Openclaw Research Tool

AdvisoryAudited by Static analysis on Apr 30, 2026.

Overview

No suspicious patterns detected.

Findings (0)

Artifact-based informational review of SKILL.md, metadata, install specs, static scan signals, and capability signals. ClawScan does not execute the skill or run runtime probes.

What this means

The tool can consume the user's OpenRouter account quota or incur costs when research queries are run.

Why it was flagged

The skill requires an OpenRouter API key, which is expected for its purpose but gives the tool delegated access to make provider API calls.

Skill content
Requires `OPENROUTER_API_KEY` env var. Get a key at https://openrouter.ai/keys
Recommendation

Use an OpenRouter key with appropriate spending limits, and rotate or revoke it if you stop using the skill.

What this means

Installing the skill depends on trusting the external Rust package that implements the research-tool binary.

Why it was flagged

The skill directs users to install an external CLI package. This is central to the skill, but the provided artifact set does not include the package code or a pinned install version.

Skill content
cargo install openclaw-search-tool
Recommendation

Install only from the expected package/source, review the linked project if needed, and consider pinning a known-good version.

What this means

Research jobs may keep running for many minutes and may continue consuming provider resources if not monitored.

Why it was flagged

The workflow encourages long-running sub-agent or exec usage without a timeout. This is explained as necessary for research latency, but it weakens normal runtime bounds.

Skill content
Recommended: Run research-tool in a sub-agent ... Never set a timeout on exec when running research-tool.
Recommendation

Monitor spawned research sessions, use provider spending limits, and apply a timeout when you need a hard runtime or cost boundary.

What this means

Sensitive information included in research prompts could be sent to OpenRouter or underlying model providers.

Why it was flagged

Queries and any context included in them are sent to an external model/provider flow. This is disclosed and purpose-aligned, but users should treat it as third-party data sharing.

Skill content
Web search for OpenClaw agents, powered by OpenRouter ... Provide maximum context. The model starts from zero.
Recommendation

Avoid including secrets, private documents, credentials, or unnecessary personal data in research queries.