| name | py-env-setup |
| description | Host-specific Python execution guidance for OpenClaw on this machine. Prefer $PYTHON over python/python3 in PATH, because OpenClaw exec runs in a non-interactive shell and may not inherit interactive shell initialization. |
| homepage | https://github.com/QAA-Tools/skills |
Python Environment Setup
Use this skill whenever OpenClaw needs to run Python on this host.
Why this exists
On this machine, OpenClaw exec runs in a non-interactive shell.
Interactive shell initialization may be skipped, so python, python3, or conda may be unavailable from PATH even though they work in a normal terminal.
Therefore, prefer the explicit Python entrypoint provided by environment variable PYTHON.
Rules
- Prefer
"$PYTHON" over python or python3.
- Do not rely on
source ~/.bashrc or conda activate for routine automation.
- Before using Python, verify it exists and is executable.
- Use
"$PYTHON" -m pip ... for package installation.
- Use
"$PYTHON" script.py, "$PYTHON" -m module, or "$PYTHON" -c '...' for execution.
- Apply this rule to all Python-related commands, not just pip.
- If
PYTHON is unset or invalid, report the problem clearly.
Validation
test -x "$PYTHON"
"$PYTHON" --version
Common patterns
Install packages
"$PYTHON" -m pip install -U package_name
"$PYTHON" -m pip install -U openai-whisper torch ffmpeg-python
Run a script
"$PYTHON" script.py
Run a module
"$PYTHON" -m module_name
Run inline Python
"$PYTHON" - <<'PY'
print('hello')
PY
Quick guard pattern
test -x "$PYTHON" || { echo "PYTHON not executable: $PYTHON" >&2; exit 1; }
"$PYTHON" --version
Fallback policy
Only if the task explicitly allows fallback, try in this order:
$PYTHONpython3python
Default policy: do not silently fallback. Prefer failing loudly if $PYTHON is missing, so environment issues are obvious.
Notes
- This skill is host-specific.
- It is meant to guide OpenClaw runtime behavior, not teach Python itself.
- The
PYTHON value is read from the environment. This skill does not require a specific env-file location.
