openclaw/docs/tools/plugin.md

---
summary: "Install, configure, and manage OpenClaw plugins"
read_when:
  - Installing or configuring plugins
  - Understanding plugin discovery and load rules
  - Working with Codex/Claude-compatible plugin bundles
title: "Plugins"
sidebarTitle: "Install and Configure"
---

# Plugins

Plugins extend OpenClaw with new capabilities: channels, model providers,
tools, skills, speech, realtime transcription, realtime voice,
media-understanding, image generation, video generation, web fetch, web
search, and more. Some plugins are **core** (shipped with OpenClaw), others
are **external** (published on npm by the community).

## Quick start

<Steps>
  <Step title="See what is loaded">
    ```bash
    openclaw plugins list
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Install a plugin">
    ```bash
    # From npm
    openclaw plugins install @openclaw/voice-call

    # From a local directory or archive
    openclaw plugins install ./my-plugin
    openclaw plugins install ./my-plugin.tgz
    ```

  </Step>

  <Step title="Restart the Gateway">
    ```bash
    openclaw gateway restart
    ```

    Then configure under `plugins.entries.\<id\>.config` in your config file.

  </Step>
</Steps>

If you prefer chat-native control, enable `commands.plugins: true` and use:

```text
/plugin install clawhub:@openclaw/voice-call
/plugin show voice-call
/plugin enable voice-call
```

The install path uses the same resolver as the CLI: local path/archive, explicit
`clawhub:<pkg>`, or bare package spec (ClawHub first, then npm fallback).

If config is invalid, install normally fails closed and points you at
`openclaw doctor --fix`. The only recovery exception is a narrow bundled-plugin
reinstall path for plugins that opt into
`openclaw.install.allowInvalidConfigRecovery`.

Packaged OpenClaw installs do not eagerly install every bundled plugin's
runtime dependency tree. When a bundled OpenClaw-owned plugin is active from
plugin config, legacy channel config, or a default-enabled manifest, startup
repairs only that plugin's declared runtime dependencies before importing it.
External plugins and custom load paths must still be installed through
`openclaw plugins install`.

## Plugin types

OpenClaw recognizes two plugin formats:

| Format     | How it works                                                       | Examples                                               |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Native** | `openclaw.plugin.json` + runtime module; executes in-process       | Official plugins, community npm packages               |
| **Bundle** | Codex/Claude/Cursor-compatible layout; mapped to OpenClaw features | `.codex-plugin/`, `.claude-plugin/`, `.cursor-plugin/` |

Both show up under `openclaw plugins list`. See [Plugin Bundles](/plugins/bundles) for bundle details.

If you are writing a native plugin, start with [Building Plugins](/plugins/building-plugins)
and the [Plugin SDK Overview](/plugins/sdk-overview).

## Official plugins

### Installable (npm)

| Plugin          | Package                | Docs                                 |
| --------------- | ---------------------- | ------------------------------------ |
| Matrix          | `@openclaw/matrix`     | [Matrix](/channels/matrix)           |
| Microsoft Teams | `@openclaw/msteams`    | [Microsoft Teams](/channels/msteams) |
| Nostr           | `@openclaw/nostr`      | [Nostr](/channels/nostr)             |
| Voice Call      | `@openclaw/voice-call` | [Voice Call](/plugins/voice-call)    |
| Zalo            | `@openclaw/zalo`       | [Zalo](/channels/zalo)               |
| Zalo Personal   | `@openclaw/zalouser`   | [Zalo Personal](/plugins/zalouser)   |

### Core (shipped with OpenClaw)

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Model providers (enabled by default)">
    `anthropic`, `byteplus`, `cloudflare-ai-gateway`, `github-copilot`, `google`,
    `huggingface`, `kilocode`, `kimi-coding`, `minimax`, `mistral`, `qwen`,
    `moonshot`, `nvidia`, `openai`, `opencode`, `opencode-go`, `openrouter`,
    `qianfan`, `synthetic`, `together`, `venice`,
    `vercel-ai-gateway`, `volcengine`, `xiaomi`, `zai`
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Memory plugins">
    - `memory-core` — bundled memory search (default via `plugins.slots.memory`)
    - `memory-lancedb` — install-on-demand long-term memory with auto-recall/capture (set `plugins.slots.memory = "memory-lancedb"`)
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Speech providers (enabled by default)">
    `elevenlabs`, `microsoft`
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Other">
    - `browser` — bundled browser plugin for the browser tool, `openclaw browser` CLI, `browser.request` gateway method, browser runtime, and default browser control service (enabled by default; disable before replacing it)
    - `copilot-proxy` — VS Code Copilot Proxy bridge (disabled by default)
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

Looking for third-party plugins? See [Community Plugins](/plugins/community).

