openclaw/docs/plugins/bundles.md

summary, read_when, title

summary	read_when	title
Compatible Codex/Claude bundle formats: detection, mapping, and current OpenClaw support	You want to install or debug a Codex/Claude-compatible bundle You need to understand how OpenClaw maps bundle content into native features You are documenting bundle compatibility or current support limits	Plugin Bundles

Plugin bundles

OpenClaw supports three compatible bundle formats in addition to native OpenClaw plugins:

• Codex bundles
• Claude bundles
• Cursor bundles

OpenClaw shows both as Format: bundle in openclaw plugins list. Verbose output and openclaw plugins info <id> also show the bundle subtype (codex, claude, or cursor).

Related:

• Plugin system overview: Plugins
• CLI install/list flows: plugins
• Native manifest schema: Plugin manifest

What a bundle is

A bundle is a content/metadata pack, not a native in-process OpenClaw plugin.

Today, OpenClaw does not execute bundle runtime code in-process. Instead, it detects known bundle files, reads the metadata, and maps supported bundle content into native OpenClaw surfaces such as skills, hook packs, and embedded Pi settings.

That is the main trust boundary:

• native OpenClaw plugin: runtime module executes in-process
• bundle: metadata/content pack, with selective feature mapping

Supported bundle formats

Codex bundles

Typical markers:

• .codex-plugin/plugin.json
• optional skills/
• optional hooks/
• optional .mcp.json
• optional .app.json

Claude bundles

OpenClaw supports both:

• manifest-based Claude bundles: .claude-plugin/plugin.json
• manifestless Claude bundles that use the default component layout

Default Claude layout markers OpenClaw recognizes:

• skills/
• commands/
• agents/
• hooks/hooks.json
• .mcp.json
• .lsp.json
• settings.json

Cursor bundles

Typical markers:

• .cursor-plugin/plugin.json
• optional skills/
• optional .cursor/commands/
• optional .cursor/agents/
• optional .cursor/rules/
• optional .cursor/hooks.json
• optional .mcp.json

Detection order

OpenClaw prefers native OpenClaw plugin/package layouts before bundle handling.

Practical effect:

• openclaw.plugin.json wins over bundle detection
• package installs with valid package.json + openclaw.extensions use the native install path
• if a directory contains both native and bundle metadata, OpenClaw treats it as native first

That avoids partially installing a dual-format package as a bundle and then loading it later as a native plugin.

Current mapping

OpenClaw normalizes bundle metadata into one internal bundle record, then maps supported surfaces into existing native behavior.

Supported now

Skills

• Codex skills roots load as normal OpenClaw skill roots
• Claude skills roots load as normal OpenClaw skill roots
• Claude commands roots are treated as additional skill roots
• Cursor skills roots load as normal OpenClaw skill roots
• Cursor .cursor/commands roots are treated as additional skill roots

This means Claude markdown command files work through the normal OpenClaw skill loader. Cursor command markdown works through the same path.

Hook packs

• Codex hooks roots work only when they use the normal OpenClaw hook-pack layout:
  • HOOK.md
  • handler.ts or handler.js

Embedded Pi settings

• Claude settings.json is imported as default embedded Pi settings when the bundle is enabled
• OpenClaw sanitizes shell override keys before applying them

Sanitized keys:

• shellPath
• shellCommandPrefix

Detected but not executed

These surfaces are detected, shown in bundle capabilities, and may appear in diagnostics/info output, but OpenClaw does not run them yet:

• Claude agents
• Claude hooks.json automation
• Claude mcpServers
• Claude lspServers
• Claude outputStyles
• Cursor .cursor/agents
• Cursor .cursor/hooks.json
• Cursor .cursor/rules
• Cursor mcpServers
• Codex inline/app metadata beyond capability reporting

Claude path behavior

Claude bundle manifests can declare custom component paths. OpenClaw treats those paths as additive, not replacing defaults.

Currently recognized custom path keys:

• skills
• commands
• agents
• hooks
• mcpServers
• lspServers
• outputStyles

Examples:

• default commands/ plus manifest commands: "extra-commands" => OpenClaw scans both
• default skills/ plus manifest skills: ["team-skills"] => OpenClaw scans both

Capability reporting

openclaw plugins info <id> shows bundle capabilities from the normalized bundle record.

Supported capabilities are loaded quietly. Unsupported capabilities produce a warning such as:

bundle capability detected but not wired into OpenClaw yet: agents

Current exceptions:

• Claude commands is considered supported because it maps to skills
• Claude settings is considered supported because it maps to embedded Pi settings
• Cursor commands is considered supported because it maps to skills
• Codex hooks is considered supported only for OpenClaw hook-pack layouts

Security model

Bundle support is intentionally narrower than native plugin support.

Current behavior:

• bundle discovery reads files inside the plugin root with boundary checks
• skills and hook-pack paths must stay inside the plugin root
• bundle settings files are read with the same boundary checks
• OpenClaw does not execute arbitrary bundle runtime code in-process

This makes bundle support safer by default than native plugin modules, but you should still treat third-party bundles as trusted content for the features they do expose.

Install examples

openclaw plugins install ./my-codex-bundle
openclaw plugins install ./my-claude-bundle
openclaw plugins install ./my-cursor-bundle
openclaw plugins install ./my-bundle.tgz
openclaw plugins info my-bundle

If the directory is a native OpenClaw plugin/package, the native install path still wins.

Troubleshooting

Bundle is detected but capabilities do not run

Check openclaw plugins info <id>.

If the capability is listed but OpenClaw says it is not wired yet, that is a real product limit, not a broken install.

Claude command files do not appear

Make sure the bundle is enabled and the markdown files are inside a detected commands root or skills root.

Claude settings do not apply

Current support is limited to embedded Pi settings from settings.json. OpenClaw does not treat bundle settings as raw OpenClaw config patches.

Claude hooks do not execute

hooks/hooks.json is only detected today.

If you need runnable bundle hooks today, use the normal OpenClaw hook-pack layout through a supported Codex hook root or ship a native OpenClaw plugin.