The 12 Best OpenClaw Skills for Beginners (2026)

There are over 500 skills on ClawHub (the official OpenClaw skill registry) and 10,000+ tracked by third-party directories like VoltAgent's awesome-openclaw-skills. That's overwhelming. So here are the 12 skills that real users actually run daily — based on ClawHub download counts, a popular r/AI_Agents thread (86 upvotes, 42 comments), and what we see people installing on Lobsterlair.

What Are Skills?

Skills are modular folders containing a SKILL.md file (instructions for the agent) plus optional scripts, configs, and reference files. Your agent reads the skill instructions and knows how to use the tools. Install from ClawHub:

npm i -g clawhub
clawhub search "skill-name"
clawhub install skill-name

Skills load automatically. No restart needed unless the skill requires OAuth setup.

The Essential 12

🔧 1. GitHub

clawhub install github

What it does: Full GitHub integration — repos, issues, PRs, commits, CI runs, code review, API queries.

Why it's #1: If you write code, this is non-negotiable. Your agent can create issues, review PRs, check build status, and search code without you opening the GitHub UI. The r/AI_Agents thread called it "essential for any dev work." Managed OAuth makes setup painless.

📧 2. AgentMail

clawhub install agentmail

What it does: Email infrastructure for agents — create inboxes programmatically, handle verifications, manage multiple agent identities.

Why it matters: This isn't a regular email client. It gives your agent its own email addresses. Create inboxes on the fly, let agents sign up for services, handle email-based workflows. One Reddit user said they use it to "let my agents sign up for services and other email related stuff."

📋 3. Linear

clawhub install linear

What it does: GraphQL-based project management — issues, projects, teams, cycles.

Why it matters: If your team uses Linear, your agent can create and update issues directly. "Way faster than switching between apps" — and your agent can automatically create issues from bugs it finds or tasks it identifies.

🌐 4. Playwright MCP (Browser Automation)

clawhub install playwright-mcp

What it does: Full browser automation — navigate websites, click elements, fill forms, take screenshots, bypass bot detection.

Why it matters: When there's no API, there's the browser. This skill lets your agent interact with any website like a human would. The scraper variant (playwright-scraper-skill) is specifically tested against anti-bot protection for complex sites.

📝 5. Obsidian Direct

clawhub install obsidian-direct

What it does: Knowledge base integration — fuzzy search across notes, auto-folder detection, manage tags and wikilinks.

Why it matters: Your agent can query your entire Obsidian vault as a knowledge base. Ask it questions about your notes, have it update documentation, or use your vault as context for any task.

🌐 6. Summarize

clawhub install summarize

What it does: Extracts and summarizes content from URLs, YouTube videos, podcasts, and local files.

Why it matters: Send your agent a YouTube link and get a full summary in your language. Drop a PDF and get key points. Works with multiple AI backends and handles long content gracefully. The Swiss Army knife of skills.

🔧 7. Coding Agent

clawhub install coding-agent

What it does: Delegates coding tasks to Claude Code, Codex, or other agents via background processes.

Why it matters: Your OpenClaw agent can spawn a dedicated coding agent, give it a task, and monitor progress. It's like having a junior developer on call — describe what you want built, and get working code back.

📅 8. Monday.com

clawhub install monday

What it does: Board and task management — create items, update boards, manage tasks.

Why it matters: For Monday.com teams, your agent becomes a project management assistant. 2,500+ downloads on ClawHub. Update boards from Telegram, create tasks from conversations, track progress automatically.

🔄 9. Automation Workflows

clawhub install automation-workflows

What it does: Helps design automation workflows across tools — identifies repetitive tasks and sets up triggers/actions.

Why it matters: Meta-skill that teaches your agent to build workflows for you. Instead of manually configuring automations, describe what you want and the agent designs the pipeline.

📱 10. Mixpost (Social Media)

clawhub install mixpost

What it does: Social media scheduling through conversational commands — manage posts across platforms while keeping data on your infrastructure.

Why it matters: Mixpost just launched their official ClawHub skill. Schedule and manage social media posts by chatting with your agent. "Hey, schedule this post for Tuesday at 2 PM across Twitter and LinkedIn." Done.

☀️ 11. Weather

clawhub install weather

What it does: Current weather and forecasts via wttr.in or Open-Meteo. No API key needed.

Why it matters: Simple but surprisingly useful. Your morning briefing includes weather, your agent considers it when suggesting your schedule. Zero setup, zero cost.

🍎 12. Apple Notes (Mac users)

clawhub install apple-notes

What it does: Create, view, edit, delete, search, and manage Apple Notes via CLI.

Why it matters: Your agent captures ideas, meeting notes, or research directly into Apple Notes — which syncs to all your Apple devices instantly. "Save this recipe to my Cooking folder in Notes."

The Power User Stack

Based on the r/AI_Agents discussion, the most common daily driver combination is:

GitHub + AgentMail + Linear + Playwright MCP + Obsidian

This covers development, email automation, project management, browser tasks, and knowledge management. Add Summarize and Coding Agent for content and code work.

Pro Tips

1. Start with 3-4 skills max. Don't install everything at once. Your agent's context window is finite.
2. Check OAuth requirements first. GitHub, Linear, and Monday need OAuth setup. Plan 5 minutes per skill.
3. Read the SKILL.md. Each skill has specific instructions and capabilities documented. Your agent reads these too.
4. Update regularly. clawhub update <skill-name> keeps skills current as the ecosystem evolves rapidly.

Don't Want to Install Skills Manually?

On Lobsterlair, popular skills come pre-installed and pre-configured based on your chosen persona. Pick "Content Creator" and you get Summarize, Mixpost, and browser skills ready to go. Pick "Dev Assistant" and GitHub, Coding Agent, and Linear are already wired up.

Zero config. Just start working.