# OpenClaw Skills — User Guide

> All skills are invoked by voice or chat. Say a natural command and the AI agent will route it to the right tool automatically.

---

## Quick Reference

| Skill | CLI | What it does |
|-------|-----|-------------|
| Home Assistant | `ha-ctl` | Control lights, switches, sensors, climate |
| Image Generation | `gaze-ctl` | Generate images via ComfyUI/GAZE |
| Memory | `memory-ctl` | Store and recall things about you |
| Service Monitor | `monitor-ctl` | Check if services are running |
| Character Switcher | `character-ctl` | Switch AI personalities |
| Routines & Scenes | `routine-ctl` | Create and trigger multi-step automations |
| Music | `music-ctl` | Play, pause, skip, volume control |
| n8n Workflows | `workflow-ctl` | Trigger automation workflows |
| Gitea | `gitea-ctl` | Query repos, commits, issues |
| Calendar & Reminders | `calendar-ctl` | View calendar, set voice reminders |
| Public/Private Mode | `mode-ctl` | Route to local or cloud LLMs |

---

## Phase A — Core Skills

### Memory (`memory-ctl`)

The agent can remember things about you and recall them later. Memories persist across conversations and are visible in the dashboard.

**Voice examples:**
- "Remember that my favorite color is blue"
- "I take my coffee black"
- "What do you know about me?"
- "Forget that I said I like jazz"

**CLI usage:**
```bash
memory-ctl add personal "User's favorite color is blue" --category preference
memory-ctl add general "Living room speaker is a Sonos" --category fact
memory-ctl search "coffee"
memory-ctl list --type personal
memory-ctl delete <memory_id>
```

**Categories:** `preference`, `fact`, `routine`

**How it works:** Memories are stored as JSON in `~/homeai-data/memories/`. Personal memories are per-character (each character has their own relationship with you). General memories are shared across all characters.

---

### Service Monitor (`monitor-ctl`)

Ask the assistant if everything is healthy, check specific services, or see what models are loaded.

**Voice examples:**
- "Is everything running?"
- "What models are loaded?"
- "Is Home Assistant up?"
- "Show me the Docker containers"

**CLI usage:**
```bash
monitor-ctl status              # Full health check (all services)
monitor-ctl check ollama        # Single service
monitor-ctl ollama              # Models loaded, VRAM usage
monitor-ctl docker              # Docker container status
```

**Services checked:** Ollama, OpenClaw Bridge, OpenClaw Gateway, Wyoming STT, Wyoming TTS, Dashboard, n8n, Uptime Kuma, Home Assistant, Gitea

---

### Character Switcher (`character-ctl`)

Switch between AI personalities on the fly. Each character has their own voice, personality, and memories.

**Voice examples:**
- "Talk to Aria"
- "Switch to Sucy"
- "Who can I talk to?"
- "Who am I talking to?"
- "Tell me about Aria"

**CLI usage:**
```bash
character-ctl list              # See all characters
character-ctl active            # Who is the current default
character-ctl switch "Aria"     # Switch (fuzzy name matching)
character-ctl info "Sucy"       # Character profile
character-ctl map homeai-kitchen.local aria_123  # Map a satellite to a character
```

**How it works:** Switching updates the default character in `satellite-map.json` and writes the TTS voice config. The new character takes effect on the next request.

---

## Phase B — Home Assistant Extensions

### Routines & Scenes (`routine-ctl`)

Create and trigger Home Assistant scenes and multi-step routines by voice.

**Voice examples:**
- "Activate movie mode"
- "Run the bedtime routine"
- "What scenes do I have?"
- "Create a morning routine"

**CLI usage:**
```bash
routine-ctl list-scenes                         # HA scenes
routine-ctl list-scripts                        # HA scripts
routine-ctl trigger "movie_mode"                # Activate scene/script
routine-ctl create-scene "cozy" --entities '[{"entity_id":"light.lamp","state":"on","brightness":80}]'
routine-ctl create-routine "bedtime" --steps '[
  {"type":"ha","cmd":"off \"All Lights\""},
  {"type":"delay","seconds":2},
  {"type":"tts","text":"Good night!"}
]'
routine-ctl run "bedtime"                       # Execute routine
routine-ctl list-routines                       # List local routines
routine-ctl delete-routine "bedtime"            # Remove routine
```

**Step types:**
| Type | Description | Fields |
|------|-------------|--------|
| `scene` | Trigger an HA scene | `target` (scene name) |
| `ha` | Run an ha-ctl command | `cmd` (e.g. `off "Lamp"`) |
| `delay` | Wait between steps | `seconds` |
| `tts` | Speak text aloud | `text` |

**Storage:** Routines are saved as JSON in `~/homeai-data/routines/`.

---

### Music Control (`music-ctl`)

Control music playback through Home Assistant media players — works with Spotify, Music Assistant, Chromecast, and any HA media player.

