OpenClaw Tip #7: Build Custom Skills to Extend Your Agent

OpenClaw has 100+ built-in skills, but the real power is building your own. Custom skills teach your agent domain-specific tasks.

Creating a Basic Skill

# My Report Generator

## Description
Generate weekly reports in company format.

## Instructions
1. Collect data from the spreadsheet.
2. Calculate key metrics.
3. Format as Markdown table.
4. Include executive summary.

## Tools Required
- File system access
- Web search

Place it in the skills directory:

mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/skills/report-generator
cp SKILL.md ~/.openclaw/skills/report-generator/

Advanced Tips

• Keep skills focused — one skill, one purpose.
• Include examples of good output.
• Add error handling instructions.
• Version with git.
• Disable unused skills to save memory.

Security Warning

Over 1,000 malicious skills were found on ClawHub. Always run openclaw doctor --deep before installing third-party skills, and review SKILL.md contents carefully.

More in our OpenClaw User Tips series.