Plugins on 编程那些事儿

Plugin SDK Migration

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 15:33:23 +0800

Plugin SDK Migration

OpenClaw has moved from a broad backwards-compatibility layer to a modern plugin architecture with focused, documented imports. If your plugin was built before the new architecture, this guide helps you migrate.

What is changing

The old plugin system provided two wide-open surfaces that let plugins import anything they needed from a single entry point:

openclaw/plugin-sdk/compat — a single import that re-exported dozens of helpers. It was introduced to keep older hook-based plugins working while the new plugin architecture was being built.
openclaw/extension-api — a bridge that gave plugins direct access to host-side helpers like the embedded agent runner.

Both surfaces are now deprecated. They still work at runtime, but new plugins must not use them, and existing plugins should migrate before the next major release removes them.

Building Channel Plugins

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 15:32:20 +0800

This guide walks through building a channel plugin that connects OpenClaw to a messaging platform. By the end you will have a working channel with DM security, pairing, reply threading, and outbound messaging.

If you have not built any OpenClaw plugin before, read Getting Started first for the basic package structure and manifest setup.

How channel plugins work

Channel plugins do not need their own send/edit/react tools. OpenClaw keeps one shared message tool in core. Your plugin owns:

Building Plugins

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 15:31:07 +0800

Plugins extend OpenClaw with new capabilities: channels, model providers, speech, image generation, web search, agent tools, or any combination.You do not need to add your plugin to the OpenClaw repository. Publish to ClawHub or npm and users install with openclaw plugins install <package-name>. OpenClaw tries ClawHub first and falls back to npm automatically.

Prerequisites

Node >= 22 and a package manager (npm or pnpm)
Familiarity with TypeScript (ESM)
For in-repo plugins: repository cloned and pnpm install done

What kind of plugin?

Channel plugin

Connect OpenClaw to a messaging platform (Discord, IRC, etc.)

Voice Call Plugin

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 15:29:41 +0800

Voice Call Plugin 语音通话插件

Voice calls for OpenClaw via a plugin. Supports outbound notifications and multi-turn conversations with inbound policies.

通过插件实现 OpenClaw 的语音通话。支持外呼通知以及遵循入站策略的多轮对话。

Current providers:

twilio (Programmable Voice + Media Streams)
telnyx (Call Control v2)
plivo (Voice API + XML transfer + GetInput speech)
mock (dev/no network)

Quick mental model:

bundles

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 15:15:56 +0800

Plugin Bundles

OpenClaw can install plugins from three external ecosystems: Codex, Claude, and Cursor. These are called bundles — content and metadata packs that OpenClaw maps into native features like skills, hooks, and MCP tools.

OpenClaw 可以从三个外部生态系统安装插件：Codex、Claude 和 Cursor。这些被称为 插件包——OpenClaw 会将其中的内容和元数据包映射为技能、钩子和 MCP 工具等原生功能。

Community Plugins

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 12:57:43 +0800

Community Plugins

Community plugins are third-party packages that extend OpenClaw with new channels, tools, providers, or other capabilities. They are built and maintained by the community, published on ClawHub or npm, and installable with a single command.

社区插件是为 OpenClaw 扩展新渠道、工具、提供程序或其他功能的第三方包。它们由社区开发和维护，发布在 ClawHub 或 npm 上，可通过一条命令完成安装。