openclaw/docs/plugins/building-extensions.md

title	summary	read_when
Building Extensions	Step-by-step guide for creating OpenClaw channel and provider extensions	You want to create a new OpenClaw plugin or extension You need to understand the plugin SDK import patterns You are adding a new channel or provider to OpenClaw

Building Extensions

This guide walks through creating an OpenClaw extension from scratch. Extensions can add channels, model providers, tools, or other capabilities.

Prerequisites

• OpenClaw repository cloned and dependencies installed (pnpm install)
• Familiarity with TypeScript (ESM)

Extension structure

Every extension lives under extensions/<name>/ and follows this layout:

extensions/my-channel/
├── package.json          # npm metadata + openclaw config
├── index.ts              # Entry point (defineChannelPluginEntry)
├── setup-entry.ts        # Setup wizard (optional)
├── api.ts                # Public contract barrel (optional)
├── runtime-api.ts        # Internal runtime barrel (optional)
└── src/
    ├── channel.ts        # Channel adapter implementation
    ├── runtime.ts        # Runtime wiring
    └── *.test.ts         # Colocated tests

Step 1: Create the package

Create extensions/my-channel/package.json:

{
  "name": "@openclaw/my-channel",
  "version": "2026.1.1",
  "description": "OpenClaw My Channel plugin",
  "type": "module",
  "dependencies": {},
  "openclaw": {
    "extensions": ["./index.ts"],
    "setupEntry": "./setup-entry.ts",
    "channel": {
      "id": "my-channel",
      "label": "My Channel",
      "selectionLabel": "My Channel (plugin)",
      "docsPath": "/channels/my-channel",
      "docsLabel": "my-channel",
      "blurb": "Short description of the channel.",
      "order": 80
    },
    "install": {
      "npmSpec": "@openclaw/my-channel",
      "localPath": "extensions/my-channel"
    }
  }
}

The openclaw field tells the plugin system what your extension provides. For provider plugins, use providers instead of channel.

Step 2: Define the entry point

Create extensions/my-channel/index.ts:

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

export default defineChannelPluginEntry({
  id: "my-channel",
  name: "My Channel",
  description: "Connects OpenClaw to My Channel",
  plugin: {
    // Channel adapter implementation
  },
});

For provider plugins, use definePluginEntry instead.

Step 3: Import from focused subpaths

The plugin SDK exposes many focused subpaths. Always import from specific subpaths rather than the monolithic root:

// Correct: focused subpaths
import { defineChannelPluginEntry } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/core";
import { createChannelReplyPipeline } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-reply-pipeline";
import { createChannelPairingController } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-pairing";
import { createPluginRuntimeStore } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/runtime-store";
import { createOptionalChannelSetupSurface } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-setup";
import { resolveChannelGroupRequireMention } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-policy";

// Wrong: monolithic root (lint will reject this)
import { ... } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk";

Common subpaths:

Subpath	Purpose
plugin-sdk/core	Plugin entry definitions, base types
plugin-sdk/channel-setup	Optional setup adapters/wizards
plugin-sdk/channel-pairing	DM pairing primitives
plugin-sdk/channel-reply-pipeline	Prefix + typing reply wiring
plugin-sdk/channel-config-schema	Config schema builders
plugin-sdk/channel-policy	Group/DM policy helpers
plugin-sdk/secret-input	Secret input parsing/helpers
plugin-sdk/webhook-ingress	Webhook request/target helpers
plugin-sdk/runtime-store	Persistent plugin storage
plugin-sdk/allow-from	Allowlist resolution
plugin-sdk/reply-payload	Message reply types
plugin-sdk/provider-onboard	Provider onboarding config patches
plugin-sdk/testing	Test utilities

Use the narrowest primitive that matches the job. Reach for channel-runtime or other larger helper barrels only when a dedicated subpath does not exist yet.

Step 4: Use local barrels for internal imports

Within your extension, create barrel files for internal code sharing instead of importing through the plugin SDK:

// api.ts — public contract for this extension
export { MyChannelConfig } from "./src/config.js";
export { MyChannelRuntime } from "./src/runtime.js";

// runtime-api.ts — internal-only exports (not for production consumers)
export { internalHelper } from "./src/helpers.js";

Self-import guardrail: never import your own extension back through its published SDK contract path from production files. Route internal imports through ./api.ts or ./runtime-api.ts instead. The SDK contract is for external consumers only.

Step 5: Add a plugin manifest

Create openclaw.plugin.json in your extension root:

{
  "id": "my-channel",
  "kind": "channel",
  "channels": ["my-channel"],
  "name": "My Channel Plugin",
  "description": "Connects OpenClaw to My Channel"
}

See Plugin manifest for the full schema.

Step 6: Test with contract tests

OpenClaw runs contract tests against all registered plugins. After adding your extension, run:

pnpm test:contracts:channels   # channel plugins
pnpm test:contracts:plugins    # provider plugins

Contract tests verify your plugin conforms to the expected interface (setup wizard, session binding, message handling, group policy, etc.).

For unit tests, import test helpers from the public testing surface:

import { createTestRuntime } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/testing";

Lint enforcement

Three scripts enforce SDK boundaries:

1. No monolithic root imports — openclaw/plugin-sdk root is rejected
2. No direct src/ imports — extensions cannot import ../../src/ directly
3. No self-imports — extensions cannot import their own plugin-sdk/<name> subpath

Run pnpm check to verify all boundaries before committing.

Checklist

Before submitting your extension:

• package.json has correct openclaw metadata
• Entry point uses defineChannelPluginEntry or definePluginEntry
• All imports use focused plugin-sdk/<subpath> paths
• Internal imports use local barrels, not SDK self-imports
• openclaw.plugin.json manifest is present and valid
• Contract tests pass (pnpm test:contracts)
• Unit tests colocated as *.test.ts
• pnpm check passes (lint + format)
• Doc page created under docs/channels/ or docs/plugins/