Skill to Agent Converter: Convert a Skill into an OpenClaw Agent

Convert OpenClaw skills into properly configured agents with correct workspace setup, binding, and orchestration. Solves common agent creation failures (thread binding errors, workspace isolation, improper session spawning). Use when creating agents from skills or when encountering agent binding errors.

Skill-to-Agent

Transform any OpenClaw skill into a fully functional agent with proper workspace configuration and session management. Solves common failures like thread=true is unavailable and mode="session" requires thread=true.

Quick Start

1. Analyze skill - Read SKILL.md to understand requirements
2. Prepare workspace - Create agent directory in ~/.openclaw/agents/
3. Configure agent - Set up identity, tools, and memory strategy
4. Spawn with correct binding - Choose appropriate mode based on channel

Workflow

Phase 1: Skill Analysis

• Extract metadata from SKILL.md (name, description, triggers)
• Identify required tools and dependencies
• Determine agent type: isolated, thread-bound, or run-mode

Phase 2: Workspace Setup

• Create agent directory with proper structure
• Copy skill files (references/, scripts/)
• Configure AGENTS.md, TOOLS.md, USER.md

Phase 3: Agent Configuration

• Create SOUL.md and IDENTITY.md with skill personality
• Map skill tools to agent capabilities
• Set up memory strategy (MEMORY.md, memory/ directory)

Phase 4: Agent Registration

• Add agent to OpenClaw's agents.list configuration
• Use gateway tool with config.patch action
• Include agent ID, name, workspace, and agentDir
• Gateway will restart to apply configuration

Phase 5: Session Spawning

• Choose spawn strategy based on channel capabilities
• Execute with correct binding (thread-bound, isolated, run-mode)
• CRITICAL: Always set cwd to agent workspace directory
• Verify agent activation and tool access

Reference Materials

For detailed guidance, refer to:

• Usage Guide - usage-guide.md - Complete workflow with examples
• Troubleshooting - troubleshooting.md - Common errors and solutions
• War Room Example - war-room-example.md - Detailed conversion example

Scripts

• scripts/skill_to_agent.js - Main conversion script

Binding Strategies

Scenario	Mode	Thread	Best For
Discord/Telegram	session	true	Group discussions
WebChat/Control UI	run	false	One-shot tasks
Isolated Processing	session	false	Background work
Cron/Scheduled	run	false	Automated tasks

Decision Tree:

• Channel supports threads? → Yes → thread=true, mode=session
• Isolated processing needed? → Yes → thread=false, mode=session
• Otherwise → thread=false, mode=run

Common Errors & Solutions

Error 1: thread=true is unavailable

• Solution: Use mode="run" without thread binding
• Check channel capabilities first

Error 2: mode="session" requires thread=true

• Solution: Use isolated session mode
• mode="session", thread=false, runtime="subagent"

Error 3: Agent lacks tool access

• Solution: Verify tools in TOOLS.md
• Update workspace configuration

Error 4: Workspace files not accessible

• Solution: Set cwd parameter when spawning agent
• Agent workspace must be at path specified in cwd
• Ensure agent has read/write permissions to workspace

Error 5: Agent can't find its identity files

• Solution: Always set cwd to agent workspace directory
• Agent reads IDENTITY.md, SOUL.md, etc. from current directory
• Test file access with simple read commands

Error 6: Agent not recognized by OpenClaw system

• Solution: Register agent in agents.list configuration
• Use gateway tool with config.patch action
• Gateway restart required for configuration changes
• Verify agent appears in configured agents list

Critical: Workspace Directory (cwd)

When spawning an agent, ALWAYS set the cwd parameter to the agent's workspace directory:

sessions_spawn({
  task: "Agent instructions...",
  label: "agent-name",
  runtime: "subagent",
  mode: "session", // or "run"
  cwd: "/Users/nimbletenthousand/.openclaw/agents/agent-name",
  timeoutSeconds: 300
});

Without cwd, the agent cannot find its identity files (IDENTITY.md, SOUL.md, etc.) and will fail to function properly.

Critical: Agent Registration

After creating an agent workspace, register it in OpenClaw's configuration:

gateway({
  action: "config.patch",
  raw: JSON.stringify({
    agents: {
      list: [
        {
          id: "agent-name",
          name: "Agent Display Name",
          workspace: "/Users/nimbletenthousand/.openclaw/workspace",
          agentDir: "/Users/nimbletenthousand/.openclaw/agents/agent-name"
        }
      ]
    }
  }),
  note: "Added [agent-name] to agents configuration"
});

The gateway will restart automatically to apply the configuration. Without registration, the agent won't be recognized as a configured agent in the system.

Quick Commands

# Check skill structure
node scripts/skill_to_agent.js --analyze --skill /path/to/skill

# Create agent workspace
node scripts/skill_to_agent.js --create --skill /path/to/skill --agent agent-name

# Spawn agent with correct binding
node scripts/skill_to_agent.js --spawn --agent agent-name --mode session --cwd /path/to/agent-workspace

Best Practices

1. Keep it lean - Only copy essential skill files
2. Test binding first - Verify channel capabilities
3. Monitor agent health - Check sessions_list regularly
4. Clean up properly - Remove unused agent workspaces
5. Document conversions - Save configuration for future reference

Next Steps

After creating an agent:

1. Verify it appears in sessions_list
2. Test tool accessibility
3. Configure heartbeat if needed
4. Set up orchestration with parent agent

For advanced usage and complete examples, see the reference files.