# Building Custom OpenClaw Skills: Extend Your AI Agent

> Create custom AgentSkills for OpenClaw: define permissions, schemas, functions, test locally, and publish safely.

Published: 2026-03-01  
Canonical: https://aimastermindlab.com/tutorials/building-custom-openclaw-skills

---
A personal AI agent is only as good as the tools it has access to. OpenClaw thrives on its `AgentSkills` ecosystem. In this guide, we will build a custom skill that allows OpenClaw to check crypto prices natively.

## 1. Scaffold the Skill

Use the OpenClaw CLI to bootstrap a new skill directory.

```bash
openclaw skill create crypto-tracker
cd crypto-tracker
npm install
```

## 2. Defining the Manifest

The `manifest.json` tells the OpenClaw reasoning engine exactly what this skill does and what parameters it requires. This acts as the "Function Calling" schema.

```json
{
  "name": "crypto-tracker",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "Fetch real-time cryptocurrency prices for the user.",
  "author": "Your Name",
  "permissions": ["network"],
  "functions": [
    {
      "name": "get_crypto_price",
      "description": "Get the current USD price of a cryptocurrency.",
      "parameters": {
        "type": "object",
        "properties": {
          "coin_id": {
            "type": "string",
            "description": "The ID of the coin (e.g., 'bitcoin', 'ethereum')"
          }
        },
        "required": ["coin_id"]
      }
    }
  ]
}
```

## 3. Implement the Logic

Open the `src/index.ts` file. This is where we implement the actual logic that gets executed when the LLM decides to call this tool.

```typescript
import { AgentSkill, Context } from '@openclaw/sdk';

export default class CryptoTrackerSkill extends AgentSkill {
  
  async get_crypto_price(params: { coin_id: string }, ctx: Context) {
    ctx.logger.info(`Fetching price for ${params.coin_id}...`);
    
    try {
      const response = await fetch(`https://api.coingecko.com/api/v3/simple/price?ids=${params.coin_id}&vs_currencies=usd`);
      const data = await response.json();
      
      if (!data[params.coin_id]) {
        return `Error: Coin ${params.coin_id} not found.`;
      }
      
      const price = data[params.coin_id].usd;
      return `The current price of ${params.coin_id} is ${price} USD.`;
    } catch (error) {
       return `An error occurred while fetching the price.`;
    }
  }
}
```

## 4. Install & Test

Install it locally into your OpenClaw daemon:

```bash
openclaw skill link
openclaw reload
```

Now, message your OpenClaw bot: *"What's the price of Bitcoin right now?"*
The agent will parse your intent, map 'Bitcoin' to the `get_crypto_price` skill, execute the typescript code, parse the JSON response, and formulate a conversational reply.
---

Source: https://aimastermindlab.com/tutorials/building-custom-openclaw-skills — AI Mastermind Lab (https://aimastermindlab.com)