OpenClaw is a powerful framework designed to facilitate the development of intelligent applications that can interact with users naturally. Writing custom skills for OpenClaw can enhance your application's capabilities and improve user interactions. This tutorial will guide you through the process of creating your own custom skills in Python. ## Prerequisites Before we begin, ensure you have the following: 1. **Basic Python Knowledge**: Familiarity with Python programming and its syntax. 2. **Python 3.x Installed**: You should have Python installed on your machine. You can download it from [python.org](https://www.python.org/downloads/). 3. **OpenClaw SDK**: Ensure you have the OpenClaw SDK installed. You can find it at the OpenClaw Hub documentation. 4. **IDE or Text Editor**: A code editor like VSCode, PyCharm, or even a simple text editor will suffice. ## Step 1: Setting Up the OpenClaw Environment First, you need to set up your environment to start developing OpenClaw skills. 1. **Create a New Directory**: This will contain your skill project. ```bash mkdir custom_openclaw_skills cd custom_openclaw_skills ``` 2. **Set Up a Virtual Environment** (Optional but recommended): ```bash python -m venv venv source venv/bin/activate # On Windows use `venv\Scripts\activate` ``` 3. **Install OpenClaw SDK**: Use pip to install the SDK. ```bash pip install openclaw ``` ## Step 2: Understanding OpenClaw Skills OpenClaw skills are essentially Python classes that define how your application responds to user input. Each skill can handle specific commands and produce appropriate responses. ### Skill Structure A typical OpenClaw skill contains: - **Name**: The skill's unique identifier. - **Description**: A brief description of what the skill does. - **Handlers**: Methods that define how the skill responds to user inputs. ## Step 3: Creating Your First Custom Skill Let's create a simple skill that responds to user greetings. ### 1. Create a New Python File Create a new file named `greeting_skill.py` in your project directory. ### 2. Write the Skill Code Add the following code to `greeting_skill.py`: ```python from openclaw import Skill, Intent class GreetingSkill(Skill): def __init__(self): super().__init__(name="GreetingSkill", description="Responds to greetings") @Intent("greet") def handle_greeting(self, request): return "Hello! How can I assist you today?" @Intent("farewell") def handle_farewell(self, request): return "Goodbye! Have a great day!" ``` ### Explanation of the Code - **Imports**: We import `Skill` and `Intent` from the OpenClaw library. - **Class Definition**: We define a `GreetingSkill` class that inherits from `Skill`. - **Constructor**: The constructor initializes the skill with a name and description. - **Intent Decorators**: The `@Intent` decorator specifies which user inputs the methods will respond to. ## Step 4: Registering Your Skill To make your skill functional, you need to register it with the OpenClaw system. ### 1. Create a Main Application File Create another file named `app.py` in your project directory. ### 2. Add the Following Code to `app.py` ```python from openclaw import OpenClaw from greeting_skill import GreetingSkill def main(): # Initialize the OpenClaw application app = OpenClaw() # Register your skill greeting_skill = GreetingSkill() app.add_skill(greeting_skill) # Start the application app.run() if __name__ == "__main__": main() ``` ### Explanation of the Code - **Import Statements**: We import `OpenClaw` and our `GreetingSkill`. - **Main Function**: Initializes the OpenClaw application, registers the skill, and starts the application. ## Step 5: Running Your Skill To see your skill in action, run the following command in your terminal: ```bash python app.py ``` ### Interacting with Your Skill Once the application is running, you can interact with it by typing greetings. For example, typing "Hello" should trigger the `handle_greeting` method, and the application will respond with "Hello! How can I assist you today?" ## Troubleshooting Tips - **Skill Not Responding**: Ensure that the intent names match the user inputs you are testing. You can add debug statements in your methods to check if they are being invoked. - **Import Errors**: Double-check that your file structure is correct and that you are importing from the correct modules. - **Application Crashes**: If the application crashes, check the error messages in your terminal for hints on what went wrong. Common issues include syntax errors or incorrect method signatures. ## Next Steps Now that you have created a simple OpenClaw skill, consider exploring the following topics to expand your skills: 1. **Handling Complex Inputs**: Learn how to parse and respond to more complex user commands. 2. **Integrating External APIs**: Discover how to call external APIs to enhance your skills with real-time data. 3. **Creating Multi-Turn Conversations**: Understand how to maintain context in conversations for a more natural interaction. 4. **Deploying Your Skills**: Learn how to deploy your OpenClaw skills to a live environment. By following this tutorial, you have laid the foundation for building custom OpenClaw skills in Python. Dive deeper into the OpenClaw documentation to unlock its full potential!