Use this page to choose the right Capabilities surface. Tools are callable actions, skills teach agents how to work, and plugins add runtime capabilities such as tools, providers, channels, hooks, and packaged skills.
This is an overview and routing page. For exhaustive tool policy, defaults, group membership, provider restrictions, and configuration fields, use Tools and custom providers.
Start here
For most agents, start with the built-in tool categories, then adjust policy only when the agent should see fewer tools or needs explicit host access.
| If you need to... | Use this first | Then read |
|---|---|---|
| Let an agent act with existing capabilities | Built-in tools | Tool categories |
| Control what an agent can call | Tool policy | Tools and custom providers |
| Teach an agent a workflow | Skills | Skills, Creating skills, Skill Workshop, and Self-learning |
| Add a new integration or runtime surface | Plugins | Plugins and Build plugins |
| Run work later or in the background | Automation | Automation overview |
| Coordinate multiple agents or harnesses | Sub-agents | ACP agents and Agent send |
| Search a large OpenClaw tool catalog | Tool Search | Tool Search |
| Combine several tools in one compact program | Code Mode | Code Mode |
Choose tools, skills, or plugins
The model only sees tools that survive the active profile, allow/deny
policy, provider restrictions, sandbox state, channel permissions, and
plugin availability.
Skills can live in a workspace, shared skill directory, managed OpenClaw
skill root, or plugin package.
[Skills](/tools/skills) | [Skill Workshop](/tools/skill-workshop) | [Self-learning](/tools/self-learning) | [Creating skills](/tools/creating-skills) | [Skills config](/tools/skills-config)
[Install and configure plugins](/tools/plugin) | [Build plugins](/plugins/building-plugins) | [Plugin SDK](/plugins/sdk-overview)
Built-in tool categories
The table lists representative tools so you can recognize the surface. It is not the full policy reference. For exact groups, defaults, and allow/deny semantics, use Tools and custom providers.
| Category | Use when the agent needs to... | Representative tools | Read next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runtime | Run commands, manage processes, or use provider-backed Python analysis | exec, process, terminal, code_execution |
Exec, Control UI terminal, Code execution |
| Files | Read and change workspace files | read, write, edit, apply_patch |
Apply patch |
| Human input | Pause for a structured decision owned by the user | ask_user |
Ask user |
| Web | Search the web, search X posts, or fetch readable page content | web_search, x_search, web_fetch |
Web tools, Web fetch |
| Browser | Operate a browser session | browser |
Browser |
| Messaging and channels | Send replies or channel actions | message |
Agent send |
| Sessions and agents | Inspect sessions, delegate work, steer another run, or report status | sessions_*, subagents, agents_list, session_status, get_goal, create_goal, update_goal |
Goal, Sub-agents, Session tool |
| Automation | Schedule work or respond to background events | cron, heartbeat_respond |
Automation |
| Gateway and nodes | Inspect Gateway state or paired target devices | gateway, nodes |
Gateway configuration, Nodes |
| Media | Analyze, generate, or speak media | image, image_generate, music_generate, video_generate, tts |
Media overview |
| Large OpenClaw catalogs | Search, call, and combine many eligible tools without sending every schema to the model | exec, wait, tool_search_code, tool_search, tool_describe |
Code Mode, Tool Search |
Plugin-provided tools
Plugins can register additional tools. Plugin authors wire tools through
api.registerTool(...) and the manifest's contracts.tools; use
Plugin SDK and Plugin manifest
for contract details.
Common plugin-provided tools include:
- Diffs for rendering file and markdown diffs
- Show widget for self-contained inline SVG and HTML in supported chat clients
- LLM Task for JSON-only workflow steps
- Lobster for typed workflows with resumable approvals
- Tokenjuice for compacting noisy
execandbashtool output - Tool Search for discovering and calling large tool catalogs without putting every schema in the prompt
- Canvas for node Canvas control and A2UI rendering
Configure access and approvals
Tool policy is enforced before the model call. If policy removes a tool, the model does not receive that tool's schema for the turn. A run can lose tools because of global config, per-agent config, channel policy, provider restrictions, sandbox rules, channel/runtime policy, or plugin availability.
- Tools and custom providers documents tool profiles, allow/deny lists, provider-specific restrictions, loop detection, and provider-backed tool settings.
- Exec approvals documents host command approval policy.
- Elevated exec documents controlled execution outside the sandbox.
- Sandbox vs tool policy vs elevated explains which layer controls file and process access.
- Per-agent sandbox and tool restrictions documents agent-specific restrictions for delegated runs.
Extend capabilities
Choose the extension path by the job you need OpenClaw to do:
- Install or manage an existing plugin with Plugins.
- Build a new integration, provider, channel, tool, or hook with Build plugins.
- Add or tune reusable agent instructions with Skills and Creating skills.
- Use Plugin SDK and Plugin manifest when you need implementation contracts.
Troubleshoot missing tools
If the model cannot see or call a tool, start with the effective policy for the current turn:
- Check the active profile,
tools.allow, andtools.denyin Tools and custom providers. - Check provider-specific restrictions in Tools and custom providers and confirm the selected model provider supports the tool shape.
- Check channel permissions, sandbox state, and elevated access with Sandbox vs tool policy vs elevated and Elevated exec.
- Check whether the owning plugin is installed and enabled in Plugins.
- For delegated runs, check per-agent restrictions in Per-agent sandbox and tool restrictions.
- For large OpenClaw catalogs, confirm whether the run uses direct tool exposure, Code Mode, or Tool Search.
Related
- Automation for cron, tasks, heartbeat, commitments, hooks, standing orders, and Task Flow
- Agents for the agent model, sessions, memory, and multi-agent coordination
- Tools and custom providers for the canonical tool policy reference
- Plugins for plugin installation and management
- Plugin SDK for plugin author reference
- Skills for skill load order, gating, and config
- Skill Workshop for generated and reviewed skill creation
- Tool Search for compact OpenClaw tool catalog discovery
- Code Mode for compact JavaScript or TypeScript workflows over a hidden OpenClaw tool catalog
Source: docs/tools/index.md