OpenClaw Platform Reference
Structured reference for the OpenClaw assistant platform. Source repo: ~/Projects/openclaw/. Tracking version: 2026.4.7 (refresh: 2026-04-07).
Quick Navigation
Load the relevant reference file based on the task:
Plugin & Extension System
references/plugin-system.md- Plugin discovery, loading, manifest format, registration API, installation CLI, SDK exports. Read when building/debugging plugins or understanding how extensions are loaded.
Configuration
references/configuration.md- Full config structure (OpenClawConfig), config paths, file format (JSON5), env var substitution,$includedirectives, validation (Zod), per-plugin config, programmatic read/write. Read when modifying or generating openclaw config.
Boot & Provisioning
references/boot-provisioning.md- Gateway startup sequence, BOOT.md mechanism, onboarding flows (interactive/non-interactive), plugin loading during boot, sidecar startup order, health checks. Read when designing automated provisioning or debugging startup.
Channels & Extensions
references/channels-extensions.md- All built-in channels (Telegram, Discord, Slack, Signal, iMessage, WhatsApp, Web) + extension channels (MS Teams, Matrix, Zalo, Voice Call, Feishu). Channel plugin registration, per-channel config, Telegram specifics. Read when adding/configuring channels.
Models & Providers
references/models-providers.md- Provider configuration,models.mode(merge/replace), x402 providers, model catalog structure, provider registration via plugins. Read when configuring model access or building provider plugins.
CLI Commands
references/cli-commands.md- Key CLI commands for config, plugins, channels, agents, onboarding, gateway, skills. Read when scripting openclaw setup or building automation.
GitHub Context (live issues, PRs, gotchas)
references/github-context.md- Open bugs, breaking changes, recent impactful PRs, plugin/config known issues, dev gotchas synthesized from GitHub. Refreshed via/refresh-openclaw. Read before starting any non-trivial openclaw work to avoid known pitfalls.
Key File Paths (repo-root relative)
src/plugins/ - Plugin loader, discovery, registry, install, types
src/plugin-sdk/ - 100+ scoped exports for plugin consumption
src/config/ - Config loading, types, validation, defaults, paths
src/gateway/ - Gateway server, boot, startup, server methods
src/commands/ - CLI commands (onboard, config, etc.)
src/cli/ - CLI wiring (plugins-cli, skills-cli, etc.)
extensions/ - Extension implementations (channels, memory, etc.)
skills/ - Built-in skill definitions
docs/ - Documentation (Mintlify)Config File Locations
- Main config:
~/.openclaw/openclaw.json(parsed as JSON5) - Extensions:
~/.openclaw/extensions/ - Skills:
~/.openclaw/skills/(managed) + workspace skills - Agents:
~/.openclaw/agents/<agent-id>/ - Sessions:
~/.openclaw/agents/<agent-id>/sessions/ - Credentials:
~/.openclaw/credentials/ - Override:
OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATHenv var
Plugin Manifest Quick Ref
{
"id": "plugin-id",
"name": "Display Name",
"kind": "memory",
"channels": ["channel-id"],
"providers": ["provider-id"],
"configSchema": { "type": "object" },
"uiHints": { "field": { "label": "...", "sensitive": true } }
}Config Structure Quick Ref
Top-level keys in OpenClawConfig: meta, auth, acp, env, secrets, plugins, skills, models, agents, tools, channels, session, hooks, gateway, logging, browser, memory, messages, approvals, cron