Agent Essentials
/install agent-essentials
Agent Essentials
This skill has two jobs:
- Expand capabilities — discover better capability paths before declaring failure.
- Self-improve — capture important lessons and route them to the right durable layer.
Capability Expansion
Rule: never stop at "I can't" or "no built-in way" without checking for a better capability path.
Triggers — request implies external platform / workflow automation / system integration / repeatable ops / capability gap. Common phrasing: "automate X" / "integrate with X" / "support X platform" / "help me do this in X".
Workflow
-
Detect the gap
- Input: the user's request.
- Test: would solving this same request appear ≥2 times across this user's work? OR does it require a tool/platform not in the loaded skill list?
- Output: a 1-line verdict —
gap: \x3Cyes/no> — \x3Cwhich capability is missing>. Ifno, exit this workflow and answer normally. - If ambiguous: count yes on {reusable later? / specific platform? / >1 step?}; ≥2 yes → treat as gap.
-
Search
- Input: gap verdict + missing-capability keywords from step 1.
- Where: (a) loaded skill list — match name/description/triggers; (b) ClawHub via
https://clawhub.ai/search?q=\x3Ckeyword>, try 1–3 variants. - Stop: strong match found OR 3 variants returned nothing.
- Output: 1–3 candidates as
\x3Cname> — \x3Cone-line value> — \x3Cfit: strong/moderate/weak>.
-
Act — pause for user confirmation before any of these:
- Installing a skill → show name, source, one-line value, and ask "install? [y/N]" before downloading.
- Creating a new custom skill → show the proposed name + 3-line description and ask before scaffolding.
- Doing the task directly → only this branch may proceed without confirmation, and only if no fallback above is viable.
Self-Improvement
Rule: when something meaningful is learned, preserve the minimum useful lesson.
Triggers — meaningful failure / user correction / recurring mistake / discovery of a better workflow. Do not log trivial failures or one-off noise.
Workflow
-
Capture
- Input: the trigger event (failure / correction / insight).
- Output: a 3-line lesson:
What: \x3Cwhat went wrong or was discovered> Correct: \x3Cthe actually correct behavior> Next time: \x3Cconcrete trigger → action> - Reject: can't fit in 3 lines → lesson too vague, sharpen first.
-
Route
- Store the learning in the right place:
| Type | Destination | Confirm? |
|---|---|---|
| Session note | Daily memory / learnings file | — |
| Workflow rule | AGENTS.md |
✓ |
| Tool gotcha | TOOLS.md |
✓ |
| Voice / boundary pattern | SOUL.md |
✓ |
| User preference | USER.md or long-term memory |
✓ |
| Missing capability | Skill discovery (see above) | ✓ |
- For any ✓ row: show the diff and ask "append to \x3Cfile>? [y/N]" before writing. Never silently mutate durable files.
- Promote to durable file only if all hold:
- Recurring — ≥2 occurrences (user saying "Nth time" / "又错了" is proof)
- High-value — non-trivial consequence (broken CI, lost work, wrong user output), not style nits
- Broadly reusable — class of situations, not one specific file/PR
- Rule-preventable — a future-you reading the rule would avoid it
- If any fails, keep in daily memory only.
File Locations
Resolve durable files in this order — first hit wins:
| File | Lookup order |
|---|---|
AGENTS.md |
./AGENTS.md → ~/.claude/AGENTS.md |
TOOLS.md |
./TOOLS.md → ~/.claude/TOOLS.md |
SOUL.md |
./SOUL.md → ~/.claude/SOUL.md |
USER.md |
~/.claude/USER.md (always user-scoped) |
| Daily memory | ~/.claude/memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md (auto-create if missing) |
If none exists and a write is approved, create at the project-root path (or ~/.claude/ for USER.md) and tell the user "creating new file \x3Cpath>."
Decision Tree
Something notable happened
├─ Capability gap?
│ └─ Search → Recommend → Install or fallback
├─ Lesson worth keeping?
│ └─ Capture → Route → Promote if recurring
└─ Neither
└─ Continue normally
Edge Cases
- User declines install → fall to "do directly" or "create custom"; do not re-pitch in this session.
- ClawHub unreachable → state failure; rely on local list only; offer retry.
- 2+ candidates tie "strong" → show all + 1-line differentiator and let user pick; never silently choose.
Principles
- Search before saying "nothing exists." Prefer short learnings over elaborate templates.
- Do not promote one-off lessons. Do not install weak-matching skills just to reduce uncertainty. Do not rewrite major workspace files casually.
- Make sure OpenClaw is installed (local or Docker)
- Run the install command in chat:
/install agent-essentials - After installation, invoke the skill by name or use
/agent-essentials - Provide required inputs per the skill's parameter spec and get structured output
What is Agent Essentials?
Meta-skill for capability expansion and cautious self-improvement. USE WHEN (a) a request suggests a missing capability, external platform support, workflow... It is an AI Agent Skill for Claude Code / OpenClaw, with 317 downloads so far.
How do I install Agent Essentials?
Run "/install agent-essentials" in the OpenClaw or Claude Code chat to install it in one step — no extra setup required.
Is Agent Essentials free?
Yes, Agent Essentials is completely free, licensed under MIT-0. You can download, install and use it at no cost.
Which platforms does Agent Essentials support?
Agent Essentials is cross-platform and runs anywhere OpenClaw / Claude Code is available (cross-platform).
Who created Agent Essentials?
It is built and maintained by nathanshan (@nathanshan); the current version is v1.1.5.