**Voice examples:**
- "Play some jazz"
- "Pause the music"
- "Next song"
- "What's playing?"
- "Turn the volume to 50"
- "Play Bohemian Rhapsody on the kitchen speaker"
- "Shuffle on"

**CLI usage:**
```bash
music-ctl players                               # List available players
music-ctl play "jazz"                           # Search and play
music-ctl play                                  # Resume paused playback
music-ctl pause                                 # Pause
music-ctl next                                  # Skip to next
music-ctl prev                                  # Go to previous
music-ctl volume 50                             # Set volume (0-100)
music-ctl now-playing                           # Current track info
music-ctl shuffle on                            # Enable shuffle
music-ctl play "rock" --player media_player.kitchen  # Target specific player
```

**How it works:** All commands go through HA's `media_player` services. The `--player` flag defaults to the first active (playing/paused) player. Multi-room audio works through Snapcast zones, which appear as separate `media_player` entities.

**Prerequisites:** At least one media player configured in Home Assistant (Spotify integration, Music Assistant, or Chromecast).

---

## Phase C — External Service Skills

### n8n Workflows (`workflow-ctl`)

List and trigger n8n automation workflows by voice.

**Voice examples:**
- "Run the backup workflow"
- "What workflows do I have?"
- "Did the last workflow succeed?"

**CLI usage:**
```bash
workflow-ctl list                                # All workflows
workflow-ctl trigger "backup"                    # Trigger by name (fuzzy match)
workflow-ctl trigger "abc123" --data '{"key":"val"}'  # Trigger with data
workflow-ctl status <execution_id>               # Check execution result
workflow-ctl history --limit 5                   # Recent executions
```

**Setup required:**
1. Generate an API key in n8n: Settings → API → Create API Key
2. Set `N8N_API_KEY` in the OpenClaw launchd plist
3. Restart OpenClaw: `launchctl kickstart -k gui/501/com.homeai.openclaw`

---

### Gitea (`gitea-ctl`)

Query your self-hosted Gitea repositories, commits, issues, and pull requests.

**Voice examples:**
- "What repos do I have?"
- "Show recent commits for homeai"
- "Any open issues?"
- "Create an issue for the TTS bug"

**CLI usage:**
```bash
gitea-ctl repos                                 # List all repos
gitea-ctl commits aodhan/homeai --limit 5       # Recent commits
gitea-ctl issues aodhan/homeai --state open     # Open issues
gitea-ctl prs aodhan/homeai                     # Pull requests
gitea-ctl create-issue aodhan/homeai "Bug title" --body "Description here"
```

**Setup required:**
1. Generate a token in Gitea: Settings → Applications → Generate Token
2. Set `GITEA_TOKEN` in the OpenClaw launchd plist
3. Restart OpenClaw

---

### Calendar & Reminders (`calendar-ctl`)

Read calendar events from Home Assistant and set voice reminders that speak via TTS when due.

**Voice examples:**
- "What's on my calendar today?"
- "What's coming up this week?"
- "Remind me in 30 minutes to check the oven"
- "Remind me at 5pm to call mum"
- "What reminders do I have?"
- "Cancel that reminder"

**CLI usage:**
```bash
calendar-ctl today                               # Today's events
calendar-ctl upcoming --days 3                   # Next 3 days
calendar-ctl add "Dentist" --start 2026-03-18T14:00:00 --end 2026-03-18T15:00:00
calendar-ctl remind "Check the oven" --at "in 30 minutes"
calendar-ctl remind "Call mum" --at "at 5pm"
calendar-ctl remind "Team standup" --at "tomorrow 9am"
calendar-ctl reminders                           # List pending
calendar-ctl cancel-reminder <id>                # Cancel
```

**Supported time formats:**
| Format | Example |
|--------|---------|
| Relative | `in 30 minutes`, `in 2 hours` |
| Absolute | `at 5pm`, `at 17:00`, `at 5:30pm` |
| Tomorrow | `tomorrow 9am`, `tomorrow at 14:00` |
| Combined | `in 1 hour 30 minutes` |

**How reminders work:** A background daemon (`com.homeai.reminder-daemon`) checks `~/homeai-data/reminders.json` every 60 seconds. When a reminder is due, it POSTs to the TTS bridge and speaks the reminder aloud. Fired reminders are automatically cleaned up after 24 hours.

**Prerequisites:** Calendar entity configured in Home Assistant (Google Calendar, CalDAV, or local calendar integration).

---

## Phase D — Public/Private Mode

### Mode Controller (`mode-ctl`)

Route AI requests to local LLMs (private, no data leaves the machine) or cloud LLMs (public, faster/more capable) with per-category overrides.

**Voice examples:**
- "Switch to public mode"
- "Go private"
- "What mode am I in?"
- "Use Claude for coding"
- "Keep health queries private"

**CLI usage:**
```bash
mode-ctl status                                  # Current mode and overrides
mode-ctl private                                 # All requests → local Ollama
mode-ctl public                                  # All requests → cloud LLM
mode-ctl set-provider anthropic                  # Use Claude (default)
mode-ctl set-provider openai                     # Use GPT-4o
mode-ctl override coding public                  # Always use cloud for coding
mode-ctl override health private                 # Always keep health local
mode-ctl list-overrides                          # Show all category rules
```

**Default category rules:**

| Always Private | Always Public | Follows Global Mode |
|---------------|--------------|-------------------|
| Personal finance | Web search | General chat |
| Health | Coding help | Smart home |
| Passwords | Complex reasoning | Music |
| Private conversations | Translation | Calendar |

**How it works:** The HTTP bridge reads `~/homeai-data/active-mode.json` before each request. Based on the mode and any category overrides, it passes `--model` to the OpenClaw CLI to route to either `ollama/qwen3.5:35b-a3b` (private) or `anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-20250514` / `openai/gpt-4o` (public).