## Configuration

```json5
{
  plugins: {
    enabled: true,
    allow: ["voice-call"],
    deny: ["untrusted-plugin"],
    load: { paths: ["~/Projects/oss/voice-call-plugin"] },
    entries: {
      "voice-call": { enabled: true, config: { provider: "twilio" } },
    },
  },
}
```

| Field            | Description                                               |
| ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| `enabled`        | Master toggle (default: `true`)                           |
| `allow`          | Plugin allowlist (optional)                               |
| `deny`           | Plugin denylist (optional; deny wins)                     |
| `load.paths`     | Extra plugin files/directories                            |
| `slots`          | Exclusive slot selectors (e.g. `memory`, `contextEngine`) |
| `entries.\<id\>` | Per-plugin toggles + config                               |

Config changes **require a gateway restart**. If the Gateway is running with config
watch + in-process restart enabled (the default `openclaw gateway` path), that
restart is usually performed automatically a moment after the config write lands.

<Accordion title="Plugin states: disabled vs missing vs invalid">
  - **Disabled**: plugin exists but enablement rules turned it off. Config is preserved.
  - **Missing**: config references a plugin id that discovery did not find.
  - **Invalid**: plugin exists but its config does not match the declared schema.
</Accordion>

## Discovery and precedence

OpenClaw scans for plugins in this order (first match wins):

<Steps>
  <Step title="Config paths">
    `plugins.load.paths` — explicit file or directory paths.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Workspace plugins">
    `\<workspace\>/.openclaw/<plugin-root>/*.ts` and `\<workspace\>/.openclaw/<plugin-root>/*/index.ts`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Global plugins">
    `~/.openclaw/<plugin-root>/*.ts` and `~/.openclaw/<plugin-root>/*/index.ts`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Bundled plugins">
    Shipped with OpenClaw. Many are enabled by default (model providers, speech).
    Others require explicit enablement.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Enablement rules

- `plugins.enabled: false` disables all plugins
- `plugins.deny` always wins over allow
- `plugins.entries.\<id\>.enabled: false` disables that plugin
- Workspace-origin plugins are **disabled by default** (must be explicitly enabled)
- Bundled plugins follow the built-in default-on set unless overridden
- Exclusive slots can force-enable the selected plugin for that slot

## Plugin slots (exclusive categories)

Some categories are exclusive (only one active at a time):

```json5
{
  plugins: {
    slots: {
      memory: "memory-core", // or "none" to disable
      contextEngine: "legacy", // or a plugin id
    },
  },
}
```

| Slot            | What it controls      | Default             |
| --------------- | --------------------- | ------------------- |
| `memory`        | Active memory plugin  | `memory-core`       |
| `contextEngine` | Active context engine | `legacy` (built-in) |

## CLI reference

```bash
openclaw plugins list                       # compact inventory
openclaw plugins list --enabled            # only loaded plugins
openclaw plugins list --verbose            # per-plugin detail lines
openclaw plugins list --json               # machine-readable inventory
openclaw plugins inspect <id>              # deep detail
openclaw plugins inspect <id> --json       # machine-readable
openclaw plugins inspect --all             # fleet-wide table
openclaw plugins info <id>                 # inspect alias
openclaw plugins doctor                    # diagnostics

openclaw plugins install <package>         # install (ClawHub first, then npm)
openclaw plugins install clawhub:<pkg>     # install from ClawHub only
openclaw plugins install <spec> --force    # overwrite existing install
openclaw plugins install <path>            # install from local path
openclaw plugins install -l <path>         # link (no copy) for dev
openclaw plugins install <plugin> --marketplace <source>
openclaw plugins install <plugin> --marketplace https://github.com/<owner>/<repo>
openclaw plugins install <spec> --pin      # record exact resolved npm spec
openclaw plugins install <spec> --dangerously-force-unsafe-install
openclaw plugins update <id-or-npm-spec> # update one plugin
openclaw plugins update <id-or-npm-spec> --dangerously-force-unsafe-install
openclaw plugins update --all            # update all
openclaw plugins uninstall <id>          # remove config/install records
openclaw plugins uninstall <id> --keep-files
openclaw plugins marketplace list <source>
openclaw plugins marketplace list <source> --json

openclaw plugins enable <id>
openclaw plugins disable <id>
```

Bundled plugins ship with OpenClaw. Many are enabled by default (for example
bundled model providers, bundled speech providers, and the bundled browser
plugin). Other bundled plugins still need `openclaw plugins enable <id>`.

`--force` overwrites an existing installed plugin or hook pack in place. Use
`openclaw plugins update <id-or-npm-spec>` for routine upgrades of tracked npm
plugins. It is not supported with `--link`, which reuses the source path instead
of copying over a managed install target.

When `plugins.allow` is already set, `openclaw plugins install` adds the
installed plugin id to that allowlist before enabling it, so installs are
immediately loadable after restart.

