Client Flow

New client? One message, full setup. From folder structure to welcome email to kickoff meeting — automated in 30 seconds instead of 30 minutes.

Why This Exists

Client onboarding is one of the most-reported use cases in the OpenClaw community, yet has zero dedicated skills on ClawHub. Freelancers, agencies, and small businesses repeat the same 8-step process for every new client — creating folders, sending emails, scheduling calls, setting up tasks. This skill automates the entire flow.

The Onboarding Flow

Triggered by something like: "New client: Acme Corp, contact Sarah at [email protected], project: website redesign, budget: $15k, deadline: March 30"

The skill extracts whatever information is provided, asks for anything critical that's missing, then executes the full onboarding sequence:

Step 1: Create Project Structure

Create an organized folder hierarchy for the project:

[Client Name]/
├── 01-Brief/
│   └── project-brief.md (auto-generated from intake info)
├── 02-Contracts/
├── 03-Design/
├── 04-Development/
├── 05-Content/
├── 06-Deliverables/
└── 07-Communications/
    └── meeting-notes/

Where to create:

• Google Drive: if gog tool is available, create in a "Clients" folder
• Dropbox: if Dropbox skill is available
• Local filesystem: if running locally, create under a configurable base path (default: ~/Clients/)
• Notion: if Notion skill is available, create a project page instead of folders

Step 2: Generate Project Brief

Auto-generate a project brief document from the intake information:

# Project Brief: [Project Name]
**Client**: [Company Name]
**Contact**: [Name] ([Email])
**Start Date**: [Today or specified]
**Deadline**: [Date]
**Budget**: [Amount]

## Project Description
[Generated from user's input — expand into 2-3 sentences]

## Objectives
- [Extracted or inferred from project type]
- [...]

## Deliverables
- [Inferred from project type — e.g., "website redesign" → wireframes, mockups, final site]
- [...]

## Timeline
- Week 1-2: Discovery & Planning
- Week 3-4: [Phase based on project type]
- [...]

## Notes
[Any additional context from the user's message]

Save this to the project folder.

Step 3: Send Welcome Email

Compose and send (or draft) a welcome email to the client:

Subject: Welcome to [Your Name/Company] — [Project Name] Kickoff

Hi [Client First Name],

Thank you for choosing to work with us on [Project Name]. I'm excited to get started!

Here's what happens next:
1. I'll send a kickoff meeting invite for [suggested date/time]
2. Please review and sign the project agreement [if applicable]
3. We'll begin the discovery phase right away

If you have any questions before we kick off, don't hesitate to reach out.

Looking forward to working together!

[User's name/signature from memory]

Delivery:

• If email skill is configured: send directly (with user confirmation)
• If not: output the email for the user to copy and send manually

Step 4: Schedule Kickoff Meeting

Create a calendar event for the kickoff meeting:

• When: suggest a time 2-3 business days from now (or use user-specified date)
• Duration: 30 minutes (default, customizable)
• Attendees: client contact + user
• Title: "[Client Name] — Project Kickoff"
• Description: include project brief summary and agenda:

  Agenda:
  1. Introductions & project overview (5 min)
  2. Requirements review (10 min)
  3. Timeline & milestones (10 min)
  4. Next steps & action items (5 min)
  

Use Google Calendar via gog tool, or Outlook if configured.

Step 5: Create Task Board

Set up project tasks in the user's preferred task manager:

For Todoist / ClickUp / Linear / Asana: Create a project with these default tasks:

• Send contract/agreement
• Kickoff meeting
• Discovery & requirements gathering
• First deliverable review
• Midpoint check-in
• Final delivery
• Client feedback
• Project closure

For GitHub Issues: (if the project is technical) Create a milestone + issues for each phase

For Notion: (if used as task manager) Create a task database within the project page

Each task gets a due date estimated from the project timeline.

Step 6: Set Up Reminders

Configure follow-up reminders:

• Day before kickoff: reminder to prepare
• Weekly check-in: recurring reminder to update the client on progress
• Milestone dates: reminders for each deliverable deadline
• 1 week before deadline: "final sprint" reminder

Use OpenClaw cron or the task manager's reminder system.

Step 7: Update Client Registry

Maintain a master list of all clients and projects:

# Client Registry

| Client | Project | Status | Contact | Start | Deadline | Value |
|--------|---------|--------|---------|-------|----------|-------|
| Acme Corp | Website Redesign | 🟢 Active | [email protected] | Feb 15 | Mar 30 | $15k |
| Beta LLC | Brand Identity | 🟡 In Review | [email protected] | Jan 20 | Feb 28 | $8k |
| Gamma Inc | Mobile App | ✅ Completed | [email protected] | Nov 1 | Jan 15 | $25k |

Store in workspace memory or as a Markdown file in a "Business" folder.

Post-Onboarding: Project Lifecycle

Status Check

User: "How are my projects doing?" or "Client status" → Pull from client registry + task managers and generate:

🤝 Active Projects

1. Acme Corp — Website Redesign
   Status: On track ✅
   Next milestone: First mockup review (Feb 22)
   Outstanding tasks: 3 of 8 completed
   Budget used: ~40%
   
2. Beta LLC — Brand Identity
   Status: Needs attention ⚠️
   Next milestone: Final delivery (Feb 28) — 5 days away
   Outstanding tasks: 2 remaining
   Blocker: Waiting for client feedback since Feb 10

Client Communication

User: "Draft an update email for Acme Corp" → Generate a progress update email using project data:

• What's been completed since last update
• Current status and next steps
• Any blockers or needs from the client
• Timeline update

Project Closure

User: "Close the Beta LLC project" → Execute closure workflow:

1. Mark project as completed in registry
2. Send thank-you email to client
3. Archive project folder
4. Create a project retrospective note
5. Set a 30-day follow-up reminder for testimonial request
6. Set a 90-day follow-up for potential repeat business

Templates

Store customizable templates in workspace memory. Defaults are provided but users can override:

• Welcome email template: adjust tone, signature, included links
• Folder structure: add/remove folders based on project type
• Task list: customize default tasks per project type
• Project types: different presets for "website", "branding", "consulting", "development", etc.

User: "When I onboard a development client, also add GitHub repo setup and Slack channel creation" → Store as a "development" project type template

Configuration

On first use:

1. Business info: company name, user's name, email signature, timezone
2. Default tools: which task manager, file storage, calendar, email to use
3. Project types: what kinds of projects do they typically do?
4. Templates: review and customize default templates
5. Client folder location: where to store project folders

Store everything in workspace memory. After first setup, onboarding is one command.

Edge Cases

• Minimal info: if the user only says "new client: Acme", ask for contact email (required) and project name. Everything else can be defaults.
• Repeat client: if a client name matches an existing entry, ask if this is a new project for the same client. If yes, add to existing client folder rather than creating a new one.
• No task manager: if no external task manager is configured, create tasks as a checklist in the project brief
• No email configured: output the welcome email for manual sending. Don't skip the step.
• International clients: respect timezone differences in meeting scheduling. If client is in a different timezone, note it.
• Team projects: if multiple team members are involved, allow assigning tasks to different people
• Budget tracking: this skill doesn't do invoicing (that's a separate concern), but tracks estimated vs. actual budget at a high level