ClawHub has 19,000+ skills. About 8% of them are malicious. Most of the rest are mediocre.
So which ones are actually worth installing?
I went through the awesome-openclaw-skills curated list (5,400+ vetted skills from 40K stars), the ClawHub download rankings, and dozens of X/Twitter threads where power users share their setups. These are the 15 skills that keep showing up — the ones people actually use daily, not the ones that sound cool in a readme.
Before you install anything: Read our OpenClaw security guide first. Install the skills-vetter skill (#4 below) before anything else. Run openclaw security audit --deep after every new install. ClawHavoc was real — 1,184 malicious skills found. Don’t skip the vetting.
The Essentials (Install These First)
1. tavily-search — Real-Time Web Search
OpenClaw’s default browsing is clunky. Tavily replaces it with AI-optimized search that pulls fresh data and actually reduces hallucinations.
npx clawhub@latest install tavily-search
Requires: Tavily API key (free tier available) Why it’s essential: It’s the #1 most-downloaded skill on ClawHub for a reason. Every “must-install” list on X includes it. Without real-time search, your agent is working with stale training data. Safety: Vetted. Official integration.
2. summarize — Turn Anything Into a Brief
Articles, emails, papers, meeting transcripts, long Slack threads — summarize them into whatever structure you want.
npx clawhub@latest install summarize
Why it’s essential: The most boring skill on this list and the one you’ll use most. Knowledge workers send dozens of things through this daily. Safety: Vetted. Bundled in some installs but the ClawHub version is enhanced.
3. self-improving-agent — Your Agent Gets Smarter Over Time
This is the one that makes OpenClaw feel different from a chatbot. It logs errors and user feedback, analyzes failures, and auto-generates new skills or prompt tweaks. Your agent literally learns from its mistakes.
npx clawhub@latest install self-improving-agent
X buzz: Core of every “minimal 5 skills” setup. @aiwarts (1,354 likes, 95K views) featured it as skill #1 in a viral thread. One user called it “a superpower — adds better ways to do stuff automatically.” Safety: Vetted. But review what it auto-generates — don’t let it self-modify without oversight.
4. skills-vetter — Scan Skills Before They Scan You
Checks other skills for prompt injection, malware, and suspicious behavior before you load them.
# Install via ClawHub (search "vetting" or "skills-vetter")
npx clawhub@latest install skills-vetter
Why it’s essential: “Install this FIRST” is the #1 recommendation on X after the ClawHavoc incident. Think of it as antivirus for your skill directory. Safety: Meta — this IS the safety skill.
5. find-skills — Auto-Discover What You’re Missing
Analyzes your workflow, checks ClawHub for gaps, and recommends skills you didn’t know existed. Pairs with self-improving-agent for a self-expanding loop.
npx clawhub@latest install find-skills
Safety: Vetted. But always run recommendations through skills-vetter before installing.
Productivity & Workspace
6. gog (Google Workspace) — Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Everything
Full integration with Google’s ecosystem. Read and send emails, manage calendar events, search Drive, edit Sheets and Docs, manage contacts.
npx clawhub@latest install gog
Downloads: ~33,000 — the highest on ClawHub. There’s a reason. Real use case: “Summarize my unread emails, add any meetings to my calendar, and draft replies to anything flagged urgent.” That’s one prompt. Safety: Vetted. Requires Google OAuth setup.
7. agent-browser — Full Browser Automation
Navigate, click, fill forms, scrape, take screenshots. Uses Playwright under the hood with anti-bot capabilities.
# Search ClawHub for "agent-browser" or "playwright-browser"
npx clawhub@latest install agent-browser
X buzz: “Start here for real leverage — turns OpenClaw from toy into labor machine.” Users run competitor audits, price monitoring, form submissions, and data extraction through this. Safety: Community-vetted. Review permissions — browser access is powerful and risky.
8. Composio — 860+ Tools in One Skill
Instead of installing individual integrations for GitHub, Slack, Gmail, Notion, etc., Composio gives you 860+ pre-built connectors with secure auth handling.
cd ~/.openclaw/skills && npx skills add composiohq
Why it matters: One skill replaces dozens of individual integrations. Featured by @coreyganim (78 likes): “one command triggers entire workflow (research → format → deliver)” using 11+ free plugins through Composio. Safety: Vetted. Official Composio integration.
Research & Knowledge
9. Obsidian — Connect Your Knowledge Base
Read, search, create, and link notes in your Obsidian vault. Turns your agent into a research assistant that knows your existing notes.
npx clawhub@latest install obsidian
Real use case: “Search my vault for everything I’ve written about market sizing, synthesize it into a one-page brief, and create a new note with the summary linked to sources.” Safety: Vetted. Local file access only — no cloud sync.
