Plugin SDK Overview

The plugin SDK is the typed contract between plugins and core. This page is the reference for what to import and what you can register.

Looking for a how-to guide?

First plugin? Start with Getting Started
Channel plugin? See Channel Plugins
Provider plugin? See Provider Plugins

Import convention

Always import from a specific subpath:

import { definePluginEntry } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/plugin-entry";
import { defineChannelPluginEntry } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/core";

Each subpath is a small, self-contained module. This keeps startup fast and prevents circular dependency issues.

Subpath reference

The most commonly used subpaths, grouped by purpose. The full list of 100+ subpaths is in scripts/lib/plugin-sdk-entrypoints.json.

Plugin entry

Subpath	Key exports
`plugin-sdk/plugin-entry`	`definePluginEntry`
`plugin-sdk/core`	`defineChannelPluginEntry`, `createChatChannelPlugin`, `createChannelPluginBase`, `defineSetupPluginEntry`, `buildChannelConfigSchema`

Channel subpaths

Subpath	Key exports
`plugin-sdk/channel-setup`	`createOptionalChannelSetupSurface`
`plugin-sdk/channel-pairing`	`createChannelPairingController`
`plugin-sdk/channel-reply-pipeline`	`createChannelReplyPipeline`
`plugin-sdk/channel-config-helpers`	`createHybridChannelConfigAdapter`
`plugin-sdk/channel-config-schema`	Channel config schema types
`plugin-sdk/channel-policy`	`resolveChannelGroupRequireMention`
`plugin-sdk/channel-lifecycle`	`createAccountStatusSink`
`plugin-sdk/channel-inbound`	Debounce, mention matching, envelope helpers
`plugin-sdk/channel-send-result`	Reply result types
`plugin-sdk/channel-actions`	`createMessageToolButtonsSchema`, `createMessageToolCardSchema`
`plugin-sdk/channel-targets`	Target parsing/matching helpers
`plugin-sdk/channel-contract`	Channel contract types
`plugin-sdk/channel-feedback`	Feedback/reaction wiring

Provider subpaths

Subpath	Key exports
`plugin-sdk/cli-backend`	CLI backend defaults + watchdog constants
`plugin-sdk/provider-auth`	`createProviderApiKeyAuthMethod`, `ensureApiKeyFromOptionEnvOrPrompt`, `upsertAuthProfile`
`plugin-sdk/provider-model-shared`	`normalizeModelCompat`
`plugin-sdk/provider-catalog-shared`	`findCatalogTemplate`, `buildSingleProviderApiKeyCatalog`
`plugin-sdk/provider-usage`	`fetchClaudeUsage` and similar
`plugin-sdk/provider-stream`	Stream wrapper types
`plugin-sdk/provider-onboard`	Onboarding config patch helpers
`plugin-sdk/global-singleton`	Process-local singleton/map/cache helpers

Auth and security subpaths

Subpath	Key exports
`plugin-sdk/command-auth`	`resolveControlCommandGate`
`plugin-sdk/allow-from`	`formatAllowFromLowercase`
`plugin-sdk/secret-input`	Secret input parsing helpers
`plugin-sdk/webhook-ingress`	Webhook request/target helpers
`plugin-sdk/webhook-request-guards`	Request body size/timeout helpers

Runtime and storage subpaths

Subpath	Key exports
`plugin-sdk/runtime-store`	`createPluginRuntimeStore`
`plugin-sdk/config-runtime`	Config load/write helpers
`plugin-sdk/approval-runtime`	Exec and plugin approval helpers
`plugin-sdk/infra-runtime`	System event/heartbeat helpers
`plugin-sdk/collection-runtime`	Small bounded cache helpers
`plugin-sdk/diagnostic-runtime`	Diagnostic flag and event helpers
`plugin-sdk/error-runtime`	Error graph and formatting helpers
`plugin-sdk/fetch-runtime`	Wrapped fetch, proxy, and pinned lookup helpers
`plugin-sdk/host-runtime`	Hostname and SCP host normalization helpers
`plugin-sdk/retry-runtime`	Retry config and retry runner helpers
`plugin-sdk/agent-runtime`	Agent dir/identity/workspace helpers
`plugin-sdk/directory-runtime`	Config-backed directory query/dedup
`plugin-sdk/keyed-async-queue`	`KeyedAsyncQueue`

