",
    "additionalProperties": false
  }
}

Published external plugins should point runtime entries at built JavaScript files. See SDK entry points for the full entry point contract.

Every plugin needs a manifest, even with no config. Runtime tools must appear in contracts.tools so OpenClaw can discover ownership without eagerly loading every plugin runtime. Set activation.onStartup intentionally; this example loads on Gateway startup.

Host-trusted plugin surfaces are manifest-gated too and require explicit declaration for installed plugins: api.registerAgentToolResultMiddleware(...) needs each target runtime listed in contracts.agentToolResultMiddleware, and api.registerTrustedToolPolicy(...) needs each policy id in contracts.trustedToolPolicies. These declarations keep install-time inspection and runtime registration aligned.

For every manifest field, see Plugin manifest.

Register the tool

import { Type } from "typebox";
import { definePluginEntry } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/plugin-entry";

export default definePluginEntry({
  id: "my-plugin",
  name: "My Plugin",
  description: "Adds a custom tool to OpenClaw",
  register(api) {
    api.registerTool({
      name: "my_tool",
      description: "Echo one input value",
      parameters: Type.Object({ input: Type.String() }),
      outputSchema: Type.Object(
        { input: Type.String() },
        { additionalProperties: false },
      ),
      async execute(_id, params) {
        const details = { input: params.input };
        return {
          content: [{ type: "text", text: `Got: ${params.input}` }],
          details,
        };
      },
    });
  },
});

Use definePluginEntry for non-channel plugins. Channel plugins use defineChannelPluginEntry from openclaw/plugin-sdk/core instead.

Test the runtime

For an installed or external plugin, inspect the loaded runtime:

openclaw plugins inspect my-plugin --runtime --json

If the plugin registers a CLI command, run that command too and confirm output, for example openclaw demo-plugin ping.

For a bundled plugin in this repository, OpenClaw discovers source-checkout plugin packages from the extensions/* workspace. Run the closest targeted test:

pnpm test extensions/my-plugin/
pnpm check

Test the package install

Before publishing a package-ready plugin, test the same install shape users will get. First add a build step, point runtime entries such as openclaw.extensions at built JavaScript like ./dist/index.js, and make sure npm pack includes that dist/ output. TypeScript source entries are only for source checkouts and local development paths.

Then pack the plugin and install the tarball with npm-pack::

npm pack --pack-destination /tmp
openclaw plugins install npm-pack:/tmp/<plugin-package>.tgz --force
openclaw plugins inspect my-plugin --runtime --json

npm-pack: uses OpenClaw's managed per-plugin npm project, so it catches runtime dependency mistakes that source checkout testing can hide. It proves the package and dependency shape, not catalog-linked official trust. Runtime imports must be in dependencies or optionalDependencies; dependencies left only in devDependencies will not be installed for the managed runtime project.

Do not use a raw archive/path install as the final proof for official or privileged plugin behavior. Raw sources are useful for local debugging, but they do not prove the same dependency path as npm or ClawHub installs. If your plugin relies on trusted official plugin status, add a second proof through a catalog-backed official install or a published package path that records official trust. See Plugin dependency resolution for install-root and dependency ownership details.

Publish

Validate the package before publishing:

clawhub package publish your-org/your-plugin --dry-run
clawhub package publish your-org/your-plugin

Canonical ClawHub package snippets live in docs/snippets/plugin-publish/.

Install

Install the published package through ClawHub:

openclaw plugins install clawhub:your-org/your-plugin

Registering tools

Tools can be required or optional. Required tools are always available when the plugin is enabled. Optional tools need explicit user opt-in before OpenClaw loads the owning plugin runtime.

Tool factories receive trusted runtime context, including deliveryContext, nativeChannelId for the active platform conversation when available, and requesterSenderId.

register(api) {
  api.registerTool(
    {
      name: "workflow_tool",
      description: "Run a workflow",
      parameters: Type.Object({ pipeline: Type.String() }),
      outputSchema: Type.Object(
        { pipeline: Type.String() },
        { additionalProperties: false },
      ),
      async execute(_id, params) {
        return {
          content: [{ type: "text", text: params.pipeline }],
          details: { pipeline: params.pipeline },
        };
      },
    },
    { optional: true },
  );
}

outputSchema is optional. It describes the structured details value used by Code Mode and Tool Search. Catalog calls reject invalid schemas before execution and validate the final value after tool hooks. Omit it for tools without a stable JSON result. See Tool plugins for the full contract.

