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OpenClaw’s plugin system allows you to extend the AI gateway with custom channels, tools, hooks, and services. Plugins enable you to integrate new messaging platforms, add domain-specific agent capabilities, and customize behavior at every stage of the message lifecycle.

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What Are Plugins?

Plugins are JavaScript/TypeScript modules that register extensions via the Plugin API. They can:
  • Add custom channels - Integrate new messaging platforms (Matrix, Microsoft Teams, IRC, etc.)
  • Register agent tools - Extend agent capabilities with custom actions and integrations
  • Implement hooks - Intercept and modify behavior at key lifecycle points
  • Run background services - Add persistent background tasks (diagnostics, monitoring, etc.)
  • Extend the CLI - Add custom commands to the openclaw CLI
  • Handle HTTP requests - Expose webhooks and custom API endpoints

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Why Build Plugins?

Plugins let you customize OpenClaw without forking the core codebase:
  • Channel integrations - Connect OpenClaw to any messaging platform
  • Domain-specific tools - Add specialized agent capabilities for your workflow
  • Custom hooks - Log agent activity, implement memory systems, modify prompts
  • Enterprise integrations - Connect to internal systems, databases, or APIs
  • Observability - Export telemetry, metrics, and diagnostics

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Plugin Capabilities

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Channels

Channel plugins integrate messaging platforms. A channel plugin implements adapters for:
  • Message sending/receiving
  • Authentication and pairing
  • Group management and mentions
  • Directory listing (users, groups)
  • Status checks and probing
Examples: @openclaw/matrix, @openclaw/msteams, extensions/irc

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Tools

Tool plugins add new agent capabilities. Tools are exposed to the LLM and can be called during agent runs:
  • Custom actions (send email, create ticket, query database)
  • Integrations (Slack actions, WhatsApp login, voice calls)
  • Workflow automation (task management, approvals)
Examples: extensions/llm-task, channel-specific tools

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Hooks

Hooks let you intercept and modify behavior at key lifecycle points:
  • Agent lifecycle - before_agent_start, llm_input, llm_output, agent_end
  • Message flow - message_received, message_sending, message_sent
  • Tool execution - before_tool_call, after_tool_call, tool_result_persist
  • Session management - session_start, session_end, before_compaction
  • Gateway lifecycle - gateway_start, gateway_stop
Examples: bundled hooks (src/hooks/bundled/), plugin hooks

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Services

Service plugins run background tasks:
  • Diagnostics and monitoring
  • Metrics export (OpenTelemetry)
  • Scheduled tasks
  • Background processing
Examples: extensions/diagnostics-otel

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Plugin Distribution

Plugins can be distributed in three ways:
  1. npm packages - @openclaw/matrix, @openclaw/msteams (recommended for public plugins)
  2. Workspace packages - extensions/ directory (monorepo pattern, used by OpenClaw core)
  3. Local directories - ~/.openclaw/extensions/ (user-installed plugins)

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Getting Started

Ready to build your first plugin? Continue to:

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Example Plugins

OpenClaw includes 39+ built-in extensions demonstrating plugin patterns:
  • Channels: matrix, msteams, irc, telegram, slack, signal, discord
  • Tools: llm-task, phone-control, voice-call
  • Services: diagnostics-otel, memory-lancedb, copilot-proxy
  • Auth: google-antigravity-auth, minimax-portal-auth
Browse the extensions directory for real-world examples.