Publishing Your Own Skills

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ClawHub Publishing Guide(DOCUMENTATION)ClawHub Moderation Policy(DOCUMENTATION)

Introduction

Once you have built a useful skill, you can share it with the OpenClaw community by publishing it to ClawHub. Publishing involves versioning your skill, authenticating with your GitHub account, and running the publish command. ClawHub also has a moderation system that keeps the registry clean and trustworthy.

Key Concepts

  • Publishing: Uploading a skill to ClawHub so others can discover and install it
  • Versioning: Assigning semantic version numbers to skill releases for tracking changes
  • GitHub Authentication: ClawHub requires a linked GitHub account for publisher identity and accountability
  • Moderation System: Community-driven reporting that auto-hides skills after 3 reports pending review
  • Skill Metadata: The frontmatter fields that become the skill's listing on ClawHub

Real World Context

You built a skill that automates database migration reviews. It checks migration files for common mistakes like missing rollback scripts, destructive operations without backups, and index creation on large tables. Your team finds it invaluable, and you realize other teams using OpenClaw would benefit too. Publishing to ClawHub makes it available to the entire community.

Deep Dive

Before publishing, ensure your skill's SKILL.md has complete frontmatter:

yaml
---
name: migration-review
description: Reviews database migration files for common mistakes including missing rollbacks, destructive operations, and performance issues
user-invocable: true
disable-model-invocation: false
requires:
  bins: ["git"]
---

The name and description fields become the skill's listing on ClawHub. A clear, specific description helps users find your skill through search.

Versioning

ClawHub uses semantic versioning. Before your first publish, create a version tag:

bash
# In your skill directory
echo '1.0.0' > VERSION

This creates a VERSION file that ClawHub reads during publishing. Follow semantic versioning conventions: increment the major version for breaking changes, minor for new features, and patch for bug fixes.

Authentication

ClawHub requires GitHub authentication for accountability:

bash
clawhub auth login

This opens a browser window for GitHub OAuth authentication. Once authenticated, your GitHub username is linked to all skills you publish. This ensures every published skill has a traceable author.

Publishing

With frontmatter complete, version set, and authentication done, publish the skill:

bash
clawhub publish

This command reads the SKILL.md and VERSION file from the current directory, packages the skill, and uploads it to the ClawHub registry. On success, the skill is immediately available for others to search and install.

To update a published skill, increment the version and publish again:

bash
echo '1.1.0' > VERSION
clawhub publish

Previous versions remain available for users who pinned them. The latest version becomes the default for new installations.

Moderation System

ClawHub uses community-driven moderation. Any user can report a skill for issues like malicious behavior, misleading descriptions, or broken functionality:

bash
clawhub report migration-review --reason "Contains destructive commands without warnings"

When a skill accumulates 3 reports, it is automatically hidden from search results and new installations pending manual review by the ClawHub moderation team. This threshold balances community safety with protection against false reports.

Common Pitfalls

  • Publishing without a clear description: A vague description means users cannot find or evaluate your skill. Write a specific description that explains what the skill does and when to use it.
  • Forgetting to increment the version: Publishing the same version twice is rejected by ClawHub. Always increment the VERSION file before re-publishing.
  • Including sensitive data in SKILL.md: Never embed API keys, internal URLs, or proprietary information in skills you publish publicly.

Best Practices

  • Write a thorough description: Include what the skill does, what tools it requires, and what output it produces. This is your skill's storefront.
  • Use semantic versioning consistently: Users rely on version numbers to understand the impact of updates.
  • Respond to reports promptly: If your skill receives reports, update it to address the concerns. Unresolved reports lead to automatic hiding.

Summary

  • Publishing to ClawHub involves setting complete frontmatter, creating a VERSION file, authenticating with GitHub, and running clawhub publish
  • Semantic versioning tracks changes across releases, and previous versions remain available for pinned installations
  • GitHub authentication ensures every published skill has a traceable author
  • The moderation system auto-hides skills after 3 community reports pending manual review
  • Write clear descriptions and respond to reports to maintain your skill's visibility and reputation
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