`openclaw plugins update <id-or-npm-spec>` applies to tracked installs. Passing
an npm package spec with a dist-tag or exact version resolves the package name
back to the tracked plugin record and records the new spec for future updates.
Passing the package name without a version moves an exact pinned install back to
the registry's default release line. If the installed npm plugin already matches
the resolved version and recorded artifact identity, OpenClaw skips the update
without downloading, reinstalling, or rewriting config.

`--pin` is npm-only. It is not supported with `--marketplace`, because
marketplace installs persist marketplace source metadata instead of an npm spec.

`--dangerously-force-unsafe-install` is a break-glass override for false
positives from the built-in dangerous-code scanner. It allows plugin installs
and plugin updates to continue past built-in `critical` findings, but it still
does not bypass plugin `before_install` policy blocks or scan-failure blocking.

This CLI flag applies to plugin install/update flows only. Gateway-backed skill
dependency installs use the matching `dangerouslyForceUnsafeInstall` request
override instead, while `openclaw skills install` remains the separate ClawHub
skill download/install flow.

Compatible bundles participate in the same plugin list/inspect/enable/disable
flow. Current runtime support includes bundle skills, Claude command-skills,
Claude `settings.json` defaults, Claude `.lsp.json` and manifest-declared
`lspServers` defaults, Cursor command-skills, and compatible Codex hook
directories.

`openclaw plugins inspect <id>` also reports detected bundle capabilities plus
supported or unsupported MCP and LSP server entries for bundle-backed plugins.

Marketplace sources can be a Claude known-marketplace name from
`~/.claude/plugins/known_marketplaces.json`, a local marketplace root or
`marketplace.json` path, a GitHub shorthand like `owner/repo`, a GitHub repo
URL, or a git URL. For remote marketplaces, plugin entries must stay inside the
cloned marketplace repo and use relative path sources only.

See [`openclaw plugins` CLI reference](/cli/plugins) for full details.

## Plugin API overview

Native plugins export an entry object that exposes `register(api)`. Older
plugins may still use `activate(api)` as a legacy alias, but new plugins should
use `register`.

```typescript
export default definePluginEntry({
  id: "my-plugin",
  name: "My Plugin",
  register(api) {
    api.registerProvider({
      /* ... */
    });
    api.registerTool({
      /* ... */
    });
    api.registerChannel({
      /* ... */
    });
  },
});
```

OpenClaw loads the entry object and calls `register(api)` during plugin
activation. The loader still falls back to `activate(api)` for older plugins,
but bundled plugins and new external plugins should treat `register` as the
public contract.

Common registration methods:

| Method                                  | What it registers           |
| --------------------------------------- | --------------------------- |
| `registerProvider`                      | Model provider (LLM)        |
| `registerChannel`                       | Chat channel                |
| `registerTool`                          | Agent tool                  |
| `registerHook` / `on(...)`              | Lifecycle hooks             |
| `registerSpeechProvider`                | Text-to-speech / STT        |
| `registerRealtimeTranscriptionProvider` | Streaming STT               |
| `registerRealtimeVoiceProvider`         | Duplex realtime voice       |
| `registerMediaUnderstandingProvider`    | Image/audio analysis        |
| `registerImageGenerationProvider`       | Image generation            |
| `registerMusicGenerationProvider`       | Music generation            |
| `registerVideoGenerationProvider`       | Video generation            |
| `registerWebFetchProvider`              | Web fetch / scrape provider |
| `registerWebSearchProvider`             | Web search                  |
| `registerHttpRoute`                     | HTTP endpoint               |
| `registerCommand` / `registerCli`       | CLI commands                |
| `registerContextEngine`                 | Context engine              |
| `registerService`                       | Background service          |

Hook guard behavior for typed lifecycle hooks:

- `before_tool_call`: `{ block: true }` is terminal; lower-priority handlers are skipped.
- `before_tool_call`: `{ block: false }` is a no-op and does not clear an earlier block.
- `before_install`: `{ block: true }` is terminal; lower-priority handlers are skipped.
- `before_install`: `{ block: false }` is a no-op and does not clear an earlier block.
- `message_sending`: `{ cancel: true }` is terminal; lower-priority handlers are skipped.
- `message_sending`: `{ cancel: false }` is a no-op and does not clear an earlier cancel.

For full typed hook behavior, see [SDK Overview](/plugins/sdk-overview#hook-decision-semantics).

## Related

- [Building Plugins](/plugins/building-plugins) — create your own plugin
- [Plugin Bundles](/plugins/bundles) — Codex/Claude/Cursor bundle compatibility
- [Plugin Manifest](/plugins/manifest) — manifest schema
- [Registering Tools](/plugins/building-plugins#registering-agent-tools) — add agent tools in a plugin
- [Plugin Internals](/plugins/architecture) — capability model and load pipeline
- [Community Plugins](/plugins/community) — third-party listings