The ClawHub skills ecosystem has exploded. 10,700+ community-built skills as of April 2026, growing daily. That's the good news. The bad news: 820+ of those skills — 7.6% — have been flagged as malicious by the ClawHub security team. Skills are modular capability extensions that run with real permissions inside your OpenClaw instance. Installing a bad one isn't just annoying — it's a security event.

10,700+
Total ClawHub skills
820+
Flagged as malicious (7.6%)
~9,880
Clean skills remaining

You need a curated list. Here are the 10 skills worth installing and the 5 to avoid — with install commands, permission levels, and real use cases for each.

How Skill Installation Works

Before the list: the three-step process and what to watch for.

  1. Browse: Visit clawhub.dev or search via CLI: openclaw skill search <keyword>. Check install count, rating, permissions, and whether source code is publicly available.
  2. Install: openclaw skill install <skill-name>. The installer shows permissions requested — review before confirming. Installation takes under 10 seconds.
  3. Verify: openclaw skill list to confirm active. openclaw skill inspect <skill-name> to review permissions. openclaw skill disable <skill-name> to remove access without uninstalling.

Permission tiers to watch for: exec (shell commands — highest risk), file-write (filesystem access), network (outbound HTTP/API calls), read-only (lowest risk). A skill requesting exec access should have a clear, auditable reason. Anything that requests exec + network without documented justification should be skipped.

The 10 Best OpenClaw Skills (2026)

1 — Essential

Browser Control

Permissions: exec network file-write

Automate web browsing, form filling, data scraping, and screenshots. The backbone of research and data collection workflows. High permissions are justified — this skill literally controls a browser. Review the source before installing and use it with approval gates enabled.

Use caseCheck competitor pricing every morning and summarize changes in Telegram.
openclaw skill install browser-control
2 — Essential

File Manager

Permissions: file-write file-read

Read, write, rename, move, and organize files on your local machine. Nearly every workflow depends on this at some point. Well-maintained, widely used, and the permissions are scoped correctly — no exec, no network.

Use caseSort 500 downloaded invoices into folders by vendor and month, rename with consistent naming.
openclaw skill install file-manager
3 — High Value

Calendar Sync

Permissions: network read-only

Full Google Calendar integration — create events, check availability, get reminders, manage scheduling via chat. Low-risk permissions, high practical value. OAuth-based, so your credentials stay in Google's hands.

Use case"Schedule a 30-minute call with Sarah next Tuesday afternoon" — agent finds a free slot and sends the invite.
openclaw skill install calendar-sync
4 — Developer Essential

GitHub Integration

Permissions: network read-only

Create PRs, review diffs, manage issues, merge branches — all via chat. Wraps the GitHub API with natural language. One of the most actively maintained skills on ClawHub with 50k+ installs and a strong review track record.

Use case"What PRs are open on the main repo?" → summary with status, reviewers, and CI results.
openclaw skill install github-integration
5 — High Value

Email Assistant

Permissions: network

Draft, send, and search emails in natural language. Works with Gmail and Outlook via OAuth. The key safety note: configure it to draft-and-notify rather than auto-send. Review before any email goes out.

Use case"Draft a follow-up email to the client about Friday's proposal" → review and approve before send.
openclaw skill install email-assistant
6 — Technical

Database Query

Permissions: network read-only (read mode) / file-write (write mode)

Talk to PostgreSQL or MySQL in plain English. Natural language → SQL → results. Start in read-only mode; only enable write permissions for specific workflows you've audited. Saves hours on routine data questions.

Use case"How many users signed up last week vs the week before?" → answer with chart-ready data.
openclaw skill install database-query
7 — Productivity

Notion Sync

Permissions: network

Read and write Notion pages, databases, and blocks via chat. One of the most popular skills in the productivity category. Well-audited, no exec access, clean API scope. Works well for knowledge management workflows.

Use case"Add a meeting summary to my Notion project page" → agent finds the page and appends the content.
openclaw skill install notion-sync
8 — Automation

Webhook Trigger

Permissions: network

Send webhook payloads to any URL from your agent. Bridges OpenClaw to Zapier, Make, n8n, and any webhook-compatible service. Network-only, no file or exec access. The connective tissue for complex automation stacks.

Use caseTrigger a Zapier workflow when the agent completes a task — log to Airtable, notify Slack, update CRM.
openclaw skill install webhook-trigger
9 — Research

Web Search Pro

Permissions: network

Enhanced web search with structured output — returns titles, URLs, snippets, and publication dates in agent-readable format. Better than the built-in web_search tool for research workflows that need source tracking and citation.

Use caseDaily competitive intelligence brief — agent monitors keywords and surfaces new coverage with source links.
openclaw skill install web-search-pro
10 — Security

Audit Logger

Permissions: file-write

Structured audit logging for all tool calls, with timestamps, action type, and outcome. Writes to a local JSON log file. Essential for production deployments where you need a complete record of what your agent has done. Low risk, high value for accountability.

Use caseWeekly audit review — query the log for all exec calls, file writes, and API calls in the past 7 days.
openclaw skill install audit-logger

5 Skills to Actively Avoid

❌ Any skill with exec + network + no public source

This combination — shell execution, outbound network access, and closed source — is the exact profile of every malicious skill ClawHub has flagged. There is no legitimate reason for a skill to need all three without auditable code. Skip it regardless of the description.

❌ "All-in-one automation" bundled skills

Skills that claim to replace 10 tools at once typically request far more permissions than they need and have less focused code than single-purpose skills. The broader the claim, the wider the attack surface. Use purpose-built skills that do one thing well.

❌ Skills with zero installs and no reviews

New skills aren't inherently bad — but an unreviewed skill with exec access and no install history is a meaningful risk. Let community validation accrue before installing. Check the ClawHub security feed for newly flagged skills before installing anything under 100 installs.

❌ Cracked or "premium" skill reposts

Several flagged skills are repackaged versions of paid commercial skills, distributed through ClawHub to bypass licensing. Beyond the legal issue, these often contain modified code that adds a network exfiltration layer. The 820+ flagged skills are disproportionately from this category.

❌ Skills requesting keychain or credential manager access

No skill needs access to your system keychain or OS credential manager. If a skill requests this permission, it's either poorly built or actively malicious. Decline and report it via ClawHub's flag system.

Before You Install Anything: A 30-Second Check

  1. Run openclaw skill inspect <skill-name> and read the permissions list
  2. Check if source code is public — if not, treat exec/network permissions as red flags
  3. Look at install count and date: skills with high installs and recent activity are lower risk
  4. Search ClawHub's security feed for the skill name before installing

Skills are powerful — that's why they're worth using. But "powerful" means they need the same scrutiny you'd give any third-party software running on your machine. The 30-second check is the minimum viable due diligence.

Want Your Skills Stack Set Up Correctly?

ClawReady's setup packages include a curated skill installation — we select, install, and configure the right skills for your use case with proper permission scoping. No guesswork, no bad installs.

See Setup Packages →