Capability and testing subpaths

Subpath	Key exports
`plugin-sdk/image-generation`	Image generation provider types
`plugin-sdk/media-understanding`	Media understanding provider types
`plugin-sdk/speech`	Speech provider types
`plugin-sdk/testing`	`installCommonResolveTargetErrorCases`, `shouldAckReaction`

Registration API

The register(api) callback receives an OpenClawPluginApi object with these methods:

Capability registration

Method	What it registers
`api.registerProvider(...)`	Text inference (LLM)
`api.registerCliBackend(...)`	Local CLI inference backend
`api.registerChannel(...)`	Messaging channel
`api.registerSpeechProvider(...)`	Text-to-speech / STT synthesis
`api.registerMediaUnderstandingProvider(...)`	Image/audio/video analysis
`api.registerImageGenerationProvider(...)`	Image generation
`api.registerWebSearchProvider(...)`	Web search

Tools and commands

Method	What it registers
`api.registerTool(tool, opts?)`	Agent tool (required or `{ optional: true }`)
`api.registerCommand(def)`	Custom command (bypasses the LLM)

Infrastructure

Method	What it registers
`api.registerHook(events, handler, opts?)`	Event hook
`api.registerHttpRoute(params)`	Gateway HTTP endpoint
`api.registerGatewayMethod(name, handler)`	Gateway RPC method
`api.registerCli(registrar, opts?)`	CLI subcommand
`api.registerService(service)`	Background service
`api.registerInteractiveHandler(registration)`	Interactive handler

CLI registration metadata

api.registerCli(registrar, opts?) accepts two kinds of top-level metadata:

commands: explicit command roots owned by the registrar
descriptors: parse-time command descriptors used for root CLI help, routing, and lazy plugin CLI registration

If you want a plugin command to stay lazy-loaded in the normal root CLI path, provide descriptors that cover every top-level command root exposed by that registrar.

api.registerCli(
  async ({ program }) => {
    const { registerMatrixCli } = await import("./src/cli.js");
    registerMatrixCli({ program });
  },
  {
    descriptors: [
      {
        name: "matrix",
        description: "Manage Matrix accounts, verification, devices, and profile state",
        hasSubcommands: true,
      },
    ],
  },
);

Use commands by itself only when you do not need lazy root CLI registration. That eager compatibility path remains supported, but it does not install descriptor-backed placeholders for parse-time lazy loading.

CLI backend registration

api.registerCliBackend(...) lets a plugin own the default config for a local AI CLI backend such as claude-cli or codex-cli.

The backend id becomes the provider prefix in model refs like claude-cli/opus.
The backend config uses the same shape as agents.defaults.cliBackends.<id>.
User config still wins. OpenClaw merges agents.defaults.cliBackends.<id> over the plugin default before running the CLI.
Use normalizeConfig when a backend needs compatibility rewrites after merge (for example normalizing old flag shapes).

Exclusive slots

Method	What it registers
`api.registerContextEngine(id, factory)`	Context engine (one active at a time)
`api.registerMemoryPromptSection(builder)`	Memory prompt section builder
`api.registerMemoryFlushPlan(resolver)`	Memory flush plan resolver
`api.registerMemoryRuntime(runtime)`	Memory runtime adapter

Memory embedding adapters

Method	What it registers
`api.registerMemoryEmbeddingProvider(adapter)`	Memory embedding adapter for the active plugin

registerMemoryPromptSection, registerMemoryFlushPlan, and registerMemoryRuntime are exclusive to memory plugins.
registerMemoryEmbeddingProvider lets the active memory plugin register one or more embedding adapter ids (for example openai, gemini, or a custom plugin-defined id).
User config such as agents.defaults.memorySearch.provider and agents.defaults.memorySearch.fallback resolves against those registered adapter ids.

