how to сreate OpenClaw skill in 3 min

skills are a key part of a quality AI agent
u can't do without them and custom skills are often essential
safety first: always test locally before production use
1. creating a directory
example (entered in terminal):
| mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/skill_name
this is where all necessary data for the skill will be stored
2. SKILL·md (instruction for LLM)
the key factor is correctly formulating the essence of desired LLM action
this file uses YAML frontmatter for metadata and Markdown for instructions
important:
> make it executable, specific, and concise
> mention specific tools
- you can define custom tools in the frontmatter (optional)
> explain what to do and how to react
wrong example:
greet the world
сorrect example:
---
name: hello_world
description: A simple skill that says hello.
---
when the user asks for a greeting, use the echo tool to say "Hello from your custom skill!"
3. refresh OpenClaw
ask your agent to “refresh skills” or restart gateway manually
OpenClaw will identify new directories and skills