10. GitHub — Repos, PRs, Issues
Manage repositories, create pull requests, review code, search issues, and handle GitHub workflows.
npx clawhub@latest install github
Why: If you’re a developer using OpenClaw, this is table stakes. Review PRs from your phone via Dispatch, manage issues hands-free. Safety: Vetted. Official integration. Requires GitHub token.
Communication
11. WeChat/Weixin Integration — Chat With Your Agent on WeChat
Brand new (March 22, 2026) — native messaging with OpenClaw via WeChat private chats and groups. The Chinese tech community is losing its mind over this one.
npx -y @tencent-weixin/openclaw-weixin-cli@latest install
# Scan QR after updating WeChat to 8.0.70+
X buzz: Dozens of excited posts today — “微信接入小龙虾了！” (WeChat + OpenClaw = game-changer). Note: 24-hour message forwarding limit. Safety: New — vet carefully. Tencent-official but fresh.
12. Slack Integration — Agent in Your Workspace
Send and receive Slack messages, search channels, post updates, and manage threads through your agent.
npx clawhub@latest install slack
Real use case: “Monitor #sales-alerts, summarize any new messages, and post a daily digest to #team-updates at 9 AM.” Safety: Vetted. Requires Slack app setup.
Automation & DevOps
13. n8n-workflow-automation — Chat-Driven Workflows
Build and run n8n automation workflows through natural language. No cloud dashboard needed — everything runs locally.
npx clawhub@latest install n8n-workflow-automation
Why: If you already use n8n, this lets your agent trigger and manage workflows conversationally. If you don’t use n8n, this is a gateway drug. Safety: Community-vetted. Review generated workflows before execution.
14. Home Assistant — Smart Home Control
Control lights, thermostats, locks, cameras, and automations through your OpenClaw agent.
npx clawhub@latest install homeassistant
Real use case: “When I say goodnight, turn off all lights, lock the front door, set the thermostat to 68, and arm the security system.” Voice → agent → home. Safety: Vetted. Requires Home Assistant instance and long-lived access token.
15. ElevenLabs TTS — Give Your Agent a Voice
Text-to-speech integration that makes your agent talk. Useful for accessibility, hands-free workflows, or just making the experience feel more natural.
npx clawhub@latest install elevenlabs-tts
Safety: Vetted. Requires ElevenLabs API key (free tier available).
The “Minimal Viable Agent” Setup
If you’re just getting started, here’s the 5-skill combo that X power users recommend:
- skills-vetter — security first
- tavily-search — real-time web access
- self-improving-agent — learns from mistakes
- find-skills — discovers what you need
- summarize — daily workhorse
Install all five, run your agent for a week, then add specialty skills based on your actual workflow. @HanPaoao (531 likes, 70K views) published a video walkthrough of this exact setup.
Where to Find More Skills
| Resource | What It Is | URL |
|---|---|---|
| awesome-openclaw-skills | 5,400+ curated skills (40K GitHub stars) | github.com/VoltAgent/awesome-openclaw-skills |
| ClawHub | Official registry, 19K+ skills (sort by downloads) | clawhub.ai/skills?sort=downloads |
| X/Twitter | Real-time skill discoveries and reviews | Search “openclaw skills” |
Pro tip from @milesdeutscher (339 likes, 39K views): “This is the most valuable OpenClaw resource — ClawHub, over 19,000 skills. Sort by downloads.” The download count is your best signal for quality.
The Security Reality
Let’s not pretend this ecosystem is safe by default. It isn’t.
- 1,184 malicious skills found on ClawHub (ClawHavoc campaign)
- 36% of skills had some security flaw (Snyk audit)
- VirusTotal integration helps but isn’t a silver bullet — prompt injection payloads evade scanning
Every skill on this list is marked as vetted for a reason. But “vetted” means “reviewed by the community as of today.” Things change. Always:
- Run
skills-vetteron new installs - Read the SKILL.md source code before loading anything
- Run
openclaw security audit --deepafter changes - Use
awesome-openclaw-skillsover raw ClawHub browsing
For the full security deep-dive, read our Is OpenClaw Safe? post and the complete skills installation guide.
Keep Learning
Free courses on OpenClaw and AI agents:
- OpenClaw for Everyone — Safe setup, workflows, and skill vetting (beginner)
- Build Custom OpenClaw Skills — Create your own skills with AgentSkills spec (Pro)
- AI Agent Security — Threat models and permission design for AI agents
- Agentic AI — How autonomous agents work and where they’re headed
- Prompt Engineering — Write better instructions for agents and skills
Related posts:
- OpenClaw Skills Guide: Installing, Building, and Securing — The technical how-to companion
- Is OpenClaw Safe? 5 Security Risks — CVEs, rogue agents, and hardening
- OpenClaw vs Claude Code vs Copilot — Which AI agent to choose
Skill data from ClawHub, awesome-openclaw-skills, Composio, and X/Twitter community research via Grok (285 sources). All install commands verified March 22, 2026.