Events and lifecycle

Method	What it does
`api.on(hookName, handler, opts?)`	Typed lifecycle hook
`api.onConversationBindingResolved(handler)`	Conversation binding callback

Hook decision semantics

before_tool_call: returning { block: true } is terminal. Once any handler sets it, lower-priority handlers are skipped.
before_tool_call: returning { block: false } is treated as no decision (same as omitting block), not as an override.
before_install: returning { block: true } is terminal. Once any handler sets it, lower-priority handlers are skipped.
before_install: returning { block: false } is treated as no decision (same as omitting block), not as an override.
message_sending: returning { cancel: true } is terminal. Once any handler sets it, lower-priority handlers are skipped.
message_sending: returning { cancel: false } is treated as no decision (same as omitting cancel), not as an override.

API object fields

Field	Type	Description
`api.id`	`string`	Plugin id
`api.name`	`string`	Display name
`api.version`	`string?`	Plugin version (optional)
`api.description`	`string?`	Plugin description (optional)
`api.source`	`string`	Plugin source path
`api.rootDir`	`string?`	Plugin root directory (optional)
`api.config`	`OpenClawConfig`	Current config snapshot
`api.pluginConfig`	`Record<string, unknown>`	Plugin-specific config from `plugins.entries.<id>.config`
`api.runtime`	`PluginRuntime`	Runtime helpers
`api.logger`	`PluginLogger`	Scoped logger (`debug`, `info`, `warn`, `error`)
`api.registrationMode`	`PluginRegistrationMode`	`"full"`, `"setup-only"`, `"setup-runtime"`, or `"cli-metadata"`
`api.resolvePath(input)`	`(string) => string`	Resolve path relative to plugin root

Internal module convention

Within your plugin, use local barrel files for internal imports:

my-plugin/
  api.ts            # Public exports for external consumers
  runtime-api.ts    # Internal-only runtime exports
  index.ts          # Plugin entry point
  setup-entry.ts    # Lightweight setup-only entry (optional)

Never import your own plugin through openclaw/plugin-sdk/<your-plugin> from production code. Route internal imports through ./api.ts or ./runtime-api.ts. The SDK path is the external contract only.

Extension production code should also avoid openclaw/plugin-sdk/<other-plugin> imports. If a helper is truly shared, promote it to a neutral SDK subpath such as openclaw/plugin-sdk/speech, .../provider-model-shared, or another capability-oriented surface instead of coupling two plugins together.

Entry Points — definePluginEntry and defineChannelPluginEntry options
Runtime Helpers — full api.runtime namespace reference
Setup and Config — packaging, manifests, config schemas
Testing — test utilities and lint rules
SDK Migration — migrating from deprecated surfaces
Plugin Internals — deep architecture and capability model

Overview

Plugins

Skills

Automation

Tools

Agent coordination

Plugin SDK Overview

Plugin SDK Overview

Import convention

Subpath reference

Plugin entry

Registration API

Capability registration

Tools and commands

Infrastructure

CLI registration metadata

CLI backend registration

Exclusive slots

Memory embedding adapters

Events and lifecycle

Hook decision semantics

API object fields

Internal module convention

Overview

Plugins

Skills

Automation

Tools

Agent coordination

​Plugin SDK Overview

​Import convention

​Subpath reference

​Plugin entry

​Registration API

​Capability registration

​Tools and commands

​Infrastructure

​CLI registration metadata

​CLI backend registration

​Exclusive slots

​Memory embedding adapters

​Events and lifecycle

​Hook decision semantics

​API object fields

​Internal module convention

​Related

Plugin SDK Overview

Import convention

Subpath reference

Plugin entry

Registration API

Capability registration

Tools and commands

Infrastructure

CLI registration metadata

CLI backend registration

Exclusive slots

Memory embedding adapters

Events and lifecycle

Hook decision semantics

API object fields

Internal module convention

Related