ClawHub

Network Tools

MCP Tools

Enables efficient internet access by selecting and managing local network tools with automatic proxy routing for blocked and direct connections.

Install

openclaw skills install network-tools

Network Tools Skill

Description

Enables AI Agents to leverage various local network tools for efficient and reliable internet access. Supports intelligent tool selection, proxy routing, and comprehensive network diagnostics - all without requiring API keys.

Core Philosophy: Maximize network reliability, speed, and accessibility by providing a unified interface to the best available command-line network tools.

🔒 Security & Privacy Commitment

  • No External Dependencies: Uses only locally installed command-line tools
  • No API Keys Required: All functionality works without external authentication
  • Proxy Isolation: Optional SOCKS5 proxy support (127.0.0.1:9050) for restricted content
  • Input Validation: Validates URLs and parameters before execution
  • Transparent Operations: Clear logging of all network activities
  • Local Execution Only: All functionality operates within the OpenClaw environment

Available Network Tools

HTTP Clients (Core)

  • curl: Versatile HTTP client with extensive protocol support
  • wget: Reliable file downloader with resume capability
  • httpie: User-friendly HTTP client with excellent JSON support

Download Accelerators

  • aria2: High-speed download utility with multi-connection support (16 connections by default)
  • axel: Multi-threaded download accelerator with 10 connections

Network Diagnostics

  • dig/nslookup: DNS lookup and record querying
  • ping: Network connectivity testing
  • traceroute/mtr: Network path tracing and analysis
  • whois: Domain registration information lookup

Media Tools

  • youtube-dl: Video/audio downloading from 1000+ supported sites
  • ffmpeg: Media processing and format conversion (when needed)

Commands Overview

Basic Web Operations

  • fetch: Retrieve web content with intelligent tool selection
  • download: Download files with resume support and format detection

Network Diagnostics

  • dns: Query DNS records (A, AAAA, MX, TXT, CNAME, etc.)
  • ping: Test network connectivity and latency
  • traceroute: Trace network route to destination
  • whois: Get domain registration details
  • ipinfo: Retrieve public IP address from multiple services

Media Operations

  • media: Download videos, audio, and other media from supported platforms

Utility Commands

  • tools: List all available network tools and their status

Intelligent Features

Auto Tool Selection

  • Large Files (>10MB): Automatically uses aria2 or axel for faster downloads
  • JSON APIs: Prefers httpie for clean JSON output when available
  • Fallback Logic: Gracefully falls back to available tools if preferred tool is missing

Proxy Support

  • Manual Control: Use --proxy flag to force proxy usage
  • Direct Access: Default behavior uses direct connections for better performance
  • Universal Proxy: Works with all supported tools through environment variables or native proxy options

Enhanced Download Features

  • Resume Support: Continue interrupted downloads with --resume flag
  • Smart Filenames: Automatically generates safe filenames from URLs
  • Multiple Destinations: Specify custom output paths with --output

User-Agent Rotation

  • Anti-Detection: Rotates between realistic browser user agents
  • Tool-Specific: Uses appropriate user agents for different tools
  • Customizable: Can be extended with additional user agent strings

Usage Examples

Basic Operations

# Simple fetch with auto tool selection
network-tools fetch https://api.github.com/users/octocat

# Force proxy usage for restricted content
network-tools fetch --proxy https://blocked-api.com/data

# Specify exact tool to use
network-tools fetch --tool=httpie https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1

Advanced Downloads

# Large file download with resume capability
network-tools download --resume --output=myfile.zip https://example.com/large-file.zip

# Use specific download accelerator
network-tools download --tool=aria2 https://mirror.example.com/ubuntu.iso

# Custom headers for authentication or API keys
network-tools fetch --header="Authorization: Bearer token123" https://api.example.com/protected

Network Diagnostics

# DNS record lookup
network-tools dns --type MX google.com

# Network connectivity test
network-tools ping --count 10 example.com

# Route tracing
network-tools traceroute cloudflare.com

# Domain information
network-tools whois example.com

# Public IP detection (with proxy support)
network-tools ipinfo --proxy

Media Downloads

# YouTube video download
network-tools media --format mp4 https://youtube.com/watch?v=example

# Audio-only extraction
network-tools media --format bestaudio https://soundcloud.com/user/track

Tool Discovery

# Check available tools
network-tools tools

Error Handling & Recovery

Connection Resilience

  • Multiple Retries: Built-in retry logic for transient failures
  • Service Fallback: Multiple IP info services for reliability
  • Tool Fallback: Automatic switching to alternative tools on failure

Input Validation

  • URL Validation: Ensures proper URL format (http/https only)
  • Filename Safety: Sanitizes output filenames to prevent directory traversal
  • Parameter Validation: Validates all command-line options

Graceful Degradation

  • Partial Feature Support: Works even if only basic tools (curl/wget) are available
  • Clear Error Messages: Provides actionable error messages for missing dependencies
  • Help Integration: Built-in help with examples for all commands

Implementation Guidelines for AI Agents

When to Use This Skill

  • External Data Retrieval: Any need to fetch data from internet resources
  • File Downloads: Retrieving files, documents, datasets, or media
  • API Integration: Communicating with REST APIs and web services
  • Network Troubleshooting: Diagnosing connectivity or DNS issues
  • Media Processing: Downloading content from video/audio platforms

Best Practices

  1. Leverage Auto-Selection: Let the skill choose the best tool unless you have specific requirements
  2. Use Proxy Judiciously: Only enable proxy when accessing known restricted resources
  3. Handle Large Downloads: Use resume capability for large or unreliable downloads
  4. Validate Results: Always check download success and file integrity
  5. Respect Rate Limits: Implement appropriate delays between requests when doing batch operations

Security Considerations

  • Content Validation: Verify downloaded content before processing
  • URL Sanitization: Ensure URLs don't contain malicious parameters
  • File Safety: Scan downloaded files for malware when possible
  • Privacy Awareness: Avoid downloading sensitive content through shared proxies

Compatibility Requirements

Required Tools (at minimum)

  • curl OR wget (for basic HTTP operations)

Recommended Tools (for full functionality)

  • httpie (better JSON handling)
  • aria2c (fast downloads)
  • dig (DNS queries)
  • ping/traceroute (network diagnostics)
  • youtube-dl (media downloads)

Proxy Requirements

  • SOCKS5 Proxy: Local proxy at 127.0.0.1:9050 (optional, for restricted content access)

Language Support

  • English documentation and error messages
  • UTF-8 encoding support for international content and domains

Success Metrics

  • Reliability: High success rate across different network conditions
  • Performance: Optimal tool selection for fastest results
  • Compatibility: Works with minimal tool requirements
  • Security: Safe handling of network requests and responses
  • Usability: Intuitive command structure with helpful error messages
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