OpenClaw Encyclopedia

OpenClaw product/runtime/configuration documentation-first workflow for OpenClaw-specific questions, troubleshooting, command planning, configuration review,...

Security Scan

The skill is coherent with its stated purpose: a docs-first local cache and guidance workflow for OpenClaw; its included scripts only fetch from docs.openclaw.ai and write to a local .OpenClaw-Encyclopedia directory.

Purpose & Capability

Name/description match the behavior: the skill provides a docs-first workflow, local cache layout, and helper scripts for caching and initializing a workspace. Nothing requested (no env vars, no external credentials) is unrelated to that purpose.

Instruction Scope

SKILL.md focuses on OpenClaw-specific docs lookup, caching, and recording local operational notes. It does recommend 'inspect live environment state' as part of a workflow; that is appropriately constrained to OpenClaw runtime/config troubleshooting, but it does grant the agent discretion to perform live inspections. The SKILL.md does not instruct reading unrelated system files, nor does it request secrets.

Install Mechanism

No install spec; two small Python helper scripts are bundled. The caching script fetches pages only from docs.openclaw.ai and writes normalized markdown to the local cache. No remote code-download or archive extraction is performed.

Credentials

The skill declares no required environment variables, credentials, or config paths. The scripts write under the local .OpenClaw-Encyclopedia root only. No tokens/keys or unrelated service credentials are requested.

Persistence & Privilege

always is false and the skill does not request any special persistent privileges. It creates/uses a workspace directory under the project root; it does not modify other skills or system-wide settings.

Assessment

This skill appears to do what it says: a docs-first workflow with a small local cache and helper scripts. The caching script is intentionally restrictive—it only allows HTTPS requests to docs.openclaw.ai, blocks query strings, normalizes paths, and writes under .OpenClaw-Encyclopedia—so it does not exfiltrate to arbitrary hosts. Before installing, confirm that docs.openclaw.ai is the official documentation site you trust, and be aware the workflow permits 'inspect live environment state' for OpenClaw troubleshooting (so limit the agent's runtime permissions as you normally would). If you want extra assurance, open and review scripts/cache_doc.py and scripts/init_workspace.py (they are short and readable) and verify the workspace root location is acceptable for creating files.

Overview

Use a docs-first workflow for OpenClaw work. Prefer the official OpenClaw documentation at https://docs.openclaw.ai/, consult cached local copies under .OpenClaw-Encyclopedia/ before re-fetching, and record useful official-doc excerpts plus environment-specific operational learnings so future work gets faster and safer.

This skill is for OpenClaw product/runtime/config semantics. It should trigger for real OpenClaw behavior, configuration, and operational questions — not for generic agent-writing, generic prompt design, or generic host-admin work that just happens to be happening on an OpenClaw machine.

Workflow

1. Classify the task

   • Decide whether the task is an OpenClaw question, troubleshooting task, command-planning task, config review, automation/design task, or live operational task.
   • Use this skill when the request is specifically about OpenClaw product behavior, configuration, commands, session/channel/node behavior, automation, pairings, or skill loading/configuration.
   • Do not use this skill for generic skill-writing, generic prompt/instruction design, generic markdown/config editing, or generic Linux/systemd admin unless the question is specifically about OpenClaw behavior.

2. Check local cache first

   • Use .OpenClaw-Encyclopedia/ as the local knowledge/cache root.
   • Check these locations first when relevant:
     • .OpenClaw-Encyclopedia/docs/docs.openclaw.ai/...
     • .OpenClaw-Encyclopedia/notes/components/...
     • .OpenClaw-Encyclopedia/notes/patterns/...
     • .OpenClaw-Encyclopedia/inventory/...
   • If a cached page or note already answers the question well enough, use it.

3. Consult official OpenClaw docs before answering or touching the system

   • Before answering direct or indirect OpenClaw questions that depend on product behavior, command syntax, feature boundaries, configuration semantics, or version-sensitive details, consult the official docs unless the answer is already well-supported by the local cache.
   • Before performing direct OpenClaw CLI/configuration/operational work, consult the relevant docs first when:
     • the exact command path matters
     • configuration keys or feature semantics are easy to misremember
     • the action could affect gateway behavior, sessions, channels, automation, pairing, security posture, tool exposure, or messaging behavior
   • Do not improvise high-impact OpenClaw commands or config changes from memory when the docs are easy to check.