Every tool registered with api.registerTool(...) must also be declared in the plugin manifest:

{
  "contracts": {
    "tools": ["workflow_tool"]
  },
  "toolMetadata": {
    "workflow_tool": {
      "optional": true
    }
  }
}

Users opt in with tools.allow:

{
  tools: { allow: ["workflow_tool"] }, // or ["my-plugin"] for every tool from one plugin
}

Optional tools control whether a tool is exposed to the model. Use plugin permission requests when a tool or hook should ask for approval after the model selects it and before the action runs.

Use optional tools for side effects, unusual binaries, or capabilities that should not be exposed by default. Tool names must not conflict with core tool names; conflicts are skipped and reported in plugin diagnostics. Malformed registrations are skipped and reported the same way: a missing non-empty name, a non-function execute, or a tool descriptor without a parameters object.

Tool factories receive a runtime-supplied context object. Use ctx.activeModel when a tool needs to log, display, or adapt to the active model for the current turn; it can include provider, modelId, and modelRef. Treat it as informational runtime metadata, not a security boundary against the local operator, installed plugin code, or a modified OpenClaw runtime. Sensitive local tools should still require an explicit plugin or operator opt-in and fail closed when active-model metadata is missing or unsuitable.

The manifest declares ownership and discovery; execution still calls the live registered tool implementation. Keep toolMetadata.<tool>.optional: true aligned with api.registerTool(..., { optional: true }) so OpenClaw can avoid loading that plugin runtime until the tool is explicitly allowlisted.

Import conventions

Import from focused SDK subpaths:

import { definePluginEntry } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/plugin-entry";
import { createPluginRuntimeStore } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/runtime-store";

Within your plugin package, use local barrel files such as api.ts and runtime-api.ts for internal imports. Do not import your own plugin through an SDK path. Provider-specific helpers should stay in the provider package unless the seam is truly generic.

Custom Gateway RPC methods are an advanced entry point. Keep them on a plugin-specific prefix; core admin namespaces such as config.*, exec.approvals.*, operator.admin.*, wizard.*, and update.* stay reserved and resolve to operator.admin. The openclaw/plugin-sdk/gateway-method-runtime bridge is reserved for plugin HTTP routes that declare contracts.gatewayMethodDispatch: ["authenticated-request"].

For the full import map, see Plugin SDK overview.

OpenClaw SDK compatibility fields carry TypeScript @deprecated annotations, which editors surface as migration warnings. To enforce them at build time, enable a type-aware rule such as @typescript-eslint/no-deprecated. Oxlint is not type-aware, so it cannot enforce these annotations.

Pre-submission checklist

Check

package.json has correct openclaw metadata

Check

openclaw.plugin.json manifest is present and valid

Check

Entry point uses defineChannelPluginEntry or definePluginEntry

Check

All imports use focused plugin-sdk/<subpath> paths

Check

Internal imports use local modules, not SDK self-imports

Check

Tests pass (pnpm test <bundled-plugin-root>/my-plugin/)

Check

pnpm check passes (in-repo plugins)

Test against beta releases

  1. Watch openclaw/openclaw releases (Watch > Releases). Beta tags look like v2026.3.N-beta.1. You can also follow @openclaw on X for release announcements.
  2. Test your plugin against the beta tag as soon as it appears. The window before stable is typically only a few hours.
  3. Post in your plugin's thread in the plugin-forum Discord channel (discord.gg/clawd) after testing, with either all good or what broke. Create a thread if you do not have one yet.
  4. If something breaks, open or update an issue titled Beta blocker: <plugin-name> - <summary> and apply the beta-blocker label. Link the issue in your thread.
  5. Open a PR to main titled fix(<plugin-id>): beta blocker - <summary> and link the issue in both the PR and your Discord thread. Contributors cannot label PRs, so the title is the PR-side signal for maintainers and automation. Blockers with a PR get merged; blockers without one might ship anyway.
  6. Silence means green. Missing the window usually means your fix lands in the next cycle.

Next steps