OpenClaw Hub Safety Tips - ClawHub Security Checklist

Before installing any ClawHub skill, always check:

• Download Count: Skills with 10,000+ downloads are generally safer
• Star Rating: Higher stars indicate community approval
• Recent Activity: Regular updates show active maintenance
• Author Reputation: Established developers are more trustworthy

On openclaw hub, we only feature skills with proven track records and high community trust.

Take time to review:

• Skill description and intended functionality
• Required permissions and access levels
• Dependencies and prerequisites
• Author information and contact details

Legitimate skills have clear, detailed documentation. Vague or overly complex descriptions may indicate malicious intent.

Test unfamiliar skills in isolated environments:

• Use Docker containers for testing
• Test in virtual machines
• Use separate OpenClaw instances for experimentation
• Monitor network traffic during testing

Sandbox testing limits potential damage from malicious code and helps you identify suspicious behavior before deploying to production.

Regular updates protect against known vulnerabilities:

# Check for skill updates
clawhub outdated

# Update all skills
clawhub update

# Update specific skill
clawhub update skill-name

Enable automatic updates for critical security patches. However, always review update notes before applying major version changes.

Check the skill author's credibility:

• Look for verified or official author badges
• Check author's other published skills
• Review author profile completeness
• Search for author reputation in community

Skills from well-known organizations or the OpenClaw team are generally more trustworthy than anonymous contributions.

Help protect the community by reporting:

• Skills with fake dependencies
• Skills requesting excessive permissions
• Skills with unclear or suspicious code
• Skills impersonating legitimate tools

Use ClawHub's reporting feature. The three-strike policy helps remove harmful skills from the openclaw hub ecosystem.

Keep track of what skills are installed:

# List all installed skills
clawhub list

# Get skill information
clawhub info skill-name

# Review permissions regularly
clawhub list --verbose

Periodically audit your installed skills and remove any that are no longer needed or that show suspicious behavior.

Avoid: Installing skills that were just published.

Why: The ClawHavoc attackers exploited the window between publishing and review. New skills haven't been vetted by the community.

Recommendation: Wait at least 2-4 weeks before installing newly published skills, unless they're from verified authors.

Avoid: Dismissing or ignoring security alerts.

Why: ClawHub displays warnings for a reason. Ignoring them can lead to installing compromised skills.

Recommendation: Always read and consider security warnings before proceeding with any skill installation.

Avoid: Installing skills from unfamiliar or anonymous authors.

Why: Malicious actors often create anonymous accounts to distribute harmful skills.

Recommendation: Stick to skills from verified authors or those with established reputations in the community.

Avoid: Installing skills without reviewing their code.

Why: Malicious code can hide in dependencies or perform unauthorized actions.

Recommendation: If you have technical expertise, review the skill's source code before installation. Look for suspicious network calls, data exfiltration, or unusual permissions.

Avoid: Skills that require unfamiliar or excessive dependencies.

Why: The ClawHavoc malware used fake prerequisites to deliver malicious code.

Recommendation: Verify all dependencies and only install from trusted package sources.

Avoid: Deploying new skills directly to production systems.

Why: Untested skills may contain vulnerabilities or malicious code that could compromise your entire system.

Recommendation: Always test in development or staging environments first, monitoring for suspicious behavior.

Avoid: Granting unnecessary permissions or sharing credentials.

Why: Skills with excessive access can steal sensitive data or compromise your systems.

Recommendation: Only grant the minimum permissions necessary for the skill to function.