Skip to main content
Skills extend an agent with external tools or MCP-compatible capabilities.

​
When to Use Skills

Use skills when your agent needs capabilities beyond normal Python code, such as:
  • browser tools,
  • service integrations,
  • local automation wrappers,
  • MCP servers,
  • reusable task-specific tooling.

​
Configure Skills

Skills belong under runtime.skills in charm.yaml. 
runtime:
  skills:
    - name: "my-skill"
      source: "git:https://github.com/example/my-skill"

​
Source Types

Supported sources may include:
  • Git repositories.
  • HTTPS zip archives.
  • NPM packages.
  • PyPI packages.
  • Local development sources.

​
Runtime Mode

Many MCP skills require browser or system-level dependencies. If your skill fails to load due to missing dependencies, you may need to use adapter.type: openclaw or provide a custom_image that includes those binaries.

​
Best Practices

  • Pin versions where possible.
  • Document required secrets.
  • Keep skill dependencies small.
  • Test with Docker before publishing.