creating-nemoclaw-plugins

name	creating-nemoclaw-plugins
description	Builds OpenClaw plugins for NemoClaw — native plugins with manifests and runtime modules, or bundle plugins in Codex/Claude/Cursor format. Use when extending NemoClaw agents with new providers, tools, channels, or skills.

Creating NemoClaw Plugins

OpenClaw plugins extend agent capabilities by bundling channels, model providers, tools, and skills into installable packages. Plugins come in two formats.

Choose Plugin Type

Creating new capabilities from scratch? Use a native plugin. Adapting an existing Codex/Claude/Cursor plugin? Use a bundle plugin.

Native Plugins

Native plugins use a openclaw.plugin.json manifest and a runtime module that registers capabilities.

Structure

my-plugin/
├── openclaw.plugin.json    # Manifest
├── index.ts                # Runtime entry point
├── package.json            # npm package config
└── skills/                 # Optional bundled skills

Manifest Template

Use the bundled template: native-manifest.json

Registration API

import { definePluginEntry } from "@openclaw/sdk";

export default definePluginEntry({
  id: "my-plugin",
  register(api) {
    api.registerProvider({ /* model provider config */ });
    api.registerTool({ /* tool definition */ });
    api.registerChannel({ /* messaging channel */ });
  }
});

See plugin-api.md for the full registration API.

Bundle Plugins

Bundle plugins use directory layouts compatible with Codex, Claude, or Cursor:

.codex-plugin/    # Codex-compatible
.claude-plugin/   # Claude-compatible
.cursor-plugin/   # Cursor-compatible

See bundle-structure.md for layout details.

Development Workflow

All plugin management commands run inside the sandbox:

# Connect to sandbox
nemoclaw <name> connect

# Link plugin for development (no copy, changes reflect immediately)
openclaw plugins install -l /path/to/my-plugin

# Check plugin health
openclaw plugins doctor

# Inspect plugin details
openclaw plugins inspect my-plugin

# Enable/disable
openclaw plugins enable my-plugin
openclaw plugins disable my-plugin

Persisting Plugins Across Restarts

Plugins installed inside the sandbox are lost on restart unless:

1. The plugin directory is mounted via filesystem policy (read_only or read_write path)
2. The plugin is included in the sandbox image build
3. The plugin is auto-installed via sandbox startup script