4. Cache consulted docs locally

   • When you consult an OpenClaw doc page, save a normalized markdown/text cache copy under .OpenClaw-Encyclopedia/docs/docs.openclaw.ai/....
   • Mirror the official docs path structure as much as practical.
   • Cache only pages actually consulted; do not try to mirror the whole docs site eagerly.
   • Use scripts/cache_doc.py when appropriate.

5. Separate official documentation from local observations

   • Store official-doc-derived material under .OpenClaw-Encyclopedia/docs/....
   • Store environment-specific operational knowledge under:
     • .OpenClaw-Encyclopedia/notes/components/
     • .OpenClaw-Encyclopedia/notes/patterns/
     • .OpenClaw-Encyclopedia/inventory/
   • Distinguish clearly between:
     • official documented behavior
     • observed local configuration/state
     • inferred best-practice guidance

6. Record useful local learnings

   • After useful live work, save durable notes such as:
     • deployment layout and component roles
     • gateway/runtime access methods
     • discovered workflow relationships
     • automation boundaries and operating patterns
     • repeated gotchas or command/config patterns
     • safe/unsafe operational boundaries for the environment
   • Prefer concise durable notes over re-learning the same topology later.

Live Work Rules

• Treat official docs lookup as the default preflight for non-trivial OpenClaw work.
• Prefer read/inspect first when entering an OpenClaw area you have not recently reviewed.
• Treat gateway config, auth/security, pairing, messaging/channel behavior, automation, and skill/plugin behavior as high-sensitivity areas.
• When uncertainty remains after checking cache + docs, say so and avoid bluffing.
• When answering a question, mention when useful whether the answer comes from cached official docs, a fresh official docs lookup, or live observed environment state.

Data Root

Use this workspace-local root for cache and notes:

• .OpenClaw-Encyclopedia/

Expected structure:

• .OpenClaw-Encyclopedia/docs/docs.openclaw.ai/...
• .OpenClaw-Encyclopedia/notes/components/...
• .OpenClaw-Encyclopedia/notes/patterns/...
• .OpenClaw-Encyclopedia/inventory/...

Use scripts/init_workspace.py to create or repair the expected directory structure.

Note Destinations

• Component-specific observations → .OpenClaw-Encyclopedia/notes/components/<component-name>.md
• Reusable OpenClaw patterns/gotchas → .OpenClaw-Encyclopedia/notes/patterns/<topic>.md
• Environment-wide deployment/access info → .OpenClaw-Encyclopedia/inventory/*.md
• Cached official docs → .OpenClaw-Encyclopedia/docs/docs.openclaw.ai/...

Secrets / Sensitive Data

• Do not store plaintext credentials, API keys, session tokens, private URLs, recovery codes, or other secrets in the encyclopedia notes/inventory tree.
• If a note needs to mention access details, keep it high-level and redact or omit secret material.
• Treat these workspace notes as operational memory, not as a secrets vault.

Resources

• scripts/init_workspace.py — create or repair the .OpenClaw-Encyclopedia/ directory tree.
• scripts/cache_doc.py — fetch and cache a consulted official OpenClaw docs page under .OpenClaw-Encyclopedia/docs/....
• references/workflow.md — detailed operating workflow and evidence-handling rules.
• references/cache-layout.md — canonical .OpenClaw-Encyclopedia/ directory structure.
• references/topic-map.md — useful OpenClaw topic groupings for faster doc lookup.

Good Outcomes

• Answer an OpenClaw question using cached or freshly checked official docs instead of guesswork.
• Inspect a live OpenClaw deployment after checking the relevant docs and record any new local operational knowledge.
• Build a growing local OpenClaw knowledge cache that makes later work faster, safer, and more grounded.
• Turn one-off OpenClaw discoveries into durable notes so future work does not rediscover them from scratch.

Avoid

• Answering OpenClaw-specific questions purely from memory when docs are easy to consult.
• Treating local observed behavior as if it were guaranteed official documented behavior.
• Dumping large amounts of low-value docs into the workspace without a reason.
• Writing component-specific observations into the official-doc cache tree.
• Making high-impact live changes before checking the relevant docs when exact behavior matters.