OpenClaw Agent Optimization

OpenClaw Agent Optimization

Use this skill to tune an OpenClaw workspace for cost-aware routing, parallel-first delegation, and lean context.

Quick Start (copy/paste)

1) Full audit (safe, no changes):

> Audit my OpenClaw setup for cost, reliability, and context bloat. Output a prioritized plan with rollback notes. Do NOT apply changes.

2) Context bloat / transcript noise:

> My OpenClaw context is bloating (slow replies / high cost / lots of transcript noise). Identify the top offenders (tools, crons, bootstrap files) and propose the smallest reversible fixes first. Do NOT apply changes.

3) Model routing / delegation posture:

> Propose a model routing plan for (a) coding/engineering, (b) short notifications/reminders, (c) reasoning-heavy research/writing. Include an exact config patch + rollback plan, but do NOT apply changes.

What you will get (output shape)

• -Executive summary (what matters + why)
• -Top offenders / drivers

- Cost drivers

- Context drivers

- Reliability risks

• -Options A/B/C (tradeoffs made explicit)
• -Recommended plan (smallest change first)
• -Exact change proposals (patch snippets) + rollback

Safety Contract (must follow)

• -Treat this skill as advisory by default, not autonomous control-plane mutation.
• -Never mutate persistent settings (e.g., config.apply, config.patch, update.run) without explicit user approval.
• -Never create/update/remove cron jobs without explicit user approval.
• -If an optimization reduces monitoring coverage, present options (A/B/C) and require the user to choose.
• -Before any approved persistent change, show: (1) exact change, (2) expected impact, (3) rollback plan.

OpenClaw 2.9+ notes (skills + context)

• -Skills are snapshotted per session; if you install/update skills, start a new session (or wait for watcher refresh).
• -Prefer short SKILL.md + references/ for long runbooks. Keep injected prompt text lean.
• -For risky / heavy skills, consider disable-model-invocation: true so they only run when explicitly invoked.
• -Gating matters: use metadata.openclaw.requires (bins/env/config) so skills don’t appear but fail at runtime.
• -Sandboxed runs don’t inherit host env; if a skill needs secrets in sandbox, set them via sandbox env config (not skill env).

High-ROI optimization levers (typical wins)

1) Output discipline for automation

Make maintenance loops truly silent on success:

• -Cron/heartbeat jobs should output exactly NO_REPLY unless something is wrong.

2) Separate “do the work” from “notify the human”

If you want alerts but want the interactive session lean:

• -Send a short out-of-band alert (Telegram/Slack/etc.), then output NO_REPLY.

3) Prefer isolated agentTurn for autonomous background work

If a job should execute *without* requiring attention, prefer:

• -sessionTarget="isolated" + payload.kind="agentTurn"

4) Hardening & guardrails

• -Use scripts-first for complex cron jobs (avoid fragile multi-line bash -lc quoting).
• -Add circuit breakers / global locks for heavy jobs.

5) Ops hygiene checklist

• -Snapshot backups: freshness threshold + retention + failure markers.
• -Heartbeat coverage: check model auth, disk/snapshot freshness, and ClawHub CLI auth (npx clawhub whoami) if you rely on publishing/installs.

Workflow (concise)

1. Audit rules + memory: ensure rules are modular/short; memory keeps only restart-critical facts.

2. Model routing: confirm tiered routing (light / mid / deep) matches live config.

3. Context discipline: apply progressive disclosure; move large static data to references/scripts.

- If transcripts are bloating, run context-clean-up (audit-only) to get a ranked offender list + plan.

4. Delegation protocol: parallelize independent tasks; use isolated sub-agents for long/noisy work.

5. Heartbeat optimization (control-plane only): propose options A/B/C (coverage vs cost).

6. Execution gate: if user approves changes, apply the smallest viable change first, then verify and report.

References

• -references/optimization-playbook.md
• -references/model-selection.md
• -references/context-management.md
• -references/agent-orchestration.md
• -references/cron-optimization.md
• -references/heartbeat-optimization.md
• -references/memory-patterns.md
• -references/continuous-learning.md
• -references/safeguards.md