**Setup required for public mode:**
1. Set `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` and/or `OPENAI_API_KEY` in the OpenClaw launchd plist
2. Restart OpenClaw: `launchctl kickstart -k gui/501/com.homeai.openclaw`

**Dashboard:** The mode can also be toggled via the dashboard API at `GET/POST /api/mode`.

---

## Administration

### Adding API Keys

All API keys are stored in the OpenClaw launchd plist at:
```
~/gitea/homeai/homeai-agent/launchd/com.homeai.openclaw.plist
```

After editing, deploy and restart:
```bash
cp ~/gitea/homeai/homeai-agent/launchd/com.homeai.openclaw.plist ~/Library/LaunchAgents/
launchctl kickstart -k gui/501/com.homeai.openclaw
```

### Environment Variables

| Variable | Purpose | Required for |
|----------|---------|-------------|
| `HASS_TOKEN` | Home Assistant API token | ha-ctl, routine-ctl, music-ctl, calendar-ctl |
| `HA_URL` | Home Assistant URL | Same as above |
| `GAZE_API_KEY` | Image generation API key | gaze-ctl |
| `N8N_API_KEY` | n8n automation API key | workflow-ctl |
| `GITEA_TOKEN` | Gitea API token | gitea-ctl |
| `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` | Claude API key | mode-ctl (public mode) |
| `OPENAI_API_KEY` | OpenAI API key | mode-ctl (public mode) |

### Skill File Locations

```
~/.openclaw/skills/
├── home-assistant/    ha-ctl         → /opt/homebrew/bin/ha-ctl
├── image-generation/  gaze-ctl       → /opt/homebrew/bin/gaze-ctl
├── memory/            memory-ctl     → /opt/homebrew/bin/memory-ctl
├── service-monitor/   monitor-ctl    → /opt/homebrew/bin/monitor-ctl
├── character/         character-ctl  → /opt/homebrew/bin/character-ctl
├── routine/           routine-ctl    → /opt/homebrew/bin/routine-ctl
├── music/             music-ctl      → /opt/homebrew/bin/music-ctl
├── workflow/          workflow-ctl   → /opt/homebrew/bin/workflow-ctl
├── gitea/             gitea-ctl      → /opt/homebrew/bin/gitea-ctl
├── calendar/          calendar-ctl   → /opt/homebrew/bin/calendar-ctl
├── mode/              mode-ctl       → /opt/homebrew/bin/mode-ctl
├── voice-assistant/   (no CLI)
└── vtube-studio/      vtube-ctl      → /opt/homebrew/bin/vtube-ctl
```

### Data File Locations

| File | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| `~/homeai-data/memories/personal/*.json` | Per-character memories |
| `~/homeai-data/memories/general.json` | Shared general memories |
| `~/homeai-data/characters/*.json` | Character profiles |
| `~/homeai-data/satellite-map.json` | Satellite → character mapping |
| `~/homeai-data/active-tts-voice.json` | Current TTS voice config |
| `~/homeai-data/active-mode.json` | Public/private mode state |
| `~/homeai-data/routines/*.json` | Local routine definitions |
| `~/homeai-data/reminders.json` | Pending voice reminders |
| `~/homeai-data/conversations/*.json` | Chat conversation history |

### Creating a New Skill

Every skill follows the same pattern:

1. Create directory: `~/.openclaw/skills/<name>/`
2. Write `SKILL.md` with YAML frontmatter (`name`, `description`) + usage docs
3. Create Python CLI (stdlib only: `urllib.request`, `json`, `os`, `sys`, `re`, `datetime`)
4. `chmod +x` the CLI and symlink to `/opt/homebrew/bin/`
5. Add env vars to the OpenClaw launchd plist if needed
6. Add a section to `~/.openclaw/workspace/TOOLS.md`
7. Restart OpenClaw: `launchctl kickstart -k gui/501/com.homeai.openclaw`
8. Test: `openclaw agent --message "test prompt" --agent main`

### Daemons

| Daemon | Plist | Purpose |
|--------|-------|---------|
| `com.homeai.reminder-daemon` | `homeai-agent/launchd/com.homeai.reminder-daemon.plist` | Fires TTS reminders when due |
| `com.homeai.openclaw` | `homeai-agent/launchd/com.homeai.openclaw.plist` | OpenClaw gateway |
| `com.homeai.openclaw-bridge` | `homeai-agent/launchd/com.homeai.openclaw-bridge.plist` | HTTP bridge (voice pipeline) |
| `com.homeai.preload-models` | `homeai-llm/scripts/preload-models.sh` | Keeps models warm in VRAM |